The Boathouse in
Strathmere
please click images for larger
views
Dr. A.S.W.
Rosenbach was a legend in his own time. Born in Philadelphia in
1876, he became an esteemed collector and was the leading dealer
of rare books and manuscripts for many years. His home on
Delancey Street in Philadelphia is now a museum that houses the
collection of Dr. Rosenbach and his brother Philip - Rosenbach Museum
According to the biography
Rosenbach - he started coming
to Strathmere around 1919. His friend Mrs. Price owned a large
beachfront mansion here as well.The 'Boat House' was built from a
Sears Home prefab Kit, around 1930. But it was no ordinary Sears
home. It was furnished with many pieces of antiques collected by
Rosenbach's brother Philip, complete with large stained glass
windows.
He had 2 boats - First Folio I and First Folio II, which were captained over the years by Captain Maxwell, Chief Petty Officer U.S. Coast Guard Luis P. Carmona, and Captain Muller. Captain Maxwell served as captain for the Dr. the longest time. Mr. Carmona was a Strathmere resident and captain Muller was a retired sea captain (he use to play cards at the Andress' during the Winter months) Dr. Rosenbach spent a great deal of time during the weekends fishing and entertaining houseguests. In July of 1930 he caught a large channel bass that won him a $20 prize in the Field & Stream Bass Class. The fish was mounted and hung for many years in the boathouse. He celebrated his July birthday in Strathmere each year with lavish parties. It is said that during prohibition, Dr. Rosenbach had rum runners deliver liquor to him by the bay, which must have been hard considering the Coast Guard building was right next door. (It was one of the Coast Guard's duties to chase down rumrunners during prohibition)
To the left is an interior view of the Boathouse.
The main room has high cathedral ceilings. The large stained
glass window on the end of the building was from a 15th century Spanish church. It was reported insured for $10,000.00 in the 1940's.
Below is a side
view of the building, again with the large window. Next shows a
photo taken on board of the First Folio II. Standing is an unamed man. Seated is Mrs.
Price, Dr. Rosenbach and Captain Maxwell.
Fact or Strathmere Urban legend? Legend has it that Dr. Rosenbach once tried to buy the famous 'Lucy the Elephant' from her Margate owners. He wanted to move it to Strathmere and set it on the lot next to his house!
Dr. Rosenbach spent many happy Summers in Strathmere until his
death in 1952. Since then the home has had several owners, who
thankfully have preserved the building. It's outside structure
remains pretty much the same, with just minor changes.
Above shows the building when restoration started in the early
Winter of 2002.
The Boat House currently having some restoration done this past
Summer. The current owners have done alot of work on restoring
the building, bringing back many of the former details.
I'm looking for more history on this building,
please email me if you can provide any info or vintage photos.
Postcard and last
color photo are from website collection. Black & white photos
and some history were taken from biography -
Rosenbach
Aerial view from Fred Miller.
Three photos showing the house yellow in 2002 are from Loretta
Panunto.