The Discovering series, one of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s signature public programs, spotlights the area’s rich architecture, history, and natural beauty through guided tours and lectures, offering Conservancy members discounted tickets. Conservancy members enjoy discounted tickets and exclusive access to special events, fostering deeper connections throughout the Wissahickon watershed. Join today to receive program discounts and help preserve the stories and spaces that define our community. Discovering: Chestnut Hill’s Victorian District Saturday, April 11, 2026 In-Person | 2:00–4:00 PM Registration: $20 for conservancy members | $25 for non-members Limited tickets available. Advance registration is required. The exact walking tour meeting location will be emailed to registrants approximately two days prior to the event. Click here to register. The Chestnut Hill Conservancy invites you to step back into the Gilded Age with Discovering: Victorian Chestnut Hill, a guided walking tour led by local architectural historian, lecturer, and Our Town columnist George McNeely. This in-person tour will explore the “top of the hill” neighborhood, which flourished after the arrival of the first railroad terminus in Chestnut Hill in 1854, kicking off the dramatic transformation of this town. That railroad opened the area to Philadelphia merchants and professionals who sought respite from the congestion and pollution of the city. The next several decades saw an explosion in the planning of new streets across nearby farm fields and the construction of proud suburban “villas” in the Italianate and Gothic Revival styles. Some were designed by Philadelphia’s more important architects, including Samuel Sloan and Theophilus P. Chandler. Many of those houses have survived mostly unchanged, offering a wonderful opportunity to explore the prosperous “top of the hill” neighborhood that was the center of Chestnut Hill before Henry H. Houston and his son-in-law, Dr. George Woodward, developed the West side. “The parade of well-preserved Victorian villas along both sides of Summit Street represents a rare glimpse back into the early decades of the Gilded Age and would make a perfect setting for that television series,” says McNeely. This walking tour will provide insight into the architectural details, urban planning, and historical context that shaped this distinctive neighborhood long before the development of Chestnut Hill’s west side.
FOW's mission is to conserve the natural beauty and wildness of the Wissahickon Valley and stimulate public interest therein.
