The Art of Gathering

John Pitcairn, Jr. (1841-1916) was a prominent figure in the Pennsylvania oil and railroad industry, and a devout follower and benefactor of the Swedenborgian faith, which gained popularity in Philadelphia in the 1890s. Pitcairn purchased the land that would become the Swedenborgian settlement of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania in 1892. Over the subsequent years the Pitcairns funded the construction of the Gothic style Bryn Athyn Cathedral, as well as constructing three separate estates for respective members of the Pitcairn family.

Built between 1926 and 1928, Cairncrest served as the home of the prominent aviationist Harold Pitcairn (1897-1960), his wife Clara, and their nine children. Harold’s brother Raymond Pitcairn developed the initial construction plans for Cairncrest, where it was adapted by architects Llewellyn R. Price and Wetherill P. Trout. Constructed and decorated in a Gothic revival style, Cairncrest was built to be an aesthetic expression of the Swedenborgian faith. The interior of Cairncrest was designed by the firm of New York designer Anne Renner, who acquired many items in the Gothic revival and Baroque styles for the family. These revival styles were popular in the Northeast at this time, mainly serving as a reflection of religious ideals for many Christian revival groups.

Upon Harold Pitcairn’s death in 1960, the Cairncrest estate was gifted to the Swedenborgian New Church of Jerusalem, where it remains in use today.