Abandoned Mansion -Lynnewood Hall (Pennsylvania)
I don't know why, but I have a fascination with abandoned buildings, particularly mansions. I am already a fan of history and historical sites. I used to be into European medieval history, but over time, my love of history has shifted to U.S. History, particularly the time of the 2nd Industrial Revolution. I am also into reading about history that surrounds the major wars we've been involved in: American Revolution, Civil War, World War I and II, etc...
I love to read about how people lived, dressed, what they ate, who they were and were not allowed to socialize with, their political and religious beliefs, etc.... I find humanity fascinating. Examining a historical site that was built to the specifications of a particular person and seeing what they left behind says a lot.
Lyneewood Hall isn't the biggest mansion ever built, but it's pretty damned big. The Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) would swallow Lynnewood Hall up as it's 175,000 sq. ft and currently sits on 8,000 acres (but orig was on 125,000 acres). However, I do find Lynnewood to be an interesting piece of history.
Lynnewood Hall -is a 110 room, 20 bathroom mansion that was last occupied in 1952. Since then it has been owned by a Christian Seminary group and a Korean Church. Right now, it sits vacant waiting to be restored.
It was built by Peter Widener between 1897 and 1900 in Elkin Park, Pennsylvania and cost a whopping $8M (today equivalent to approx. $286M) to build at the time. The property sits on 33.83 acres and is approx. 70,000 sq ft in size. Costs to restore the property range between $10 Million and $50 Million.
Mr. Widener made his fortune supplying mutton to the Union Army, investing in horse-drawn city street car lines, and collecting art. After the death of his son and grandson on the Titanic, only his youngest son, Joseph remained. Joseph was the last Widener to live at the property as other relatives did not want to incur the costs of maintaining the property. Mr. Widener and his son were avid art collectors and were able to amass a significant collection (including over a dozen Rembrandt paintings). Much of the art was adorned in the mansion, and the mansion itself --as ornate as it was-- is in and of itself a piece of artwork. Unfortunately, the mansion has been looted over years with many of the original fixtures and decorations stolen. Since then, guard dogs, people and security systems have been used to keep potential looters away. The property is currently worth an estimated $256 million.
