Glen Foerd at Torresdale
Also known as: Lutheran Center for Education and the Arts at Glen Foerd
Why it's listed
Riverside mansion on the Delaware in Torresdale, Philadelphia, begun about 1850 for Charles Macalester, a Philadelphia broker and financial adviser to several presidents, who named the estate Glengarry. In 1902 Robert H. Foerderer, whose tanning business VICI KID made him wealthy, enlarged and remodeled the house, renaming it Glen Foerd by combining his name with Glengarry. McAuley & Company carried out the 1902 work. The interior has marble fireplaces, a domed stained glass skylight over the grand staircase, a Haslett organ, and an art gallery patterned after London's Tate. The roughly seventeen-acre grounds include a boathouse, a brick carriage house, and twin gate houses. Its landscape is regarded as one of the best preserved residential sites of its era in Philadelphia, with rare plantings from the original owners. Mrs. William T. Tonner held the estate after 1934, and in 1971 she gave the furnished mansion and its collections to the Lutheran Church in America. It is significant for its architecture, interior craftsmanship, landscape, and its link to leaders in commerce, politics, and industry.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is a grand home on a superb riverfront site, with exterior and interior design and craftsmanship available only to the wealthy. It describes the landscape as one of the best executed and best preserved late nineteenth and early twentieth century residential sites in Philadelphia. It also represents the cultural tastes of leaders in commerce, politics, and industry.
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 79002320, listed November 20, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5001 Grant Ave., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | November 20, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002320 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Landscape Architecture, Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Open to community groups for meetings and meals; an unused water tower, pump house, and tennis courts are noted on the grounds. |
| Acreage | 17.8 |
| Coordinates | 40.04248, -74.98048 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 79002320.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5567757
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.