|
Wayne, West Lancaster Ave.
1897
Mansion currently Wayne Nursing Home, Stable currently offices
Woodlea, one of Wayne’s earliest true estates, was located in between Lancaster Ave. and the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was the home of William Wood, designed by the architectural team Hazlehurst & Huckel. The land was originally occupied by the Abraham farmhouse, owned by William Davis Hughs. Hughs owned the land from 1878 to 1895, modernizing the farmhouse in about 1890. William Wood later bought the land, and built Woodlea in 1897. To the west of the estate stood the Bellevue Hotel. Wood was one of the first to notify authorities about the fire at the Bellevue in 1900. The estate was split up some years later. The main mansion became the Caley Nursing Home, and the stable, now part of a separate property, became offices. The Nursing Home became the site of one of the Main Line’s most devastating fires in the 1970’s, and several residents were killed. After the fire the building underwent extensive remodeling, and currently is barely recognizable. The front lawn is currently the parking lot of Rite Aid.
1897: Woodlea built
1900: Bellevue Hotel fire next door
195?: Becomes Caley Nursing Home
197?: Caley fire
Click on the images to see larger versions
 |
|
|
|
|
The original Hearne family farm, on the future site of Woodlea.
|
|
The springhouse on the future site of Woodlea's front lawn.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The mansion and stable shortly after being built.
Online Source
|
|
The mansion from a 1902 issue of the Inland Architect magazine.
Architectural Journal; Carnegie Mellon University Library
|
Sources:
© 2005 Wayne History Online / Greg Prichard
Page Last Updated : 4 November 2005
|
|
