Memory Stream Dipping into Philadelphia's illustrated past

Grey Towers, a mansion that is now part of Arcadia University, was built in 1893-94 for William Welsh Harrison, co-owner of the Franklin Sugar Refinery in Philadelphia. After fire destroyed his previous house, Rosedale Hall, in January 1893, Harrison hired 24-year-old Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a grand new house on the same 138-acre site in Glenside.

Trumbauer took inspiration from Alnwick Castle in England, the medieval seat of the Duke of Northumberland, and from the gray stone found in Chestnut Hill. The estimated construction cost was $250,000, which included the most modern conveniences, including electricity. Grey Towers is most recognized, however, for its eclectic design, copying French styles from the Renaissance through the lavish age of Louis XV. Embellishments to the mansion included walnut and mahogany paneling, enormous tapestries, marble mosaic fireplaces, massive glass sliding doors, and domed, painted ceilings. When it was completed, Harrison owned one of the largest homes in the country and one of the greatest castles in America, with more than 40 rooms.

Harrison died in 1927, and in 1929 Beaver College (now Arcadia University) bought Grey Towers for $712,500. To recognize its historic and architectural importance, Grey Towers was declared a national historic landmark in 1985.