Morgan Manor

Morgan Manor View all images of Morgan Manor

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1850	House is built
c1864	Remodeled

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John M. Stockwell / hohn h morgan house greek revival italiante c1850-51 riverside and park lane 1853 for william r preston later henry morgan social /cultural center of evv later apts overlooks sunset park and ohio stately mansion features doric pilasters edging the building's corners, an elegant entry, and central pedimented gable Another mansion in the same general area is Morgan Manor. This home still exists today and can be found just across Mulberry Street (that section renamed Park Place) from Sunset Park. The home was built in 1853 by William R. Preston, one of five brothers who came from Camden, New Jersey. All but one of the brothers eventually moved from the city, and the home was sold in 1864 to John Henry Morgan who lived there with his wife and three daughters for many years. The home was noted for its hospitality and active social life that was so much the style of that period. The mansion was built in Greek Revival style dating from the mid-Nineteenth Century. The home consisted of three stories; the exterior wall was scored stucco over brick, which simulated ashlar stone block. Many buildings of that era were of this exterior treatment. There was a balanced facade with corner Doric pilasters and a slight gabled effect in the window frames. The roof was gabled and had decorations and brackets of the later Italianate period. The lower flower of the home consisted of a central hall running the length of the building with a large drawing room occupying the entire northwest side. Across the hall were the library and dining room. The drawing and dining rooms had tall pier mirrors reaching from floor to ceiling, a full fourteen feet. They reflected the candlelight from the crystal chandeliers. A one story kitchen and cook's quarters were located in a wing off the dining room. Silk and lace panel curtains hung from golden cornices. Damask drapes were secured by tasseled silk cords. With the exception of the hallway, all of the first floor was covered with thick velvet carpeting. The second floor was occupied by four large bedrooms. Each bedroom was furnished with fine furniture of carved rosewood, mahogany, or walnut. No bathrooms intruded into the simplicity of design, but the usual china pitcher, wash bowl and chamber pot was provided. The third floor held four somewhat less ornate bedrooms. To the side was a two storied brick servants' quarters and the stables and carriage house were farther back, closer to the river. Four carriages were stored in the carriage house and, as was the fashion, Mrs. Morgan and her daughters often went driving in the afternoon with a liveried driver and perhaps a footman. The Morgans lived on the premises for more than forty years. Mrs. Morgan maintained the property after Mr. Morgans death in 1892, and the daughters continued to live there after their mother's death in 1908. Members of the family continued to live at Morgan Manor until 1941.

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