Welcome to Melmar
"Melmar" is a Gilded Age Mansion built in 1910 and located in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. with a rich history, being owned by, visited and associated with many prominent families over the past 115+ years
The "Melmar" Mansion as it looks today
The "Melmar" Mansion rear elevation prior to recent renovations
Melmar is located in a northern suburb of Philadelphia - Huntingdon Valley, Pa
The Philadelphia skyline can be seen in the distance in the picture above (just above the horizon in the top right corner...)
Notable Neoclassical / Colonial Revival Mansions
"Melmar"
The "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"
Elvis's "Graceland"
Kid Rock's "White House"
"Melmar" Rear
The "Money Pit"
The White House Front
The White House Rear
Notable Historic Mansions near Melmar
During the Gilded Age, the area north of Philadelphia surrounding Melmar became the home of summer estates for many of Philadelphia's elite families including Edward T. Stotesbury (1849-1938) who built Whitemarsh Hall, and Peter A.B. Widener (1834-1915) who built Lynnewood Hall, both just a few miles away from Melmar​
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147 room Whitemarsh Hall was built in 1916, and at the time of its demolition in 1980 it was the third-largest private residence in the United States and remains as the largest American house ever to be demolished on purpose. Melmar's Nicholas Biddle had several connections with E.T. Stotesbury - they were both members of the same Country Club and were both board members there (the Huntingdon Valley Country Club), Stotesbury was a partner at Biddle's grandfather Anthony J. Drexel's (1826-1893) Drexel & Co, and Stotesbury's daughter was the wife of the founding partner of the firm that Biddle for worked from 1915-23.
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Built in 1898, the 110 room Lynnewood Hall has been called "The last of the American Versailles". Melmar's Nicholas Biddle was appointed chairman of the second oldest amateur competition in the country, the Lynnewood Hall Challenge Cup in 1934 and was elected President of the Huntingdon Valley Country Club in 1941.​
1.9 miles Bryn Athyn Historic District
2.0 miles Glencairn c1928 - Raymond Pitcairn
2.1 miles Cairnwood Estate c1895- John Pitcairn
2.7 miles Fairacres c1886 - John Worrell Pepper
2.8 miles Alverthorpe Manor c1939 - Lessing J. Rosenwald
3.8 miles Lindenhurst c1868 - John Wanamaker
4.4 miles Ogontz c1867 - Jay Cooke
4.4 miles Ronaele Manor c1926 - Eleanor Elkins Widener
4.4 miles Lynnewood Hall c1897 - Peter A.B. Widener
4.5 miles Elstowe Manor c1898 - William L. Elkins
4.5 miles Cheltan House c1896 - George W. Elkins
4.5 miles Eildon c1881 - Jay Cooke's daughter, Laura Cooke
4.7 miles Lyndon c1895 - Cyrus H.K. Curtis
4.8 miles Belgrame c1905 - George Horace Lorimer
4.8 miles Hopeland Manor c1912 - Sidney Tyler
5.0 miles Georgian Terrace c1905 - George & Stella Elkins Tyler
5.3 miles Grey Towers Castle c1896 - William Welsh Harrison
6.5 miles Andalusia c1795 - aka The Nicholas Biddle Estate
6.7 miles Pen Ryn Estate c1744 - Josephine Wharton Drexel
6.9 miles Whitemarsh Hall c1916 - Edward T Stotesbury
7.1 miles Camp Hill Hall c1882 - Sarah Drexel Van Rensselaer
8.1 miles Frances Maguire Hall c1857 - Alfred Cravan Harrison
8.1 miles Greylock Mansion c1909 - Henry A. Lachlan
​8.2 miles McNeil Mansion - Henry Slack "Hank" McNeil
​8.2 miles Homewood c1929 - Eleanor Widener Dixon
​8.2 miles Gentilhommiere c1797 - Stephen Girard
8.3 miles Krisheim c1910 - George Woodward
8.3 miles Lindenwold Castle c1890 - Dr Richard Mattison
8.5 miles Druim Moir c1886 - Henry H. Houston
8.9 miles Grace Kelly c1929 - Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco
8.9 miles Erdenheim c1917 - George Dunton Widener, Jr.
