I visited a Gilded Age mansion once called ‘the American Versailles.’ These 7 details left me speechless.

In 1897, Widener commissioned prominent Gilded Age architect Horace Trumbauer to build a massive home for his family in the pastoral Pennsylvania countryside.

When completed, the mansion spanned almost 110,000 square feet. In 1899, it welcomed its first guests.

Today, Lynnewood Hall is the second-largest surviving Gilded Age mansion in the US, behind only the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

So grand was the home that Widener’s grandson, Peter A.B. Widener II, would later write in his 1940 memoir, “Lynnewood Hall can, I suppose, be called the last of the American Versailles.”

But the family was marred by tragedy when, in 1912, Widener’s 50-year-old son George, accompanied by his wife, Eleanor, and his adult son, Harry, boarded the Titanic on its maiden voyage on their trip back to New York from England.

George and Harry perished in the early morning hours of April 15 after the ship, once believed to be unsinkable, struck an iceberg and sank. Eleanor survived with her maid after being placed in a lifeboat by her husband and son.

After the tragedy, Widener lived in the house until his death in 1915.

Widener’s surviving son, Joseph, inherited Lynnewood Hall and lived there with his family until he died in 1943.

On occasion between 1915 and 1930, the public could visit the home to view Peter A.B. Widener’s art collection of more than 2,000 works, but it has been closed since 1944, Philly Voice reported.

In the decades following Joseph Widener’s death, the estate cycled through a few handlers, including the First Korean Church of New York, which filled the mansion’s wood-paneled, gold-trimmed grand ballroom (pictured above) with prayer pews.

For around 30 years, however, the mansion was largely vacant until the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation bought it in 2023, with plans to preserve it in the coming years.

Ongoing multi-phase restoration efforts, which include exterior and interior restoration and maintenance, as well as upgrades to better serve visitors, could top $100 million, according to the foundation’s estimates.

Edward Thome, Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation CEO and executive director, told Philly Voice that the visitor experience will evolve alongside the property.

“The house is mostly usable, but it’ll continue to look better and improve every time people come back, so I think that’s the biggest thing guests can look forward to,” he said.

While Lynnewood Hall is massive at 34 acres, it pales in comparison to the Palace of Versailles estate, which clocks in at around 2,000 acres, and which I visited in 2021.

However, when I look at the blueprint of Lynnewood Hall’s expansive green lawns and gardens speckled with marble fountains, the French influence is undeniable.

As part of the estate’s redesign project for the Wideners in 1916, French landscape architect Jacques Gréber designed what the foundation calls “one of the finest French gardens ever seen in America.”

I was struck by the beauty of the towering archways and grand staircase that greet the eye when you enter the home.

Famed Gilded-Age architect Horace Trumbauer used marble, Indiana limestone, brick, and high-quality concrete to construct the mansion — materials and craftsmanship that the foundation says would be difficult to replicate today.

It’s certainly a foyer unlike any other I’ve seen.

As soon as I stepped onto the black-and-white checkered flooring, I knew I was in for an opulent experience. I was invited to indulge in a house-warming treat: cream-filled gourmet chocolates topped with sea salt made by Pennsylvania-born chocolatier Kesha Dozier, owner of The Chocolate Boutique. A delicious welcome, indeed.

The wood-paneling of the house, including the grand ballroom (pictured above), which was once used as a place of worship, was imported from a French château.

The room that was once used to educate the Widener children is now filled with floral sculptures inspired by “The Gilded Age” characters Peggy Scott and William Kirkland.

The marble sink and high interior archway hovering over the bathtub gave a contemporary feel.

Although the mansion was completed in 1899, parts of it, including the ballroom, were remodeled in the early 20th century.

I was struck by the attention to detail on every inch of the property, including design efforts put into the smallest things, like a light switch fixture adorned with a religious inscription.

The mansion’s architecture boasts large, high-paneled windows that flood even the tiniest rooms (like this butler’s pantry) with lots of light. It makes the indoor experience feel as bright as the outside.

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more amazed by everything I saw in front of me, I looked up.

In modern design, I rarely see architects take the time to decorate the ceiling … except for that atrocious ’90s popcorn-ceiling trend.

The wood-and-gold square-paneled ceiling of the grand ballroom was a nice touch.

Visitors can see “The Gilded Age”-inspired Fleur de Villes floral exhibit through October 4 at the property in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

For now, it’ll be the public’s only chance to walk the halls of the historic home. As restoration continues, the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation plans to host scheduled tours, further special events, open houses, and volunteer days, although dates for these have not yet been announced.