The Glen Foerd estate was built circa 1850 by Charles Macalester, founder of Torresdale and Financial Adviser to eight United States Presidents. The estate, which Macalester called "Glengarry," was renamed by Robert H. Foerderer (1860-1903) when he purchased it in 1893.
Upon her death in 1972 Florence Tonner, daughter of Robert H. Foerderer, bequeathed the Glen Foerd estate to the Lutheran Church of America. She included the caveat, however, that if the Lutheran Church was unable to care for the estate, it would revert to public ownership. The Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd operated the estate as a retreat center and meeting space until 1988, when ownership of the estate was awarded to the City of Philadelphia in a lawsuit. Today the Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Glen Foerd, administers the property in coordination with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation.
Bibliography : "Glen Foerd History." Accessed September 28, 2011. http://www.glenfoerd.org
From the guide to the Lutheran Center at Glen Foerd records, 1963-1985, (Glen Foerd on the Delaware)
