Cabrini mansion now on historic register

The centerpiece of Cabrini College – the Woodcrest Estate Mansion – has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the university announced today.

Designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, it was built more than 100 years ago and much of its 51 rooms remain virtually the same. Most of the interior was restored for the college's 50th anniversary in 2007-08. The college uses the mansion for formal and informal campus events for students and alumni and fine arts concerts. It also houses administrative offices, including the president's office.

The mansion was built between 1901 and 1903 for financial leader James W. Paul Jr., son-in-law of Philadelphia financier Anthony Drexel. In 1925, the Paul family sold it and 120 acres of the estate to John T. Dorrance, inventor of the formula for condensed soup and president of Campbell's Soup Company.

The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1953 purchased the property for use as an orphanage. Four years later, the sisters founded Cabrini College, which used the mansion as its primary academic and residence building during its first decade.