Haverford's Dolobran Estate To Be Auctioned

After years on the market, a piece of Lower Merion history will soon be auctioned off. Dolobran, the 19-room Haverford estate designed by acclaimed American architect Frank Furness, will go up for auction on Oct. 6. 

Bidding for the estate, located at 231 Laurel Lane in the Lower Merion section of Haverford, will begin at $750,000, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Dolobran was built by Furness and partner Allan Evans in 1881, with modifications and expansions continuing until 1895, according to the Lower Merion Historical Society. The original owner of the property was Clement Griscom, a shipbuilder and prominent businessman, who named the estate after a family name in Wales.

The Victorian Gothic revival estate features a large ballroom, and is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

In Philadelphia Business Journal's interview about the property with Gary Geston, a historic home specialist, Getson said:

You are buying a continuum of history. ... “Most people who are in this niche see it as an experience. They are buying a lot of intangibles like a work of art.”

These buyers, for example, get excited about moldings and nine-over-nine window panes that may have names from a bygone era etched in them.

Watch a WHYY video about the mansion here.

Read the full Philadelphia Business Journal article here.

Take a look at the YouTube video above for a look inside the estate.