11 miles Tyler Hall c1930 - George & Stella Elkins Tyler​
12 miles Penshurst c1901 - Percival Roberts
12 miles Woodmont Manor c1894 - Allen Wood Jr
13 miles Gray Range c1899 aka Ballyheather
13 miles Maybrook Mansion c1881 - Henry C. Gibson
13 miles Ballytore Castle c1885 - Isaac H. Clothier
13 miles Linden Hill Estate c1931 - Robert Burch
13 miles Skylands c1928 - Mary Ethel Pew
13 miles La Ronda c1929-2009 - Percival E. Foerderer
14 miles Alscot c1899 - Walter Lippincott
14 miles Glenmede c1908 - Joseph Newtown Pew
​14 miles The Woodlands c1789 - William Hamilton
14 miles Dolobran Estate c1881 - Clement Griscom
15 miles Rathalla c1892 - Joseph Sinnott
15 miles Stoneleigh c1878 - John C. Haas
15 miles Fonthill Castle c1910 - Henry Chapman Mercer
16 miles Aldie Mansion c1927 - William Mercer
17 miles Woodburne Mansion c1906 - Edgar T. Scott
18 miles Ardrossan c1913 - Robert Leaming Montgomery​
0.1 mi George Horace Lorimer 1867-1937 - Editor in Chief of the Saturday Evening Post
0.2 mi Steven Schwartzman's childhood home - 35th richest person in the world, founder of Blackstone the world's largest alternative asset firm
0.2 mi Michael Cardone Jr - CEO and Chairman of Cardone Industries, world’s largest privately owned remanufacturer of automotive parts
0.3 mi Michael Cardone Sr 1937-2024 - Founder of Cardone Industries, world’s largest privately owned remanufacturer of automotive parts
2.0 mi Bruce Toll - 1850th richest person in the world and co-founder of Toll Brothers the builder of the Biddle Estates surrounding Melmar
2.0 mi Raymond Pitcairn 1885-1966 co-founder of The Pitcairn Company
2.1 mi John Pitcairn 1841-1923 co-founder of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (PPG)
2.4 mi Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and family
2.5 mi Dr Oz - 9-time Daytime Emmy® Award winner and Head of US Health & Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
2.5 mi Amelia Erhart 1897-1937 - Famous aviator
2.6 mi Bradley Cooper's childhood home - Award winning actor and filmmaker
2.8 mi Lessing J. Rosenwald - former chairman of Sears, Roebuck & Company
2.8 mi Dr Michael Lemole - Professor of Neurological Surgery that treated Congresswoman Gabby Giffords gunshot wound
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Additionally, his father performed the first successful heart transplant in America, and his sister is married to Dr Oz
2.9 mi Marvin Harrison, NFL hall of fame receiver
3.0 mi Adam F Goldberg's childhood home - Creator of the 2013-2023 TV sitcom The Goldbergs
3.1 mi Mark Levin 's childhood home - Host of Fox News's Life, Liberty & Levin and The Mark Levin Radio Show & NY Times bestselling author
3.2 mi Horace Trumbauer 1868-1938 Historical Marker - Renowned Gilded Age architect
3.3 mi Pennsylvania US Congresswoman Madeline Dean
3.3 mi Site location of Apollo Creeds mansion in the 2015 movie "Creed"
3.4 mi Harold Katz - former owner Philadelphia 76ers
3.4 mi Bill Cosby - former comedian, actor, and media personality
3.5 mi Stephen Asplundh Chairman of Asplundh Tree Expert, the nation’s largest utility vegetation management company
3.6 mi Henry W. Breyer Sr - founder of Breyers Ice Cream
3.6 mi Beth Sholom Synagogue - National Historic Landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
3.7 mi Sylvester Stallone's childhood home - Award winning actor and filmmaker
3.8 mi John Wanamaker - pioneered the concept of the department store founding John Wanamaker & Co in 1861
4.0 mi Reggie Jackson's childhood home - Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
4.4 mi Jay Cooke 1821-1905 - One of the first investment bankers in America, and recognized as "the financier of the Civil War"
4.4 mi Eleanor Elkins Widener 1861-1937 - Survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic
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The fictional Heart of the Ocean Titanic movie necklace may be based on Mrs. Wideners $750,000 necklace that went down with the ship...
