Call Number:

05

Repository:

Glen Foerd on the Delaware

Extent:

1.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1963-1985 (inclusive)

Creator:

Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd.

Abstract:

The Glen Foerd estate was built circa 1850 by Charles Macalester and was later purchased by Robert H. Foerderer, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives and leather manufacturer. His daughter, art collector Florence Tonner, bequeathed Glen Foerd to the Lutheran Church of America upon her death with the caveat that the estate would revert to public ownership if the Lutheran Church was unable to care for it. The Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd operated the estate as a retreat center and meeting space until 1988, when ownership of the estate was awarded to the City of Philadelphia in a lawsuit. The Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd records, 1963-1985, primarily include financial and administrative records, although there are also a small number of subject files in the collection pertaining to the Foerderer family.

The Glen Foerd estate was built circa 1850 by Charles Macalester, founder of Torresdale and Financial Adviser to eight United States Presidents. The estate, which Macalester called "Glengarry," was renamed by Robert H. Foerderer (1860-1903) when he purchased it in 1893.

Upon her death in 1972 Florence Tonner, daughter of Robert H. Foerderer, bequeathed the Glen Foerd estate to the Lutheran Church of America. She included the caveat, however, that if the Lutheran Church was unable to care for the estate, it would revert to public ownership. The Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd operated the estate as a retreat center and meeting space until 1988, when ownership of the estate was awarded to the City of Philadelphia in a lawsuit. Today the Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Glen Foerd, administers the property in coordination with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.

Bibliography: "Glen Foerd History." Accessed September 28, 2011. http://www.glenfoerd.org

The Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd records, 1963-1985, include financial records, grant proposals, reservation requests, payroll, files on building maintenance and historic preservation, and correspondence, including some with Florence Tonner.

Of special interest in this collection are a small number of subject files on topics such as Vici Kid (the fine leather product developed by Robert H. Foerderer), Tonner family history, and Percy Foerderer. These files were probably assembled by Frank Muhly, director of the Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd. They mostly contain newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, photocopied documents, and some original correspondence. Two audiocassette recordings of oral histories of former workers at the Foerderer leather factory are a highlight of this collection.