See inside a $300 million Gilded Age mansion built for heirs who died on the Titanic that sat abandoned for years

Alcynna LloydJun 18, 2024, 03:43 IST

in 1897, Lynnewood Hall was built in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.Courtesy of Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation

In 1897, Peter Widener built a mansion near Philadelphia with 32 bedrooms and 28 bathrooms.
Some of Lynnewood Hall's intended residents tragically perished aboard the Titanic.

Tucked away in a quiet suburb of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, lies Lynnewood Hall, a more-than-century-old mansion that its owner once referred to as "The Last American Versailles."

In 1897, Peter A. B. Widener, a millionaire who made his fortune via the butcher and transportation industries — and a major investor in the Titanic — commissioned the construction of the 34-acre estate.

He intended Lynnewood Hall to be a residence for him, his two sons, and their families. However, fate had other plans.

In 1912, Widener's son George, his daughter-in-law Eleanor, and their son Harry boarded the Titanic for their return from a trip to Europe. Tragically, George and Harry, along with hundreds of other passengers, perished when the ship sank to the ocean floor.

Widener continued to live in the home, eventually passing away from health complications in 1915. Lynnewood Hall was later inherited by his surviving son, Joseph, who was married and had two children. Following Joseph's death in 1943, the mansion cycled through several owners, including the First Korean Church of New York.

A pastor of the First Korean Church of New York, Richard S. Yoon, listed the home for sale in 2014. It remained unoccupied for several years and attracted the attention of numerous urban explorers, including Leland Kent, the blogger behind Abandoned Southeast, who ventured into the mansion in 2019 and snapped dozens of photos of the dilapidated interiors.

In June 2023, the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation purchased the estate from Yoon for more than $9 million. According to Edward Thome, the group's CEO and executive director, the foundation plans to restore the estate to its former glory.

Take a look inside.

The estate is about 34 acres, equivalent to more than 25 football fields.

Lynnewood Hall in 2019.Courtesy of Abandoned Southeast

The estate used to be surrounded by world-class gardens.

A view of the back of Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

The home's construction cost $8 million when it was built in 1897, according to Thome. That's over $300 million in 2023 dollars, accounting for inflation.

The Great Hall of Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

No detail was spared in the construction of the mansion.

A decorated ceiling within the mansion.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

The Great Hall’s soaring ceilings are decorated with carved crown molding.

The ceiling of the Great Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

The main architectural style of Lynnewood Hall is called Palladianism, according to Thome.

A ballroom in Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation.

Many rooms in the mansion are now empty, except for some vintage chairs or beds.

Another view of the ballroom in Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

Some of Lynnewood Hall's dozens of bedrooms were designated specifically for staff.

A governess suite in the mansion.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

A bathroom in the home reveals how wealthy people lived in the early 1900s.

A bathroom in the Lynnewood Hall as of 2019.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

A guest bedroom on the second floor of the west wing had dusty furniture and a broken ceiling.

One of the mansion's many bedrooms.Courtesy of Leland Kent/Abandoned Southeast

Several rooms contain old suitcases and books left behind by former occupants.

A deteriorated room in the mansion.Courtesy of Leland Kent/Abandoned Southeast

An indoor pool lies in ruins.

The mansion's indoor pool.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

There are two main staircases in Lynnewood Hall.

Staircases in Lynnewood Hall as of 2019.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

There are tunnels running under the property, linking various parts of the house.

Tunnels in Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

The Raphael room was turned into a classroom to educate seminary students from 1952 to 1996.

A classroom in Lynnewood Hall as of 2019.Courtesy of Leland Kent/ Abandoned Southeast

The original kitchen was repurposed to cater to the hundreds of seminary students that studied at Lynnewood Hall over the years.

The kitchen in Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Abandoned Southeast

The seminary students shared meals in this dining hall, according to Thome.

A dinning hall in the mansion.Courtesy of Leland Kent/Abandoned Southeast

A ballroom was transformed into a place of worship that was in good condition as of 2019.

When this picture was taken in 2019, the ballroom still had church pews.Courtesy of Leland Kent/Abandoned Southeast

The Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation has plans to revive the 127-year-old home.

An aerial view of Lynnewood Hall.Courtesy of Leland Kent/Abandoned Southeast

The library looks clean and well-kept after the foundation cleaned it up.

The old library cleaned up.Courtesy of Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation

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