Ryerss Mansion

Ryerss Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Central and Cottman Aves. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°4′6″N 75°5′20″W / 40.06833°N 75.08889°W / 40.06833; -75.08889Coordinates: 40°4′6″N 75°5′20″W / 40.06833°N 75.08889°W / 40.06833; -75.08889
Built	1859
Architect	Unknown
Architectural style	Italianate
Governing body	Local
NRHP Reference #	76001669[1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1976

Ryerss Mansion, also known as Burholme Mansion, is a historic mansion in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The house was built on 85 acres by merchant Joseph Waln Ryerss in 1859 overlooking Burholme Park, one of the highest vistas in Philadelphia. Joseph was president of the Tioga Railroad and followed the family business of trading with China, Japan, and England. He also followed the family avocation of collecting art, especially oriental art.

Joseph died in 1868 leaving the house to his second wife Anne, and following her death, to his son Robert.

Robert also travelled and collected art which he displayed in the house. Less than a year before he died at age 65, Robert married his long-time housekeeper, Mary Ann Reed. She inherited a comfortable annuity and the house, with the house to be given to the City of Philadelphia after her death. She remarried three years after his death to the Reverend John G. Bawn and they continued the family avocations of traveling and art collecting. In 1905 she turned the house over to the city and it opened as a park, museum, and library in 1910 “Free to the people forever” under the administration of the Fairmount Park Commission. Mrs. Ryerss Bawn died in 1916 in China.

The Revered Bawn then returned to Philadelphia and lobbied the city to build more galleries to house the now larger collection. These galleries were built in 1923.^[2]

References

External links

• Official website
• Official site at Fairmount Park
• Listing, drawings, and photographs at the Historic American Buildings Survey
• Listing at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Topics Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types Lists by county Adams Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Bedford Berks Blair Bradford Bucks Butler Cambria Cameron Carbon Centre Chester East North South Clarion Clearfield Clinton Columbia Crawford Cumberland Dauphin Delaware Elk Erie Fayette Forest Franklin Fulton Greene Huntingdon Indiana Jefferson Juniata Lackawanna Lancaster Lawrence Lebanon Lehigh Luzerne Lycoming McKean Mercer Mifflin Monroe Montgomery Montour Northampton Northumberland Perry Philadelphia Pike Potter Schuylkill Snyder Somerset Sullivan Susquehanna Tioga Union Venango Warren Washington Wayne Westmoreland Wyoming York Lists by city Pittsburgh Lancaster Philadelphia Center City North Northeast Northwest South Southwest West Other lists European archaeological sites Native American archaeological sites Bridges (covered) National Historic Landmarks (Philadelphia) Category NRHP portal