4.5 mi Peter A.B. Widener 1834-1915 - American businessman and art collector
4.5 mi William L. Elkins 1832-1903 - American businessman and art collector, namesake of Elkins Park, Pa
4.7 mi George W. Elkins 1858-1919 - Son of William L Elkins
4.7 mi Cyrus H.K. Curtis 1850-1933 -Founder of the Curtis Publishing Company​
5.0 mi George & Stella Elkins Tyler 1884-1963 - Granddaughter of William L Elkins​
6.0 mi George Dunton Widener 1861-1912 - Eleanor Widener's husband who died during the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic
6.0 mi Harry Elkins Widener 1885-1912 - Eleanor Widener's son died on the Titanic, Harvard University's Widener Memorial Library namesake
6.5 mi Nicholas "The Great" Biddle 1786-1844 -The third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States
6.9 mi Edward T Stotesbury 1849-1938 -Partner of Anthony J. Drexel and J. P. Morgan at Drexel & Co and then at J.P. Morgan & Co
8.2 mi Mike Cavanagh - CEO of Comcast
8.6 mi Steven "Stevie Ray Jawn" Nadal - Multi instrumental musician and former Melmar resident
8.9 mi Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco's childhood home - Built by her father, 3-time Olympic gold medalist John B Kelly
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Now owned by Prince Albert II it serves as the private residence of the prince and family when they visit Philadelphia
9.5 mi R. "Bobby K" Kleckner's childhood home
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Playboy, PGA Golf professional, Club owner, lifelong friend of current Melmar owner
9.6 mi J.D. "Meathead" Moyer's childhood home
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Full time ski bum, former legendary Kangaroo connoisseur, early stage CHMSL investor, serial entrepreneur, and college roommate of current Melmar owner​​
11 mi W. "Dollar Bill" Wagner's childhood home
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Hall of fame high school football star, part time race car driver, serial CEO, and brother-in-law of current Melmar owner
11 mi John T. Dorrance - 23rd richest family in the world, founder of Campbell's Soup
13 mi J. Howard Pew 1882-1971 - former President and son of founder of Sun Oil (now Sunoco)
13 mi Ed Snider 1933-2016 - former Chairman of Spectacor, and former owner of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers
13 mi Mitchell Morgan - 630th richest person in the world, founder of Morgan Properties the third-largest owner of apartments in the U.S.
13 mi David Adelman - 1757th richest person in the world, CEO of Campus Apartments
14 mi Jeff Yass - 28th richest person in the world, founder of Susquehanna International Group
14 mi Michael Rubin - 248th richest person in the world, founder and CEO of Fanatics, and GSI Commerce
14 mi Jeffrey Laurie - 480th richest person in the world, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles
14 mi John Middleton - 944th richest person in the world, owner of the Philadelphia Phillies
14 mi Pat Croce - former President of the Philadelphia 76ers
15 mi Kobe Bryant childhood home - NBA Hall of Famer
15 mi John C Haas 1918-2011 - founder of the chemical company Rohm and Haas
16 mi Will Smith's childhood home - American singer-songwriter and actor, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
18 mi Hope Montgomery Scott - the "unofficial queen of Philadelphia's WASP oligarchy", and subject of the movie "The Philadelphia Story"
20 mi John Eleuthère du Pont - great grandson of the founder of Dupont, and the subject of the movie "Foxcatcher"
22 mi M. Night Shyamalan - American filmmaker
23 mi David Paul - 1763rd richest person in the world, founder of Globus Medical
xx mi Arthur Dantchik - 165th richest person in the world, co-founder of Susquehanna International Group
xx mi Brian Roberts - 2558th richest person in the world, son of the founder of Comcast
2.5 mi Huntingdon Valley Country Club founded in 1897 originally designed by John Reid regarded as the 'Father of American Golf'
7.5 mi Growden Mansion alleged site of Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment proving lightning was electricity
8.0 mi Hope Lodge used as George Washington Headquarters from November 2 to December 11, 1777
8.3 mi ZII World headquarters of renowned diversified manufacturer built in 1926
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Owners are lifelong friends of current Melmar owner
9.4 mi Emlen House used as George Washington Headquarters in 1777 before moving to his headquarters in nearby Valley Forge Pa
9.7 mi The Germantown White House Twice this house sheltered George Washington in 1793 and 1794 while he was President
10 mi The Bomb Shelter Cold war underground concrete bunker built in the early 1960's
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Infamous high school party venue founded in 1983 and childhood home of current Melmar owners' friend MC "Herman the German" Coleman
12 mi Christ Church - The birthplace of the American Episcopal Church founded in 1695
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Members have included Presidents George Washington and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and signers of the Constitution and of the Declaration of Independence, including Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, and Francis Hopkinson.
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The current building was built in 1744 and has been cited as “our finest Early American church” and one of the finest Georgian structures in America. From 1754-1810 Christ Church was the tallest structure in North America.
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Melmar's current owners were married in Christ Church in 1993
12 mi Independence Hall​ site where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were both signed
12 mi The President's House the original "White House" where the first two US Presidents resided prior to the capital's move to Washington DC
13 mi Pat’s King of Steaks creator of the Philadelphia Cheesesteak
16 mi Pennsbury Manor c1683 the country estate of the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn
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In 1681 William Penn was granted a land charter by King Charles II for ~45,000 square miles of land which at the time was the largest colony in the New World
16 mi Summerseat George Washington’s Headquarters in December 1776
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Also owned by two signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution Robert Morris and George Clymer
17 mi Site of George Washington crossing the Delaware River in December 1776
19 mi Point Breeze, the Estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte at Bordentown, New Jersey​
George Washington "Crossing the Delaware"
“Napoleon Crossing the Alps”
“Benjamin Franklin Electricity"
displayed at Philadelphia Museum of Art
