The Ultimate Tobacco Card Related Collectable is for Sale.

[wonkaticket]

How about the house that built the Wagner? It could be saved and it could be yours...



This will be a bit of a sad post in my humble opinion. As a lover of history I find it very depressing to see historical items & places fade away or fall into utter ruin. This feeling of melancholy is only compounded when it happens to be in my back yard, and connected to a hobby or personal interest of mine. This is the case with a local Philadelphia landmark Lynnewood Hall.




Once the home of Peter Arrell Brown Widener a successful business man and philanthropist.


Widener by John Singer Sargent

Widener was known for starting the Philadelphia Traction Company along with his business partner William Lukens Elkins which was instrumental in the public transit of the day street cars. Widener used the capital from this venture to help found two major known companies U.S. Steel and The American Tobacco Company.


As collectors of pre-war cards the latter company hits close to home for many of us. The ATC was instrumental in the production of such brands as Goodwin & Company, Allen & Ginter, Kinney, W.Duke & Sons, Drummond, Kimball, Piedmont, Sweet Caporal, American Beauty etc. Of course over the years these brands issued many of the premiums, advertising items and cards we collect today.






A collector himself Widener amassed one of the greatest art collections of the time. It included works by Rembrandt, Manet, Renoir, Hals and many other greats. Much of this collection amounts to a good chunk of the National Gallery’s art collection today.




Widener died at the age of 80 in 1915. Succeeded by his youngest son Joseph Early Widener. Interesting note Peter's oldest son George Dunton Widener perished aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912 along with his business partner’s daughter Eleanor Elkins who had married George Widener. Both men lost their own children and their mutual grandson that day.


Widener by Augustus John

Joseph was a founding benefactor of the National Gallery of art as well an avid and influential player in thoroughbred horse racing.



Considered by many to be one of the largest surviving “Gilded Age” mansions in North America. Having had several owners who have dismantled, sold and rented out the grounds for various local area activities thru the years. Lynnewood Hall is falling apart and is all but a shadow of its former self.





The last owner had the property foreclosed on and it was purchased by The First Korean Church of New York, Inc. who owns the building today. A multitude of lawsuits, litigation have surrounded the property. Also locally it’s surrounded by gossip and stories as to the current state of interior as the current owner will allow no one inside or photos to be taken. This year the property was listed for sale.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...992?source=web

Perhaps it will be sold and restored to it's former glory. Though the home of the man who helped build the empire that spawned many of the cards we collect today may be falling down. It’s of some comfort to think his companies inserts and marketing materials are being preserved and cherished today by so many.

[brewing]

Great post John. I appreciated the history lesson

[ruth-gehrig]

Thanks for sharing!

[iowadoc77]

Love the history lesson. Very sad. Would have been amazing to spend a day at that place in its prime just to see the opulence and the lifestyle. Can't imagine what it would take to restore it. Just like many card collectors, many don't want anything to do with this place because it is not new and shiny and it is not a BGS 9.5. We appreciate this because we live in a collecting world of PSA 4 and less, SGC 50 or less and so on.

[4815162342]

Thanks for sharing, John.

[scooter729]

The main library here at Harvard is named the Widener Library, built from a gift from the family in honor of the son Harry Elkins Widener, who died on the Titanic.

I believe the story was that he was returning to the States after a trip to England to purchase books for his world-class book collection.

The books from his collection are housed in an impressive room in the Widener Library, which includes a complete copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Really cool stuff to see....

[autograf]

Great post. Looks like a restoration job for Vanilla Ice...........

[clydepepper]

Only one bathroom? Guess I'll have to pass

John - thanks for all the info...I always enjoy learning more history.

While, I don't believe the Vanderbilt's had a BBC connection, their mansion, Biltmore, is still being kept up as far as I know. If any of you are ever in the area, it's a can't miss.

[Leon]

Nice thread John. It is a shame the mansion is in such poor shape. If I were a gazillionaire, right after I cured the homeless dog problem, I would buy that mansion and restore it. Nice posters too.

[ErikV]

John,

A truly sad ending to an amazing story. I've been reading and studying about
the long and forgotten Gilded Age period for awhile now. It took place in post-
reconstruction America, circa 1876-1900. You'll notice in the mansions' photos
how correct Mark Twain was when he once said "To gild with gold, to paint the
lily...is wasteful and ridiculous excess." Twain himself lived during this period
and saw the excesses taking place in America at that time. This massive house
displays not only a bygone era, but also the lavish lifestyle of the robber-barons
of the period. Nonetheless, it was an amazing and unmatched period in time
as progress brought about numerous changes, both socially and politically.

It is sad to see landmarks with rich history such as this one fall to the wayside.
As someone posted earlier, if it aint shiny, most people today could care less.
The historical significance that this one building holds is still evident - even
down to our small niche hobby. (Believe it or not, there was someone else
who came from this period who also played a fairly large role during the Glided
Age AND was also influential in the early 20th Century baseball card
production. (I'm currently writing a biography of this individual. I've been
working on this manuscript for over a year and would estimate that I'm half
way to completion.)

Thank you John for posting this great story. It's a reminder to me of that period
from long ago. It's also inspired me to continue on my quest. Hopefully one
day I'll complete my project and share some more about this wonder time in
American and baseball card history!

ErikV

[GoldenAge50s]

You have just dropped the ultimate TEASER!