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April is a special month at Strawberry. A month of flowers blooming, of songbirds returning, and, most importantly: the month when we reopen for regularly scheduled guided tours. Just because we were closed to the public this winter doesn’t mean we weren’t busy. Now, we welcome guests back to the mansion with updated exhibits and exciting events in store.
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New on view:
Visitors can now enjoy one of the mansion’s historic rooms from a totally different perspective- a miniature model! Miniaturist Peter Kendall created this incredibly detailed model of the Jefferson Dining Room at Strawberry and was kind enough to donate it for exhibition. Furniture, silverware, and paintings are all recreated down to the patterns on the upholstery. The model is now on display in the foyer. Join a tour to see it for yourself, then head upstairs to see how it compares to the real dining room!
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Another new sight at Strawberry is the upholstery restoration on the 18th century sofa in the Lewis Parlor. The sofa was fully reupholstered in fabric from Scalamandré, a textile atelier that since the 1920s has been manufacturing fabrics with historic techniques for clients from the White House to our historic house neighbors at Cliveden. Previously, Scalamandré helped restore the Cadwallader ballroom furniture at Strawberry by recreating, from their archives, the exact pattern it was originally upholstered with in the 1920s. Visit the Lewis Parlor in person to see the detail and craftsmanship that have made Scalamandré legendary in the world of historic decor.
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Upcoming Events:
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City Nature Challenge: Historic Strawberry Mansion is proud to be a partner organization for the 2022 City Nature Challenge. From April 29 to May 2, cities across the globe compete in a “bioblitz”, raising awareness of urban ecosystems by seeing who can observe and record the most species of animals, plants, and fungi. The Strawberry Mansion grounds are a prime spot to come out and log those observations. Visitors to the gardens and trails around the mansion can spot birds from the blackbird, finch, woodpecker, and hawk families; mammals like foxes and groundhogs; and a bevy of flora both native and introduced. Participating is fun and easy, just come explore Strawberry and log what you see on iNaturalist. If you want to continue your exploration inside the mansion, find out how to take a tour! For more information on the challenge and how you can join in, visit cncphilly.org.
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Strawberry Festival: A Fairmount Park tradition is back on the first Saturday of June. Mark your calendars for this family-friendly day of activities, demonstrations, and sweet summer treats, presented with our friends from the Philadelphia Orchard Project.
