Elkins Estate

The Elkins Estate is an American 42-acre (170,000 m2) estate located in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The estate contains seven buildings, the most notable being Elstowe Manor and Chelten House, mansions designed by Horace Trumbauer. Elstowe Manor was built in 1898 at the location where "Needles", the former family summer home of William L. Elkins, had stood. Elkins, a Philadelphia businessman, was integral in the formation of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, the forerunner of SEPTA.

[@lauviahhound6365]

It’s beyond gorgeous! It’s quite decadent!

[@gloriaa.garcia3985]

This estate was bought by Landmark Developers and will be turned into a boutique hotel. Beautiful

[@oliviadavis7035]

Don't understand that since it does not belong to them but was willed to the granddaughter. Someone make this make since for the world? Everyone standing on side lines scratching their heads wondering how this is even possible with forged documents

[@bassinc3039]

Bed and Breakfast for elitist.

[@TheCommenterDragon]

Well having the estate be either of those things is better than having the place torn down that's for sure, because i for one would hate to see such a gorgeous mansion be demolished or something.

[@kenw7287]

@@oliviadavis7035 Which granddaughter? The estate has been out of the Elkins family’s hands for decades. The place was owned by a religious order afterwards for years.

[@westcoast5191]

I would buy this immediately if I knew the location, I really like it

[@kathywillis7459]

Oh my! There are no words. Why is this empty?

[@debragill9568]

Absolutely gorgeous 🤗

[@infinitelightcouncil]

Lovely

[@michaelobrien9825]

Someone somewhere is still maintaining this fantastic building its too clean for not to be maintained.

[@rgrndu]

It’s being well maintained by someone.

[@TheCommenterDragon]

Maybe it has a caretaker or grounds keeper or someone looking after it.

[@kenw7287]

@@TheCommenterDragon Was being maintained by a Catholic order of religious sisters up until a few years ago. They have since sold the estate to a real estate management company.

[@chrisalexander5900]

Where are the original owners?. Did they go broke and the family members die off. What happened with all of the billions?. Did they have it buried with them. Don’t figure CWA

[@j.goodwin9908]

In 1932, William H. Elkins, grandson of William L. Elkins, sold the Elstowe manor property to the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de' Ricci. Chelten House was owned by Philadelphia cigarette manufacturer Stephen X. Stephano. After the death of his wife, Penelope, he sold Chelten House to the Dominican Sisters in 1948. The Dominican Sisters operated both buildings (known as the Dominican Retreat House) as a women's religious retreat and preserved the grounds and historical integrity of the buildings. Thousands of women and men attended retreats, days of prayer, and other spiritual programs for 75 years. Women would come to pray, meditate and find a place of refuge and reflection. At its peak, as many as 14,000 women and men came to the Dominican Retreat House in one year. The dedication of the sisters to preservation of the historic mansions on the estate was extraordinary and today, in 2013, the original features and architectural details remain intact. It was described as the most significant example of Gilded Age architecture in the region by John Gallery of the Philadelphia Preservation Alliance. Over time, the needs of people coming on retreat changed, and the economic challenges of operating the buildings became unsustainable for the Dominican Sisters. The Dominican Retreat House was at the time of its closing in 2006 the oldest retreat house for women in the United States. In February 2009, the Dominican Sisters sold the 42-acre property to the Land Conservancy of Elkins Park, PA, who intended to use the facility for group spiritual, health and wellness education retreats, and also as a venue for elegant special events. The property was reopened in September 2009 as Elkins Estate and has hosted a number of wedding receptions and events. But the conservancy could not keep up payments to the sisters who held the mortgage. In November 2010, because of numerous missed payments, including a $250,000 payment on the principal, the Dominican congregation foreclosed on the property, and the conservancy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The property was in bankruptcy reorganization until October 2012, when the case was dismissed.[1] The congregation filed a motion to evict the conservancy in March 2012 after it defaulted on a revised settlement agreement. The agreement held that if the conservancy defaulted on its first payment of $300,000 it would vacate the premises, but the conservancy refused to leave and continued to hold events there until November 2012. The legal battle continued.[2] The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an extensive story describing the legal dispute on October 31, 2012. On January 24, 2013, the Dominican Sisters and the conservancy reached an agreement in which the conservancy would vacate the premises and relinquish control to the sisters by January 30, 2013.[3][4] The sisters regained possession of the property and sold the property to Landmark Developers in August 2019.[citation needed] From:Wiki

[@VictorGarcia-jo6zq]

Me gustaría saber quién vivía antes ahí en el 80

[@oliviadavis7035]

My family

[@martabarwinska3306]

💚👍♥️🇵🇱

[@kenelliott8944]

The music on this video is horrible it's just pedantic and sad piano it's not fitting for something grand like the Elkins estate and way too loud they could have turned the music down I'm not here to listen to some sad piano. I want to see the estate!instead they want to switch you off and make you listen to some sad piano . . .