General
Blocks We Love: 2200-2232 Green Street
Located in the Fairmount neighborhood just blocks from Philadelphia’s collection of world-class museums, the ornate town houses and greenery of the 2200 block of Green Street make this community a work of art unto itself. Indeed, the street is a truly impressive example of the architectural and design legacy of Philadelphia’s industrial-era wealth.
On a block marked by imposingly designed houses, no home is as beautiful or quite frankly as enormous as the Bergdoll-Kemble Mansion (seen in the image on the left). Built in 1882, this 14,000 square foot Italianate mansion was constructed for the Bergdolls, a family of successful brewers. The house was also once home to Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, a notorious early 20th century socialite, playboy and criminal. Most recently, the mansion boasted one of Philadelphia’s highest-ever asking prices before being converted into apartments. Whatever the building’s fate though, the Bergdoll-Kemble Mansion’s size and ornate design will forever make it part of the character of this historic block.
Aside from its grand architecture, one of the most unique aspects of the 2200 block is its collection of front yards. Built on a hill sloping down to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, these homes are set on flat ground away from the street’s incline, and the resulting open space features rich expanses of grass and mature trees. These front gardens are a rare and beautiful quality in the otherwise narrow stone and concrete streetscape of Philadelphia.
In the end, this block typifies what Fairmount residents like best about their neighborhood – it has all the beauty, charm and history of urban life without quite the hustle and bustle of Center City. It’s surely a block not to be missed.