| Joseph Sinnott Mansion | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 Main Building at Rosemont College in December 2006 | |
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| Location | Montgomery and Wendover Aves., Rosemont, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°2′0″N 75°19′46″W / 40.03333°N 75.32944°W / 40.03333; -75.32944 |
| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1889-1891 |
| Architect | Samuel Huckel Jr. |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Chateauesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003582 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1980 |
The Joseph Sinnott Mansion, also known in Gaelic as "Rathalla," meaning "home of the chieftain on the highest hill" is the Main Building at Rosemont College. It is an historic home that is located on the campus of Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, was originally a part of the Ashbridge estate, and was called 'Rosemont Farm'.
History and architectural features
In 1889, Joseph F. Sinnott, a Whiskey distiller, purchased forty acres of land, and built his summer home there between the years of 1889 and 1891. Designed by Hazlehurst & Huckel, its construction cost $150,000. Edward Hazelhurst and Samuel Huckel were both fellows of the American Institute of Architects
Rathalla is a 2+1⁄2-story, thirty-two-room, stone building that sits on a brick foundation and was designed in a Renaissance Revival/Châteauesque style.
This mansion features a high, steep-sided, slate covered hipped roof, six decorated chimneys, numerous dormer windows, turrets, and stone carvings including gargoyles. The exterior of the home is laden with fifty-two carved limestone images. The stained glass window above the staircase features the Sinnott family's coat of arms, containing the motto "Ama Deum et Serva Mandata." This crest consists of a black swan above a striped wreath, with a gold crown around its neck and an arrow piercing its heart. Beneath this swan is a coat of arms with three more black swan. The motto is written on a scroll that drapes beneath the images. Hazelhurst and Huckel built the mansion in the style of the Loire Valley homes in France. This style was in vogue at the time, as high-end clients such as the Vanderbilts in New York also fashioned their mansions in a chateaux style during the same decade.
The property was purchased for $250,000 by the Sisters, Society of the Holy Child of Jesus (SHCJ) in 1921 and later sold for $1 to Rosemont College in 1927.
As the Main Building of Rosemont College, Rathalla has seen its fair share of elite guests. Notable visitors have included 35th United States President John F. Kennedy in 1953, whose sister, Patricia, graduated from Rosemont College during the 1940s, and 46th United States President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the 1974 commencement speaker. Both presidents, Biden and Kennedy were United States senators when they visited Rosemont and Rathalla. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was a frequent visitor of Rathalla and Rosemont College, speaking at more than thirty graduation ceremonies.
Rathalla was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Rathalla is said to have historic significance because it embodies the era in which it was built.
The Main Building at Rosemont College can be seen in the films "The Sterling Chase" and "Tenure," as filming took place on the college's campus.
In 1999 The board of trustees at Rosemont College updated the mechanical systems in Rathalla, their Main Building. New wiring, heating and air conditioning, modern plumbing, an elevator, chair lift, and a handicapped accessible bedroom were all added. The construction company, Pancoast and Clifford Inc., was awarded the "Best Restoration/ Renovation Award" which is given annually by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. in recognition of their feat of renovation.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Philadelphia and Popular Philadelphians. North American. 1891.
- Richardi, Margaret. Main Building Rosemont College. Rosemont College, 1990
- Society, The Lower Merion Historical (2010-10-04). Lower Merion and Narberth. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439638804.
- ^ Richardi, Margaret. Main Building Rosemont College. Rosemont College, 1990.
- Cocke, Stephanie Hetos (1987). The Gilded Age Estates of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania: A History and Preservation Plan. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
- "8 Aug 1921, Page 8 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
- “Former Envoy's Daughter to Marry Actor Langford.” The Morning Call, 13 Feb. 1954, p. 1.
- “Biden, 1974 Commencement Speaker.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Main Edition, 22 May 1974, p. 16.
- Fensterer, Robert. “Sheen Warns Rosemont Girls of ‘New Ideas.’” Philadelphia Inquirer, 1 June 1969, pp. 6–6.
- "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-05-26. Note: This includes Sr. Mary Stella Kelly and Brenda Reigle (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Joseph Sinnott Mansion" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-24.
- “The Sterling Chase (1999).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0191498/.
| Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania | |||||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent township or townships | ||||
