Druim Moir Historic District
Encyclopedia
Druim Moir, also known as the Houston Estate Historic District, is a historic district in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
Druim Moir was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979. It is a contributing property
of the Chestnut Hill National Historic District
.
, and built at a cost of over $115,000 for Henry H. Houston
, the thirty-room home was the largest in its neighborhood. Local Chestnut Hill gray stone was used for the walls, Eastern granite for the trim, and slate for the roof. The interior is notable for the variety of woods utilized: oak for the hall and stairway, butternut walnut for the parlor, mahogany for the reception room, quartered oak in the dining room and library, sycamore for the office, and cypress for the servant's section. Oak, cherry, and sycamore were used on the second floor, and white pine was used for the servants' quarters on the third floor. "Druim Moir" means Great Ridge in Gaelic.
Houston was the largest landowner in Philadelphia in the 1880s. He earned his wealth as the freight manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad
, as well as from gold mining, shipping, and petroleum products. Houston also developed the neighborhood of over 80 homes known as Wissahickon Heights that surrounds Druim Moir.
Nearby Brinkwood, a Shingle-style residence, was a wedding present from Houston to his son, Samuel F. Houston, in 1887.
The gardens were altered in 1920-1921 by Robert Rodes McGoodwin for then-owner Samuel F. Houston. In 1952, the house was modified by the removal of the top story and towers.
In addition to the eponymous castle and Brinkwood, the historic district comprises five other contributing properties and eight non-contributing properties.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Druim Moir was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979. It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
of the Chestnut Hill National Historic District
Chestnut Hill Historic District (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Chestnut Hill Historic District is a historic area in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1985.-Contributing properties:...
.
Contributing properties
The centerpiece of the historic district is Druim Moir Castle (1885-86), at the corner of Willow Grove Ave. and Cherokee St. Designed by architects W.D. Hewitt and G.W. HewittG. W. & W. D. Hewitt
G. W. & W. D. Hewitt was a prominent architectural firm in the eastern United States at the turn of the twentieth century. It was founded in Philadelphia in 1878, by brothers George Wattson Hewitt and William Dempster Hewitt , both members of the American Institute of Architects...
, and built at a cost of over $115,000 for Henry H. Houston
Henry H. Houston
Henry Howard Houston was a leading Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist. He was in charge of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad which was built in the 1880s to link downtown Philadelphia with the wealthy and growing suburbs to the northwest.Houston attended St...
, the thirty-room home was the largest in its neighborhood. Local Chestnut Hill gray stone was used for the walls, Eastern granite for the trim, and slate for the roof. The interior is notable for the variety of woods utilized: oak for the hall and stairway, butternut walnut for the parlor, mahogany for the reception room, quartered oak in the dining room and library, sycamore for the office, and cypress for the servant's section. Oak, cherry, and sycamore were used on the second floor, and white pine was used for the servants' quarters on the third floor. "Druim Moir" means Great Ridge in Gaelic.
Houston was the largest landowner in Philadelphia in the 1880s. He earned his wealth as the freight manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, as well as from gold mining, shipping, and petroleum products. Houston also developed the neighborhood of over 80 homes known as Wissahickon Heights that surrounds Druim Moir.
Nearby Brinkwood, a Shingle-style residence, was a wedding present from Houston to his son, Samuel F. Houston, in 1887.
The gardens were altered in 1920-1921 by Robert Rodes McGoodwin for then-owner Samuel F. Houston. In 1952, the house was modified by the removal of the top story and towers.
In addition to the eponymous castle and Brinkwood, the historic district comprises five other contributing properties and eight non-contributing properties.
External links
- Listing and photographs at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Photograph of the castle in its original state at Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
