“Hidden in plain sight” is how some describe this tiny historic building, the Sedgley Porter House. Today, we’ll uncover the secrets of this modest yet elegant edifice. It is the only remaining testament in Philadelphia to one of America’s greatest architects.
This is the Sedgley Porter House. Once, it was the servant’s quarters to the grand Sedgley Mansion. The mansion is now only remembered through street names. The land itself was once part of Robert Morris’ vast estate. He was the financier of the American Revolution.
William Crammond, a wealthy merchant, bought the land in 1799. He hired Benjamin Henry Latrobe to design his new home. Latrobe was designing the Centre Square pump house simultaneously. He would later design the United States Capitol building. Because of this, Latrobe is known as the father of American architecture.
The mansion was completed in 1803. It stood 80 feet over the Schuylkill River. This gave it a magnificent view. Thomas H. Keels described Sedgley Mansion as a two-and-a-half story rectangular house. It had a red-hipped roof and a one-story porch on all four sides.
Latrobe was dismayed with the final product. He believed contractors butchered his design. Despite Latrobe’s disapproval, Sedgley became renowned. It inspired more Gothic Revival buildings. Crammond fell into deep debt. He had to sell Sedgley in 1806.
Over the next decade, three different owners possessed Sedgley. In 1836, Isaac Lloyd, a real estate speculator, bought the property. Like Lemon Hill, Sedgley fell into disrepair. Lloyd cut down many trees and tried to urbanize the land. This venture failed.
The public pushed city officials to purchase Sedgley. They wanted to add it to Fairmount Park. Frederic Graff Jr. led this proposal. In 1857, private citizens raised half the purchase price. The city matched it. Sedgley was added to Fairmount Park.
Tragically, the damage done during Lloyd’s possession left the house derelict. The decay was so widespread that it was demolished. However, the guard house and servant’s cottage, known as the Porter’s House, survived. Latrobe designed this humble building in the Gothic Revival fashion.
The Fairmount Park guard used it as their headquarters and jail. Today, the Sedgley Porter House is office space. It houses an outdoor educational nonprofit, Outward Bound. Though Latrobe designed many buildings for Philadelphia, Sedgley Porter House is all that remains.
The Sedgley Porter House is a sobering example of the need for preservation. It’s also a hopeful example of the progress made for restoration. The house, built in 1800, was originally home to the porter. He carried visitors’ luggage to Sedgley mansion.
For more than a century, the Park Guard used the Porter’s House. It even served as a prison. In the 1990s, it was rescued from demolition. The Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust converted it to office space.
The Bicycle Coalition and the Schuylkill Navy recently moved into the Sedgeley Porter House. Both groups are excited about sharing space. This is because of their mutual commitment to city youth.