Hershey, Milton S., Mansion
Also known as: High Point; Hershey Country Club
Why it's listed
Built of limestone quarried near its site, the three-story High Point mansion in Hershey, Pennsylvania, was begun in 1906 and completed in 1908 as the home of chocolate manufacturer Milton S. Hershey and his wife. Architect C. Emlen Urban of Lancaster designed the house, and Oglesby Paul, a landscape designer from Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, planned the gardens. The interior includes a circular entrance foyer, a monumental stair lit by stained glass, and a leaded glass dome. The house was given to the Hershey Country Club in 1930, and Hershey kept a suite of rooms there until his death in 1945. It is listed for its architecture, its landscape gardens, and its ties to Hershey's industrial enterprises, the town of Hershey, and the Milton Hershey School for orphans. The mansion has been unoccupied since 1970.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mansion is representative of the architecture of its time and is significant in landscape architecture for the gardens Milton S. Hershey planned with it. It also cites significance in industry and commerce through Hershey's founding of enterprises and the model town of Hershey, and in social and humanitarian areas through his founding of the Milton Hershey School for orphans.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002388, listed February 7, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Mansion Rd., Hershey |
|---|---|
| County | Dauphin County |
| Listed | February 7, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002388 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | C. Emlen Urban (architect) |
| Architectural style | Basically classical in its symmetrical massing, with Ionic detailing on the two-story entrance portico |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated May 4, 1983 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied since March 1970, when the new Hershey Country Club opened; the document also mentions later office use by Hershey Foods Corporation. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 40.29001, -76.64415 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002388.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6861438
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.