Lemon Hill Mansion is open for the season. Come visit us!

Lemon Hill is open for tours and visits, Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m to 4 p.m. The House is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Whenever you plan to visit Lemon Hill, please be sure to check the VISIT page for closures or call before you come--215-232-4337. For rental information, please call House Director Joyce Jones at 215-232-4337 and leave a message. Be sure to leave your name and contact information. Please visit our Contact page for up-to-date phone numbers. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Welcome to Lemon Hill

Visit Lemon Hill, located in the heart of East Fairmount Park, and escape from the modern concrete and glass city into the idyllic "villa life" enjoyed by Philadelphia's early nineteenth century gentry. Lemon Hill mansion was built in 1800 as a summer retreat by Henry Pratt, a prosperous Philadelphia merchant. Surrounded by extensive gardens, the mansion was one of more than a dozen similar summer homes in the Philadelphia area.

Experience Lemon Hill's classical elegance in the Federal style, with its unusual stack of three oval rooms, richly detailed woodwork, Chinese Chippendale railings, and grand curving staircase.

In 1855, Lemon Hill became part of the new Fairmount Park and, over time, served as a beer garden, a restaurant, and the home of Fiske Kimball, the first director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Today, Lemon Hill is owned by the City of Philadelphia, managed by the Fairmount Park Commission and operated as an historic house museum by the Colonial Dames of America (CDA) and the Friends of Lemon Hill.

Conservation of Lemon Hill is of the utmost importance with a building of its age. The CDA undertakes projects that restore the home's original look and feel and enhance the visitor's experience. Donations to the Friends of Lemon Hill for conservation and support of Lemon Hill are tax deductible and always welcome.