Ravenhill is a Renaissance Revival mansion at 3480–90 School House Lane in the East Falls neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Designed by architect Willis Gaylord Hale and completed in 1887, the suburban house was built for chemical manufacturer William Weightman. Weightman was popularly known as the "Quinine King" and "the richest man in Pennsylvania." For much of the 20th century, the mansion housed Ravenhill Academy, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

private school for girls. It is now part of the East Falls campus of

Thomas Jefferson University Thomas Jefferson University is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. ...

History

The 27-acre (10.9 hectare) property is located on a ridge that overlooks the Wissahickon Valley to the northwest and East Falls to the southeast.George W. & Walter S. Bromley, ''Atlas of the City of Philadelphia'' (Philadelphia: G. W. Bromley and Company, 1901), Plate 31. A stone house was constructed on the site in 1802, that Weightman purchased by 1844. The English-born chemist made an enormous fortune after inventing a synthetic form of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

, a

prophylaxis Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...

for

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. His factory, Powers & Weightman's Chemical Works, was located less than a mile away, along the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

, at School House Lane and Ridge Avenue. Weightman hired his niece's husband, Willis G. Hale, to design the mansion. Horticulture was Weightman's hobby, and the estate featured a large variety of rare and exotic plants.Mnardi, Joseph. "History Matters: The Amazing Weightman", ''The Local'', September 7, 2017
/ref> He also owned a city house on Rittenhouse Square, and a summer cottage at

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

. Weightman developed dozens of blocks of Philadelphia real estate with middle class housing (designed by Hale). His investment in large tracts of Pennsylvania land made him "one of the largest real estate owners in the country."

Ravenhill Academy

Upon Weightman's death in 1904, Ravenhill passed to his daughter Anne Weightman Walker, who donated the estate to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1910. Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty granted it to the Religious of the Assumption in 1919. The order of nuns opened a

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

in the mansion, that later became a K-12 girl's private school known as Ravenhill Academy. Its best known alumna was the future actress and princess, Grace Kelly. Ravenhill Academy's last class graduated in 1977. A stained glass window was added to Ravenhill, depicting the foundress of the Religious of the Assumption, Mother (now Saint) Marie Eugenie. Prior to the sale of the mansion, the window was moved to the order's congregation house in

Lansdale, Pennsylvania Lansdale is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. I ...

Thomas Jefferson University

Ravenhill was sold to Philadelphia University in 1982. Philadelphia University merged with

in 2017. Ravenhill currently houses the administrative and faculty offices for Jefferson's School of General Studies.

References

External links

Ravenhill Academy
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