'
Elstowe', the
William Lukens Elkins estate designed by
Horace Trumbauer c. 1898 in Elkins Park,
Pennsylvania. Elkins began his career as a partner in the produce firm of Saybolt & Elkins. In the 1860s he opened an oil refining plant known as the Monument Oil Works and in 1875 partnered with Standard Oil. He was a director on the boards of a large number of corporations and was a large stockholder in Standard Oil. In early 1903 as he was walking through Philadelphia a large iron girder being hoisted onto a building under construction fell and narrowly missed him. Elkins was apparently unable to recover from the shock and died a few months later from a complication of diseases. Since the 1930s the house has been owned by the Dominican Sisters. Click
HERE to see 'Elstowe' on google earth and
HERE on bing.
Photos from
Architecture, 1901.
5 comments:
Wow! That's just about all I can say. Oh, and there sure are a lot of animal heads to be tripped over.
Horace was a God!!!!
Trumbauer hadn't really gotten up to speed yet. It's big, it's impressive, it's better than certain other estates possibly in Glen Cove, but Trumbauer wasn't there yet, the way he would be with The Elms. I much prefer Carrere & Hastings' 'Indian Harbor in Greenwich, one of the houses that inspired Trumbauer in this design.
http://www.greenwichcitizen.com/news/article/Building-a-legacy-Book-looks-at-architectural-3459694.php#next
Just an incredible survivor in a corner of the world where big impressive houses seem to go begging for a new lease on life. Wonderful hotel sized first floor plan with a great multi-storey central hall and staircase. Equally as lavish and over the top as a certain Captain's and a five and dime store founders country places in Glen Cove. Even Trumbauer running at 80 or 90% is amazingly fantastic.
The property now owned, then not owned, then owned once again by a Dominican order and a non-profit group with seemingly good intentions is just the latest saga in the homes tale. Hopefully fate, the bankruptcy court and the local township will spare this mansion from the uncertain future of its neighbor Lynnewood Hall.
The estates site elkinsestate.org has a lot of current information.
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