Interior view of the house with portrait

photo by: Ron Blunt

Historic Sites

Cliveden

A Distinctive Destination
  • Constructed: 1767
  • Address: 6401 Germantown Ave
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19119
  • Hours
    Thursday–Sunday
    12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
  • Phone 215-848-1777

Visit Cliveden

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Located in the Historic Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Cliveden is a National Trust Historic Site. Built as a country house for elite attorney Benjamin Chew and his family, Cliveden was completed in 1767 and was home to seven generations of the Chew family.

Cliveden has long been famous as the site of the Revolutionary Battle of Germantown in 1777, as well as for its historic Georgian architecture. New research is unearthing a more complicated history at Cliveden, which involves layers of significance, including the lives of those who were enslaved and in service to the Chew family at Cliveden and their other properties in the Mid-Atlantic region.

This information broadens the meaning of Cliveden as a preserved historic place, acknowledging difficult narratives in American history and exploring themes and stories of American race, identity and freedom.

In 1972, the Chew family transferred ownership of Cliveden, its remaining 5.5 acres of parkland, and its collection of artifacts to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Cliveden is closed January through March.

Exterior view of a stone house with two floors and an entry way with three stairs leading up to it. There is a statue in the foreground along with interpretive signage.

photo by: Cliveden

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