Lynewood Hall - Abandoned Mansion in Pensylvania

Lynnewood Hall, referred to the “Last American Versailles”, and sometimes referred to as the “Titanic Mansion” among urban explorers, is a neoclassical design masterpiece, and is also considered one of the best remaining Gilded Age mansions in the United States. Today the abandoned Lynnewood Hall mansion sits empty waiting for its revival.

Located a short drive from Philadlephia,  construction started on Lynnewood Hall in 1897 and completed in 1899 for famed American businessman and esteemed art collector Peter Arrell Browne Widener. The construction of Lynnewood Hall included the use of the best materials from across the world, including Indiana limestone. Lynnewood Hall was intended to be a home for Peter to share with his children and their families, but then tragedy struck as his oldest son George and grandson Harry died on the Titanic. Peter would eventually die at Lynnewood Hall at 80 years old on November 6, 1915, after a history of poor health. 

The mansion sits on roughly 34 acres, and cost an estimated $8 million to build (equal to about $300 million today). The abandoned mansion has 110 total rooms, including 55 bedrooms, 22 bathrooms, and an art gallery and a ballroom large enough to host up to 1,000 guests. During it’s peak, Lynnewood Hall required 37 full time staff members to operate it, and an additional 60 employees to care for the extensive garden.

For a more in depth history of the mansion, and old historical photos of Lynnewood Hall, visit the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation website.