Talk:Lemon Hill

Tax Records insufficient to disclaim Morris Estate --Now letter books?
For centuries the house was credited as the Morris estate. But tax records hinted at a later date; even a diary is claimed. The story seems shrouded in mystery. The house, a possible forerunner of the Whitehouse, appears to have been designed by Hoban under Morris in 1785-87.

The reason for the confusion, a sheriff sale "of land" with some "buildings" and Pre-Internet Research. Fisk, who renovated the estate for the Philadelphia Art Museum in 1984, wrote an excellent and largely factual history but did not have the extensive records available today (via internet) which indicate the purchase by Morris, fire, rebuilding and the same year arrival of Architect Hoban who later used the center Oval in his design of The Whitehouse.

While Pratt did turn the estate into a public garden and it later became an icecream stand with beer festivals, he did not clearly build it. The gardens were remarked upon well before it was purchased. * It is almost inconceivable that a person who owned millions of acres would build a extensive garden with greenhouses and not erect a pleasant cottage for his guests to take tea. Pratt did buy the estate and maintain the gardens which fell into disrepair only after he was no longer able to care for them. The home however, appears to be the work of the Irish architect Hoban under the tutelage of Robert Morris (financier), one of the most important American Financers, A signer of the Declaration of Independence, a confidant to whom Jefferson wrote of his interests in machines, a friend of Washington, a founder of the Library Company of Philadelphia (the original Internet) where you could get all the important books of the day on the cheap. A prestigious scholar, (Morris), and one of the most important architects, (Hoban), appear to have designed and constructed the house after the decorated architect was enticed to the new world and to Philadelphia on numerous occasions by Washington (and most likely Morris or Franklin).

Here are the details of this ever changing piece of accepted history.

Records indicate a fire in 1780 at Morris's "Hills Estate". p.128 * Morris then purchased the future "President's House on Market St." and refurbished it apparently adding a brick facade. It is reported that Hoban was in the U.S. by 1781 * and that the president's house was refurbished.

It appears that the Morris's white-washed "Hills" estate, on "Old Vineyard Hill" (now called "Lemon Hill") was unfinished in 1787  and therefore not officially listed at the sheriff (land) sale to Pratt who cared for the extensive gardens, favored the lemon trees and named the estate Lemon Hill. By 1790 Morris had loaned the red brick "Morris mansion" on Market St to Washington and apparently moved into his new estate in "The Hills". By 1795 Morris sold The President's House (Philadelphia) to the nation under Adams. Morris later lost "The Hills" estate in a mob arrest resulting from the financial collapse of the Panic of 1796–1797 and French Revolution. After his release, in part because of bankruptcy laws passed by his Founding friends, he began a larger new blue/white marble townhouse by L'Enfant which was later salvaged to became Sansome street.

Hoban:

James Hoban, apprenticed under an architect in Ireland and received the Duke of Leinster's medal for drawings of "Brackets, Stairs, and Roofs, & c. from the Dublin Society in 1780.” * Following the American Revolutionary War he immigrated (possibly recruited, Franklin toured Ireland in 1771*) ) to the United States in 1781 *, He is also known to have established himself as an architect in Philadelphia by 1785 * and later won the design competition for The Whitehouse in July 1792.  The oval dining room seems like a Hoban signature while round rooms appear in numerous later homes in the 1790s such as the Barrell House *, Swann House * and others. Hoban was a former carpenter as well as decorated draftsman (the Lemon Hill house has some rather adventurous carpentry), The oval is also prominent in Hoban’s' Whitehouse design and the Château de Rastignac (later during the Louisiana Purchase) Both the chateau and Whitehouse have the same south facing arc and appear to be influenced by the Lemon Hill home and Irish parliament, Leinster House. Strong similarity also exists with the rounded great room and stairs of Culzean Castle which would have been the talk of the isles before Hoban emigrated. Hoban may have also been influenced by the recently constructed Old St. Marys church on 4th St, (second Catholic church in Philadelphia) which features an apse in the back overlooking the field with a similar exterior pattern to the Lemon Hill home. (picture needed)

The Morris House was recorded as near the water works. Thus "Lemon Hill" appears to have been "The Hills" estate built by Morris "just above the waterworks". * ("The Hills" refers to the hills of the art museum area what would later be called lemon hill, the water works and the adjoining park.)  A print of Morris's Greenhouse and estate hangs in the home and depicts the grounds as they were prior to construction the water works on the south hill. Morris was also remarked by Marquis de Chastellux as the first to introduce hot houses and icehouses to the new world * p.128

It seems the design was in fact Hoban's. Fancy carpentry, oval and all. Though Pratt worked on the gardens after 1799. It appears the estate was lived in, used for parties and was sold years more than a decade after it's construction.

(from wikipedia/The_Whitehouse) President Washington visited Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1791 on his "Southern Tour", and saw the construction of Charleston County Courthouse designed by Irish architect James Hoban. He is reputed to have met with Hoban then, and summoned the architect (back) to Philadelphia and met with him there in June 1792.[6]

Morris, who was building the chestnut theater, was arrested years later in 1798-9 after being sued by someone who themselves were in debtors prison (wikipesia/Robert_Morris) He was reported to have been visited by Washington who shared a meal with him in prison. * The financial failure was the result of several key debtors and the French Revolution, which severely affected the middle states. *

The Hills

Morris accuired The Hills property(apparently from Richard Penn) along the Schuylkill River on the edge of Philadelphia in 1770 and is known to have made improvements and the reputed first greenhouse in the new world which appear in prints from the period. p.128 It is also reported that he resided at the estate to avoid creditors. national park service A diary in 1815 by Logan suggests the original house which burned down was on the site of the Barns Institute (originally 'Morrisville' now called 'Spring Garden') somewhat closer to town and contained Morris's "first greenhouse" * though apparently misattributed to a manager Thomas Penn (who appears to have lived next door and managed the estate for Morris after the fire. The hills estate changed hands several times after Morris to become a popular destination and the city purchased the property in 1844 as part of the water works. 

From this it appears that Hoban (perhaps recruited because of his award) contacted Morris (an important landholder in America) upon his arrival (based on his decorated introduction) and redesigned the future President's House (Philadelphia) then returned by 1785 to build "The Hills" estate after he was introduced to Charleston developers, perhaps at one of the alleged parties when Morris was not overseeing his holdings elsewhere (Morris later held 6m acres in Washington DC and a large part of NY state etc.) Washington would have been an obvious guest at the Morris home as well and was presumably eager to see Hoban's other work on his southern tour. Hoban may have originally immigrated to South Carolina for it's more familiar climate and then asked to Philadelphia (under research)

Morris's other Important Philadelphia residence "The President's House" served as the Executive Mansion for presidents George Washington and John Adams, 1790-1800. (The newly renovated excavation is open 24 hours at 5th and Market) Morris sold the Independence Park townhouse to the people in 1795,[17] and later began construction of a third home by architect L'Enfant. (while Hoban was completing his First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia in 1795.) During this time it appears Morris Lived at his Hills Estate as credit grew tight in the Americas.

sparky@navpoint.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.103.119.66 (talk) 18:25, 9 June 2014 (UTC)