Ryerss Victorian Mansion

Ryerss Victorian Mansion is located in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tioga Railroad president Joseph Waln Ryerss built this Italianate villa in 1859 on 85 acres in Burholme Park. Like the Greek revival before it, the Italianate style was international in its appeal. Villas appealed to the tastes of the middle class which was rising to affluence in America. So popular was it during the 1850s and 1860s that it was even called the American Bracketed style. Ryerss son, Robert, inherited the property and started filling it with souvenirs from his many travels. Late in life, he married his housekeeper, Mary Ann Reed, who continued to travel and collect after his death. In 1910, the mansion was remodeled as a library and museum.

Image Credit: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.