National Register of Historic Places

Gibraltar

Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Listed
September 13, 1998
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
98001098

About this property

Gibraltar (previously known as the Hugh Rodney Sharp Mansion), located at 2505 Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware, is a country estate home dating from c. 1844 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It takes its name from the Rock of Gibraltar, alluding to the high rocky outcrop on which the house was built. It is located just inside Wilmington's city limits and originally stood at the center of a much larger estate which has over time been reduced to the present area of about a city block in size. The house was originally built by John Rodney Brincklé and inherited by his brother's wife and children, before being bought in 1909 by Hugh Rodney Sharp, who was linked to the Du Pont family through marriage and work. Sharp expanded and remodeled the house, as well as commissioning the pioneering female landscape designer Marian Cruger Coffin to lay out the gardens. The gardens are now owned by a local preservation trust which acquired it in the 1990s after it was threatened with demolition and redevelopment. They have since been restored and opened to the public. The estate was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 in recognition of its importance as a well-preserved example of the Country Place era of art and design. The mansion, currently owned by a local developer, has not been occupied for many years and its condition has significantly deteriorated.

Location

250 Pennsylvania Ave.
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
39.76350, -75.57497

Categories

ARCHITECTURELANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Jackson-Wilson House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Breck's Mill Area-Henry Clay Village Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Industrial
0.3 mi
Rockford Park
Listed
0.3 mi
Wawaset Park Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Walker's Mill and Walker's Bank
Industrial
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Birmingham Hill (Brandywine)
1777Revolutionary War
3.9 mi
Battle of Brandywine — Birmingham Hill
1777Revolutionary War
4.1 mi
Battle of Brandywine
1777Revolutionary War
4.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Gibraltar listed on the National Register?

Gibraltar was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Gibraltar?

Gibraltar is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gibraltar?

The period of significance for Gibraltar is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Gibraltar?

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