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 Between 1763-64 Francis and Rebecca Rawle erected the center section of this brick mansion on the laurel-covered hill overlooking the Schuylkill River. The pediment of the entrance door is echoed in the roofline. Inside, the paneling above the fireplace and the Delft tiles are decorative features typical of houses built in Philadelphia during this period.
The original symmetry of the house was destroyed when the widowed Rebecca married Samuel Shoemaker in 1767 and added a kitchen wing. In the early 19th century the octagonal wing was added to the opposite side.
Laurel Hill was confiscated by the Pennsylvania legislature during the Revolution because of Shoemaker's Loyalist sympathies and was sold to Major James Parr. In 1784, when anti-British feelings waned, Rebecca Rawle Shoemaker bought her house again. Dr. Philip Syng Physick, father of American surgery and next owner of Laurel Hill, gave the estate in trust to his daughter, Sally Randolph, in 1828. The Randolphs sold it to the City of Philadelphia for $68,000 in 1869.
In 1976 the Fairmount Park Commission restored the house, but did not remove recent layers of paint on the exterior because doing so would have damaged the bricks. The house is operated by the Women for Greater Philadelphia.
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Laurel Hill Mansion
East Fairmount Park
7201 North Randolph Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19121
215-235-1776
Tours And Hours Of Operation
History
Architecture
Official Website
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