Jaw-Dropper of the Week: Mermaid Lane Residence with Gothic Dining Hall
615 W Mermaid Ln, Philadelphia, PA, 19118
As the story goes, in 1889, financier Edward W. Clark Jr. commissioned George T. Pearson–an architect noted for his “eclectic Victorian taste“–to design him a home. The result was “Keewaydin,” an anchor estate in the St. Martin’s neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia.
Today, Keewaydin is no more. But when it did exist, the massive property vaunted a main house and two sizable ancillary wings; one for the ballroom, the other for the kitchen and service quarters. According to James Garrison, each branch of the residence was connected at the basement level only, which made subdividing each into separate homes easy in 1958. (Read the home’s full story here.)
It’s this Jaw-Dropper, the former Keewaydin ballroom, that is on the market now.
Clark is said have entertained huge parties here, which makes the engraved quote from a line in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida over the dining hall entrance quite fitting. A stone fireplace and bay alcove with tile flooring can be found here, while the former solarium was converted into an office accessed via spiral staircase.
Details include a double staircase leading to the master bedroom, 25-foot ceilings, quarter-sawn oak flooring, Tudor linenfold paneling, and various wood-carved decorative features. Stone walls, leaded glasses windows, and Gothic arches are throughout.
THE FINE PRINT
Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Square feet: 2,616
Price: $835,900
Listing: 615 W Mermaid Ln, Philadelphia, PA, 19118 [Fox & Roach]
