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"The architectural
sophistication of the seven-part Palladian plan, the use of
ashlar masonry in contrasting colors, the quality of carved
stone... all combine to make the Meason Mansion one of the
premier examples of a Colonial Period Palladian house in
America."
- Dan Deibler, Pennsylvania
Historical Museum Commission
The
Meason Mansion was designed by Adam Wilson, an expert English
architect and stonemason, who was brought to America by Meason
in the late 1700s. It took colonial artisans more than
four years to erect the elaborate estate that holds its place in
the first rank of early American architecture.
Created
entirely of hand-cut stone carved out of the vast wilderness, it
is the only Colonial-style, seven-part Palladian structure in
the U.S. today. The symmetrical design incorporates a main
block with hyphened end pavilions and flanking dependencies all
coursed in orange/brown ashlar sandstone.
The
composition is enhanced with fine carved detailing in
contrasting gray limestone, including corner quoins, rusticated
voussoirs and delicately carved stone garlands and rinceau.
The delicacy of design and execution of the carved stone
pediment and raised ornamentation is truly remarkable.
With
carefully cut stone on all its surfaces, the principal fronts
are jointed with the precision that would justify the pride of a
world-class continental mason on a royal palace or majestic
cathedral. The workmanship is considered to be the best in
America at that time. The care and expense was beyond the
imagination of all but a handful of citizens of the United
States.
The
Mansion measures an impressive 113' long, 37' wide and nearly
50' high. It features a gable roof with central pediment
and lunette, six-over-six double-hung sash windows and a central
portal with ionic columns and decorated fanlight window as well
as a rectangular signature stone that reads "ISAAC MEASON
AED.A.DOM 1802" above the entrance.
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