John C. Bell House
Encyclopedia
The John C. Bell House is a historic house located at 229 S. 22nd St. in the Rittenhouse Square
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer
in the Colonial Revival style and built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
The house was built for John C. Bell, who served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania. His sons, John C. Bell, Jr.
, who served as Lieutenant Governor
and Governor
of Pennsylvania as well as Chief Justice
of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Bert Bell
, co-founder of the Philadelphia Eagles
and NFL Commissioner, lived in the house. In 1944 the house was sold by the Bell family and converted into apartments.
Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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...
. It was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University...
in the Colonial Revival style and built in 1906. It was listed on 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 1982.
The house was built for John C. Bell, who served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania. His sons, John C. Bell, Jr.
John C. Bell, Jr.
John Cromwell Bell, Jr. was a Pennsylvania politician and judge.He served as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, 1943–47, and the 33rd Governor briefly in 1947, succeeding Edward Martin, who had resigned to take a seat in the United States Senate...
, who served as Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
and Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Pennsylvania as well as Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Bert Bell
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell was the National Football League commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he helped chart a path for the NFL to facilitate its rise in becoming the most popular sports attraction in the United States...
, co-founder of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and NFL Commissioner, lived in the house. In 1944 the house was sold by the Bell family and converted into apartments.