CLASSIC. TIMELESS. ELEGANCE.
Loch Aerie Mansion was designed by famed architect, Addison Hutton and built for William E Lockwood in 1865. Lockwood was a very clever Philadelphia businessman who made his fortune on linen paper shirt collars. The 6,552 square foot, four storied stone mansion was built out of Pennsylvania Blue Marble and Limestone. Loch Aerie was one of the stateliest structures in Chester County.
Lockwood, born in Ashtabula, Ohio, came to Philadelphia in the 1850’s and went into business with his stepfather, Elon Dunbar. Lockwood held many patents in his career but his fortune grew largely in part to his patent of the linen-based disposable cuffs and collars for men’s dress shirts. Lockwood purchased 212 acres of land in Chester County from his stepfather in 1863, comprised of three farms, there to build his country estate. Over time, he added an additional 472 acres in East and West Whiteland Townships.
Lockwood enlisted the design services of Philadelphia architect, Addison Hutton, who went on to become one of the area’s premier designers of Main Line Estates as well as Institutional buildings. The first meeting with Hutton was set to take place in April of 1865 but due to the death of President Lincoln, the meeting was postponed until later that year.
Construction of “Glenloch” as it was called at the time, began in mid 1865 and built by West Chester Stone Mason William A. Stephenson. The home featured intricately carved moldings, marble and slate fireplaces, verandas, 8 spacious bedrooms, a nursery, a summer kitchen, service quarters and a lookout tower. It also had running water which was gravity-fed through underground piping from a nearby pond on the hill behind the mansion. The pipe pressure fed a 900-gallon holding tank in the 3rd floor of the tower which had the capacity to supply running water to many rooms in the house up to 12,000 gallons per day.
LOCH AERIE MANSION.
1868- Lockwood’s wife Louisa died in May of 1868, leaving William with a 7-year-old daughter and a country estate just 2 months from completion. Devastated over the loss of his wife, Lockwood devoted much of his time to his business and became President of the Union Paper Collar Company moving him to New York for nearly 10 years. Glen loch, during this time, was used as a boarding house catering to urban travelers and welcomed overnight guests attending the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
1874 William E. Lockwood Marries Lockwood married Ella Eby and later moved the family to their country estate. The home was complete with a low-voltage security system to protect from intruders. The couple had 3 children (William Jr, Edith, and Daisy) and raised them at Glen Loch.
In 1891, the Pennsylvania Railroad built a station on land purchased from Lockwood and named it Glenloch after the estate. This angered Lockwood and he decided to rename his estate Loch Aerie (lake of the eagle’s nest), inspired by “The Shrine of Answered Prayer” a poem by Valk-Aeyrie.
EST. 1865
Lockwood died of pneumonia in 1911 while visiting his eldest daughter Elizabeth, leaving his estate to his wife and children who lived in the mansion until 1967 upon the passing of the youngest daughters.
The estate sold to local real-estate mogul, Daniel Tabas. Over the next half-century, the home was rented to several residents and businesses whose occupancies were short lived and rather destructive. One resident, Tony Alden, an Architectural Curator, lived at Loch Aerie from 1979-2004, took great care to restore the mansion while he resided there. Then she sat vacant for nearly 12 years.
Steven and Dana Poirier purchased Loch Aerie Mansion in 2016 and have lovingly restored her to her original majesty and expanded the estate to include a 5000 sq foot ballroom for over 300 guests. Architectural design for the renovation of the original home was created by Frank Trusila and in keeping with the original architectural style of the Mansion, The Ballroom addition was designed by Ted Mondzelewski, of Architectural Concepts, Exton PA.
In 2018, Loch Aerie Mansion celebrated her 150th anniversary and was re-introduced to the community at Chester County Day shining once again as the local landmark that she has always been. The Classic, Timeless and Elegant venue has received fresh blood and her heart is beating once again.
Loch Aerie History with Aj DiAntonio.
Dana Poirier Interviews A.J DiAntonio about the History of William E Lockwood's Estate and his family.