Escaping the City
Click on the text below or on the following pages to learn about some of the Drexel family homes outside of West Philadelphia.
Runnymede
First a summer home for Anthony J. Drexel, he gave the estate to his daughter Sarah and her husband Alexander Van Rensselaer. Runnymede opened to Drexel Institute students for athletics and recreation in 1911. (Click on the title to learn more about Runnymede.)
Long Branch House
George W. Childs shared this beach-front vacation home with his best friend Anthony J. Drexel and their families. Built in 1868, the house was right next to President Ulysses S. Grant’s summer home. Drexel and Grant’s friendly and advisory relationship stemmed from Grant’s close friendship with Childs. In 1941, the home and surrounding land became the Stella Maris Retreat Center. The Childs’ historic cottage was torn down in 2019. (Click the title to learn more about Long Branch.)
Camp Hill Hall
Camp Hill Hall was Sarah D. Fell Van Rensselaer’s home with her first husband, John R. Fell. The Van Rensselaer also maintained the building at 1801 Walnut Street, which is now the Penn Athletic Club, and a house on Old South Broad Street. (Click the title to learn more about Camp Hill Hall.)