The Lilacs (Philadelphia)

The Lilacs is an early 18th century farmhouse located in northwestern Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. The house has a large addition constructed in the early 19th century. The name was derived from the many lilac bushes on the property.

The Lilacs
Southwest corner of c.1711 house with the attached 1832 section to the northeast
Location3600 Greenland Dr, Philadelphia
Coordinates39°59′55″N 75°11′47″W
Builtc.1711, 1832[1]
Governing bodyPhiladelphia Parks & Recreation
OwnerMorten Garret (original), City of Philadelphia (current)
Official name: The Lilacs
DesignatedJune 26, 1956[2]
DesignatedFebruary 7, 1972
Reference no.72001151[3][4]
Location of The Lilacs in Philadelphia
The Lilacs (Philadelphia) (Pennsylvania)
The Lilacs (Philadelphia) (the United States)

The original owner was Morten Garret who bought a 151-acre (61 ha) plot of land in 1711. The farmhouse was built in two sections with the southern section constructed by Garret sometime shortly after the land was purchased. The attached section was added by Garret's descendants in 1832, as an extension from the northeast wall of the original house.[1][5]

The house was owned by the Garret family until the city purchased the land in 1869 to expand Fairmount Park.[1] A rowing club called the University Barge Club began using the house sometime after 1871 as its upstream social clubhouse along the Schuylkill River.[6] In the 1990s, the house was used as a halfway house for juveniles.[1]

As of 2018, a sign at the driveway entrance to the house stated Outward Bound—Lilac House—3600 Greenland Drive. The same organization leases and maintains the Porter's House of the demolished Sedgeley Mansion, also in Fairmount Park on the opposite side of the river.[7]

The Lilacs house is registered on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places[2] and is an inventoried structure within the Fairmount Park Historic District entry on the National Register of Historic Places.[3][4]

See also

 Philadelphia portal

References
  1. "Fairmount Park Trail Master Plan". issuu.com. Andropogon Associates, Ltd (for the Fairmount Park Commission). December 31, 2000. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  2. "Resources Listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Without Official Addresses" (archive). phila.gov. Philadelphia Historical Commission. April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  3. "National Register Information System – Fairmount Park (#72001151)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2017. (archive)
  4. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form". (archive) by George B. Tatum of the Philadelphia Historical Commission. dot7.state.pa.us. National Park Service document via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Cultural Resources Geographic Information System, the Department of Transportation website and the records of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. January 11, 1972. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  5. "Satellite map". zoom.earth. Zoom Earth. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  6. "University Barge Club history" (archive). universitybargeclub.com. University Barge Club. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  7. "Sedgeley (Porter's House)". fairmountpark.org. Fairmount Park. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-01-24.

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