Ardossan-A Philadelphia Story

For those who have seen the movie "A Philadelphia Story," with Katherine Hepburn, or later, "High Society" with Grace Kelly, you might not know they were inspired by Hope Montgomery Scott (1904-1995), socialite and philanthropist. The home where she was raised, Ardrossan, in Villanova, Pennsylvania, was the site of a get together and tour sponsored by the Lower Merion Conservancy.

Ardrossan was designed for Hope's father, Col. Robert Montgomery in 1912 by Horace Trumbauer on an 800 acre site which includes 28 other houses, because one needs a staff, doesn't one?  After driving through the gates, I passed fields with neatly rolled haystacks and winding lanes leading to stone houses and outbuildings--but the valet parking staff were a dead giveaway that I had reached the 38,000 ft. Gilded Age mansion.

Still occupied by the Montgomery family, the home has undergone a nine year restoration by Eberlein Design consultants, and Barbara Eberlein explained to us that when she first saw the home, it was in ramshackle condition. Although all the original furniture and fabrics were still there, some chairs were held up by cement blocks where legs were missing, and the draperies were in shreds. It must have cost millions to restore all the furniture and re-create the draperies. Hope's grandmother was a prolific needlepointer, and covered ballroom chairs, sofas, and armchairs with needlepoint (which have all been restored), and even created small framed needlepoint pictures of room interiors, which aided in the restoration of the rooms.  Seen above is the Hall, with a portrait of Hope, and the Dining Room, with a portrait of a 19th century ancestor. Three cheers for the Montgomerys and their ability and resources to recreate the original ambience of Ardrossan.