The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-09
Lyndenhurst,t the Country Home
of John W anamaker,
Was Totally Destroyed by Fire
Last Night.
s. CHRIST ON CALVARY"
And "Christ Before PLATE, "
Famous Paintings, Saved.
Forty Years Accumulation Of
Art Treasures In Ashes.


Philadelphia, Feb. 9.-Lyndenhurst,
the country estate of John Wanamaker,
was DESTROYED by FIRE last night. The
expensive furnishings, with the excep-
ton of probably several thousand dol
lars worth OF paintings, were all ruin
ed Half a dozen fire companies were
powerless because the water supply
was frozen up The loss is about IL
million dollars.
Philadelphia in the winter and the
country estate is in charge of care
taker- The estate covers more than
30 acres on the York road
When it was seen that the building
was doomed efforts were made to save
the many valuable oil paintings in the
art gallery and the costly furniture and
statuary. F1remen and policemen
made their way into the burning build
ing and at great risk of falling glass
and burning emberS pulled many OF the
more valuable paintings from the walls
and carried furniture, statuary, bric-a-
brac, cut glass and art objects from the
house These they piled indiscriminate-
" in the Is inches of snow on the Lyn-
denhaust lawns. Many thousands of
dollars worth of art objects were saved
in this manner Among the paintings
saved We're Munkacsy's Christ Before
Plate" and Christ on Calvary, valued
at u million dollars.
The fire was a spectacular one and
attracted thousands from Jenkintown,
Park and Oaklawn- The glare lit up the
skies for miles and was visible in the
northern parts of Philadelphia. Many
suburbanites, attired in dinner and the
alter clothes, gave up their engagements
and rushed to the fire. They stood in
the snow until the work of destruction
was completed At o'clock the flames
were pouring from every tower and Win
dow. By midnight the place was a
mass of ruins
Though no statement has been Sc
cured from Mr.. Wanamaker as to the
loss, 1t is authoritatfvely stated that 1t
will reach at least $1,500,000- The
house cost S1OO0,OOO and it contained
a collection of furniture bric-a-brac,
tapestry and painting which Mr.. and
Mrs Wanamaker have been forty
years in collecting. Mrs Wanamaker
had been collecting venetian glass for
many years and her collection was re-
garded as one of the finest extant- The
furniture was the most serious loss.
There were fifty rooms in the house
and each room was furnished in dis
tinctive style Of some period in the
worlds history. Many of the furnish
ings were collected from the houses of
royalty and can not be replaced at any
price.
The wanamaker house at Lynden-
hurst was of old English architecture.
1t stood on a hill $50 yards back from
Morgan and Senator Clark, Mr.. Wanna
maker has a great fondness for works
of art His collection of paintings con-
tanned some of the most valuable
works in existence.
Six years ago next May, Meadow
brook, the X million dollar home OF
Thomas B. Wanamaker, son OF
the ex-postmaSter general, was struck
by lightning and fire ensued which
destroyed it. The house was adorned
with valuable paintings and bric-a-
brac Mr. Wanamaker and his family
were at their Philadelphia home at
the time. a woman caretaker and her
child and a man servant, who were
sleeping in the house, narrowly escap-
ed burning to death. The house was
of the colonial style and was built in
1926. In size 1t rivaled a hotel. Its
abutting wings contained scores of
library and picture gallery. The pic
lures in the art gallery were an ire
parable loss. Their approximate wall
ne was 4 million dollars. and several
of the paintings were works of the old
masters. One alone, a Van Dyke of
Charles /, cost Mr.. Wanamaker $43,-
600. There were also many other
splendid specimens OF the Dutch
school. and the modern school OF art
was represented by some of the great
est masters.
Cut From Their Frames.
Philadelphia Pa, Feb. 9.-Former
Postmaster General John Wanamak-
err, whose beautiful country home.
destroyed by fire last night said to-
day he thought that $1,500,000 is
fair estimate of the damage.
The treasures IN the house had
been gathered from all parts of the
world. Among those destroyed was
Mr.. Wanamaker's collection of rare
books, picked up in many countries;
Mrs. Wanamaker's collection of china,
valuable tapestries. rare old French
and English pottery and antique fur
niture which cannot be replaced. Most
of the statuary, sculptured by men
who died centuries ago, was also
ruined.
While many valuable paintings were
destroyed, Mr.. Wanamaker is thank
full that the two great paintings by
Munkacsy, Christ Before PLATE" and
1.-THE Crucifxion," were saved. These
masterpieces were contained in frames
so massive that the paintings had to
be cut from their frames in order to
save them. These pictures alone are
worth $75O,OOO. Mr.. Wanamaker's
famous paintings Breaking Home
Ties" and Bringing Home the Bride
by Hovenden. were not at Lynden-
hurst.