A bastion of old money, Philadelphia’s Main Line was one of the wealthiest areas of the United States by the early 20th century. The houses built by the captains of industry in the bucolic countryside of Philadelphia’s western suburbs were some of the most sumptuous in the country, rivaling those of Newport and Palm Beach. Modeled on British country estates, these houses were designed by the nation’s finest architects for some of America’s leading families, including the Cassatts, the Drexels, and the Montgomerys. This lecture will examine notable houses and great estates of the Main Line that have been lost and those that have survived and been repurposed as schools, clubs, and retirement communities.

Curt DiCamillo is American Ancestors' Curator of Fine Art. As part of the Education team, he curates American Ancestors' large art collection, lectures around the world, and hosts the celebrated American Ancestors Art & Architecture webinar series.

For over forty-five years Jeff Groff has studied and lectured on American country houses and gardens, particularly those of Philadelphia’s Main Line and surrounding areas. A graduate of Bates College, he holds a master’s degree in early American culture from the University of Delaware and has held leadership positions at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, the Wyck Historic House and Garden in Philadelphia, and the Osterville Historical Society on Cape Cod. Jeff also served as co-curator of Winterthur’s very successful exhibitions “Costumes of Downton Abbey” and “Costuming The Crown.”