The Moore-Irwin House
The Moore-Irwin house is a building owned by Upper Merion Township. This historic building that is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places AND has been chosen as one of four buildings in the State of Pennsylvania to be considered “At Risk” of being lost forever. The PA At Risk list highlights endangered historic properties across the commonwealth to raise public awareness, encourage local advocacy, and spur preservation action.
The Moore-Irwin House is a multipart mansion is surrounded by the beautiful Silas Burgess Arboretum and Trout Creek. Due to deferred maintenance and neglect, the state of this significant historic building continues to decline. However, according to experts, it is not beyond saving and significant grant funding is available to accomplish the restoration. It is probable that with grant funding, the restoration of the building would not be a great cost to the township. Once the building is restored, a vendor has expressed keen interest in using the building and would provide an income for future maintenance and expenses.
The house is thought to have begun as a log dwelling built in the mid-1700s by John and Jane Moore. In this early form, it was used as General Muhlenberg’s quarters during the Valley Forge encampment 1777-78, and was visited by George Washington and Gouverneur Morris while the two were on break from the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia. Around 1810 and again in 1820, Richard Moore (John and Jane’s son) added stone additions on the house. The house remained in this configuration until it was purchased in 1918 by wealthy Philadelphian Alexander D. Irwin to use as his country home in the summer. “Winter Quarters Farm,” as it was then known, was remodeled and expanded three more times by Irwin, the last two being designed by famed Colonial Revival architect Richardson Brognard Okie in 1932 and 1944-46. It is these Okie additions that make the house eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The original Okie plans for the Moore-Irwin House are archived by the State of Pennsylvania. The King of Prussia Historical Society has obtained copies and has determined that much of the original Okie construction hallmarks survive today.
After most of the land around the house was sold to developers in the 1950s, the house became the Upper Merion Cultural Center and was used by the Parks & Rec Department as their headquarters. The house was formally purchased by Upper Merion Township in 1972 for $100,000. Unfortunately, the house had been allowed to fall into disrepair and by the early 1990s the house was left vacant.
The King of Prussia Historical Society has been working diligently on ways to save this unique and beautiful house so that it can once again be used and enjoyed by the citizens of the township. Grant funding sources have been identified, and a vendor would provide positive cash flow for the township.
More In-Depth Information:
History of the House Part 1: The Moores (pdf)
History of the House Part 2: Irwin, Okie and After (pdf)
GoFundMe to pay for professionals to establish the actual age of the oldest part of the house.
April 12, 2024 presentation on the early history of the house: