Glen Foerd on the Delaware

The Glen Foerd estate was established by Charles Macalester, Jr. Born in Philadelphia in 1798, he was a respected businessman and broker in the Philadelphia firm of Gaw, Macalester and Company. In addition, Macalester was appointed government director of the Second Bank of the United States. He was also friend, and advisor to numerous United States presidents. Officer and cabinet posts were offered to him, but he preferred to remain independent.

In 1850, Macalester purchased 1,000 acres in northeastern Philadelphia and divided, plotted and sold off large lots of his land. Holding onto one section of the land for a summer residence, he built a three story Italianate riverfront house and called it Glengarry, after his family’s Scottish ancestral home. In addition to the mansion, the estate consisted of a stone gas house, ice house, Gothic-style gatehouse, a sixty foot high stone water tower, five large greenhouses and riverfront cupola.

Glengarry was the scene of many gala affairs. During the summer, heads of state and other dignitaries traveled from Washington, D.C., where Macalester maintained a residence, as guests of Macalester and his daughter, Lily Macalester Laughton, a famous Washington hostess. After her father’s death, in 1873, Lily continued residence at Glengarry until her death in 1891.

In 1895, the mansion was purchased by Robert and Caroline Foerderer. Robert made his fortune in the manufacture of kidskin leather. Leather gloves, shoes and other clothing accessories made from the soft, supple leather was the height of fashion. His Philadelphia manufacturing enterprise employed 5,000 workers and processed nine million goat skins a year.

After purchasing the estate, Foerderer hired architect, William McAuley of Philadelphia, to handle extensive renovations to the mansion. The house was enlarged and enhanced with Classical Revival additions. Additions included a porte cochere, formal dining room, and impressive art gallery. Other enhancements included a Haskell pipe organ, parquet floors, grand staircase, elaborate leaded glass skylights, and rathskellar. A carriage house and garden house was added at this time, and the gas house was converted for use as a boat house. Everything was planned to enhance the uniqueness and beauty of the home and to accommodate entertainment on a grand scale. As a final touch, they changed the name of the estate to Glen Foerd, a merger of Glengarry and the Foerderer name. Due to the elaborate renovation design and labor delays, the Foerderers had not yet moved back into the mansion when Robert died in 1902. The Foerderers had two grown children at the time of his death, Percival and Florence.

Around 1915, Florence and her husband, William Tonner, moved to Glen Foerd to assist her widowed mother. The boathouse (former gashouse) was converted into a residence for Florence and her husband. They lived there just a short time before moving into the mansion with their two daughters, Marjorie and Carol. A new boathouse was built to accommodate William Tonner's new yacht. After her mother’s death in 1934, Florence continued to add to the art collection started by her parents. Florence assembled one of the most extensive private collections of prints in the country.

Florence was a strong supporter of the arts. She was herself a talented poet and painter, as well as a musician. She went to great lengths to encourage young artists, frequently purchasing and displaying their work. She remained very active in the cultural and social affairs of Philadelphia, until her death in 1971 at the age of 89.