National Register of Historic Places

Tyler, George F., Mansion

Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Listed
July 15, 1987
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
87001210

About this property

The George F. Tyler Mansion (1928–31), also known as "Indian Council Rock," is a French-Norman country house and former estate which is located in Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Located west of Pennsylvania Route 413 and north of Pennsylvania Route 332, the property is now divided into Tyler State Park and the campus of Bucks County Community College. George Frederick Tyler (1883–1947) was a Philadelphia banker and sportsman. Following his mother's early death, his father, Sidney Frederick Tyler, in 1888 married Ida Amelia Elkins, a daughter of streetcar magnate William Lukens Elkins. Seventeen year later, George married his stepmother's niece, Stella Elkins (1884–1963), a budding sculptor who later studied under Boris Blai. The young couple raised three children in a mansion built for them on the Elkins estate in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. They donated that mansion to Temple University, and it housed the Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art from 1935 to 2008. Just after World War I, the Tylers bought a Bucks County farm on the west bank of the Neshaminy Creek. They decided to build a country house on the east bank, and by a decade later had assembled a property of nearly 2,000 acres (810 ha), about 3 square miles. The resulting estate was named for one of its landmarks, "Indian Council Rock," a cliff overlooking the creek, that was reputed to have been a meeting place for the Lenni Lenape tribe. The 60-room main house was designed by architect Charles Willing in 1928, and built, 1930–1931. Constructed of brownstone and 300 feet in length, it is the largest residence ever built in Bucks County. Mrs. Tyler bequeathed the main house and 200 acres (81 ha) of the estate to Temple University in 1963. This was sold to Bucks County in 1965 to create the campus of Bucks County Community College. Now known as "Tyler Hall," the mansion – still surrounded by formal gardens, stone walls and fountains – houses the college's administrative offices. It, along with the twin bath houses, a stone building known as "The Orangery," and two contributing sites, comprise a historic district that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. VIDEO: Tour of the Tyler Estate at Bucks County Community College, from YouTube.

Location

Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
40.23968, -74.96886

Categories

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Leedom, David, Farm
Industrial
1.4 mi
Newtown Presbyterian Church
Listed
1.7 mi
Newtown Creek Bridge
Industrial
1.8 mi
Newtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
1.9 mi
Half-Moon Inn
Industrial
1.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Crooked Billet
1778Revolutionary War
5.9 mi
Battle of Crooked Billet May 1 1778
1778Revolutionary War
10.3 mi
Battle of Trenton Dec 26 1776
1776Revolutionary War
11 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tyler, George F., Mansion listed on the National Register?

Tyler, George F., Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Tyler, George F., Mansion?

Tyler, George F., Mansion is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tyler, George F., Mansion?

The period of significance for Tyler, George F., Mansion is recorded as the listed era.

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