Downtown Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Calder ⎯⎯⎯ Olmsted ⎯⎯⎯ McCormick Mansion
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, March 15, 2008
1. The Calder/Olmsted/McCormick Mansion Marker
Inscription.
The Calder, also, Olmsted, also, McCormick Mansion. . The origins of the mansion at 105 N. Front Street can be attributed to William Calder, Jr. (1821-1880), Simon Cameron's business partner, banker and manufacturer. Calder's father had been a preeminent Harrisburg stage coach operator and helped to establish Harrisburg's importance as a transportation center as the nucleus of early route development throughout the U.S. northeast. Calder Jr. was co-founder and president of the Harrisburg Car Works, president of the First National Bank of Harrisburg and was president and director of the Harrisburg Cotton Factory that stood at the current site of the Harrisburg Central YMCA. Calder's original house was a fancy three story stone mansion in the Second Empire style with mansard roof. Following his death, Calder's widow continued to reside at the property until it was sold in 1901 to Marlin E. Olmsted (1847-1913), U.S. Congressman for 16 years and nationally known attorney who had argued many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Olmsted is particularly credited for his success as a tax and corporation attorney, winning cases for large companies and making him highly sought after by corporations throughout the nation. Olmsted converted the house to a palatial Italian Renaissance styled edifice commensurate with the growth of Harrisburg's stature as State Capital. many noted figures dined at this residence including U.S. President Howard Taft. After Olmsted's death, his widow, Gertrude Howard Olmsted, who was known for serving many cultural and humanitarian causes in Harrisburg, in 1925 married former Harrisburg mayor, business leader, U.S. Ambassador and Patriot-News editor Vance McCormick of the Harrisburg McCormick Dynasty. They lived at the home until McCormick died in 1946 and she in 1953. , Top Photo , 1883 engraving of original Calder House prior to the Olmsted renovations. , Bottom Photo , Circa 1910 postcard view of Olmsted house after renovations.
The origins of the mansion at 105 N. Front Street can be attributed to William Calder, Jr. (1821-1880), Simon Cameron's business partner, banker and manufacturer. Calder's father had been a preeminent Harrisburg stage coach operator and helped to establish Harrisburg's importance as a transportation center as the nucleus of early route development throughout the U.S. northeast. Calder Jr. was co-founder and president of the Harrisburg Car Works, president of the First National Bank of Harrisburg and was president and director of the Harrisburg Cotton Factory that stood at the current site of the Harrisburg Central YMCA. Calder's original house was a fancy three story stone mansion in the Second Empire style with mansard roof. Following his death, Calder's widow continued to reside at the property until it was sold in 1901 to Marlin E. Olmsted (1847-1913), U.S. Congressman for 16 years and nationally known attorney who had argued many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Olmsted is particularly credited for his success as a tax and corporation attorney, winning cases for large companies and making him highly sought after by corporations throughout the nation. Olmsted converted the house to a palatial Italian Renaissance styled edifice commensurate with the growth of Harrisburg's stature as State Capital. many noted figures dined at this
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residence including U.S. President Howard Taft. After Olmsted's death, his widow, Gertrude Howard Olmsted, who was known for serving many cultural and humanitarian causes in Harrisburg, in 1925 married former Harrisburg mayor, business leader, U.S. Ambassador and Patriot-News editor Vance McCormick of the Harrisburg McCormick Dynasty. They lived at the home until McCormick died in 1946 and she in 1953. Top Photo
1883 engraving of original Calder House prior to the Olmsted renovations.
Bottom Photo
Circa 1910 postcard view of Olmsted house after renovations.
Erected by The Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.
Location. 40° 15.57′ N, 76° 53.089′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Downtown Harrisburg. It is at the intersection of North Front Street and Locust Street, on the right when traveling south on North Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 N Front St, Harrisburg PA 17101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Also see . . . Marlin Olmsted - Wikipedia. (Submitted on March 17, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 5, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 3,615 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 17, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
