Ormiston Mansion, Philadelphia

Ormiston Mansion is a charming, late Georgian-style residence made of red brick, nestled within the scenic landscape of east Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The house stands at a 45-acre plot along the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River. It was constructed by Edward Burd, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court prothonotary. In 1869, the city of Philadelphia acquired the mansion and its surrounding land to expand Fairmount Park. The house served as a residence for park employees and later as the meeting place for the Fairmount Park Art Association.

The building features a spacious wooden porch at the front and a smaller one at the back. Many of its original interior elements have been preserved, such as fireplaces with marble mantles and a Scottish bake oven. The cedar shake roof includes a widow's walk and Federal-style dormers, with six large shuttered windows on each side and five at the front. The first floor interior consists of a large drawing room spanning the entire width of the house, a kitchen, and a dining room with a sizable door leading to the rear porch.

Ormiston Mansion holds a place on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places and is an inventoried structure within the Fairmount Park Historic District entry on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1982, the Royal Heritage Society of the Delaware Valley, a privately funded non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Pennsylvania's British heritage, has been responsible for preserving and maintaining the house. The organization hosts various events at the property, open to both society members and the general public.