Religious Organization Keeps Gladwyne Landmark, an ‘Extravaganza on a Hill’

The International Peace Mission Movement, a religious organization associated with the late Father Divine and his ministries, sold a 133-year-old Broad Street mansion while keeping the Woodmont mansion in Gladwyne, writes Kevin Riordan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Gladwyne property, a part of Father Divine’s significant real estate portfolio in the Philadelphia region, is described to be “a French Second Empire extravaganza on a hill” by Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The Woodmont mansion is a National Historic Landmark set on 73 acres. It was once used as a country home by Father Divine and his wife, Mother Divine. Today, it is open to the public during spring and summer months and serves as a house of worship for the order’s members.

The property is in an excellent state, just as was the Broad Street mansion sold in a Thursday auction.

“The very fact that 1430 N. Broad has survived is a testament to the movement’s stewardship” of its real estate, said Steinke.

Father Divine, a charismatic Black clergyman, founded an integrated movement that promoted integration in public accommodations.

Read more about Woodmont in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Check out the Woodmont mansion.