Governed by the Fairmount Park Commission
Administered by the Modern Club
Samuel Breck, a Boston-born Philadelphia merchant of the late eighteenth century, acquired a tract of land along the Schuylkill and set about establishing a country seat. He wrote, "The mansion on this estate, I built in 1797. It is a fine stone house, roughcast, fifty-three feet long, thirty-eight broad, and three stories high, having out-buildings of every kind suitable for elegance and comfort. The prospect consists of a river, animated by its great trade carried on in boats of about thirty tons, drawn by horses; of a beautiful sloping lawn, terminating at that river…of side-screen woods; of gardens, greenhouse, etc. Sweetbriar is the name of my villa."
Designed in the Neoclassical style, Sweetbriar reflects a new fashion based on archaeologically correct designs from ancient Greece and Rome. These classically-inspired elements can be seen in the delicate colonnade in the entry hallway, the stairway with its balcony and inset arched niche, and the large Italianate windows.
The furnishings of the house also reflect an interest in classical decorative motifs, with a number of important examples by Philadelphia and New England craftsmen. Of particular interest is one of Sweetbriar's double parlors on the first floor, furnished in the Etruscan style based on classical forms and the black and terra-cotta color scheme of ancient Etruscan wall painting.
Breck had many interests, such as horticulture, history, government, and public affairs. He was actively involved in several local cultural organizations and civic projects, and his extensive library contained volumes on a number of different subjects—including the ancient world. Having been educated in France, Breck was accustomed to European fashion. He was personally acquainted with French dignitaries and even entertained Lafayette at Sweetbriar.
The home was acquired by the city of Philadelphia in 1869, and since 1939 has been administered by the Modern Club of Philadelphia, a philanthropic organization.
Hours
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