This page was created by Craig Dietrich.
The Mount of the House of the Lord
Father Divine's vernacular architecture of intention as well as what could be called his theology of historic preservation is most prominent in the restoration, preservation, and re-use of Woodmont (Figure 3), a Victorian Manor House found in the exclusive Main Line suburb of Gladwyne, just outside of Philadelphia. Designed by the Quaker architect William L. Price and completed in 1894 for the industrialist Alan Wood at an estimated cost of $1,000,000, Woodmont is located at the highest point along the West bank of the Schuylkill River. Architectural historian, George E. Thomas in his volume on Price notes:
the house was constructed of the local stone trimmed with limestone and finished on the interior by many of Philadelphia's principal decorative artists. The estate included its own power plant as well as stables, barns, and extensive gardens”