If this Italianate brownstone mansion were close to Penn, it would be a frat house. Instead, it remains Bergdoll Mansion with 14,000 square feet of "European Estate" living, according to Sotheby's, whose copywriter has perhaps not been to 22nd and Green of late. Not to be confused with disgraced Sen. Vince Fumo's Green Street mansion, the Bergdoll has a history that's far more colorful. Beer heir Grover Cleveland Bergdoll was an early aviator and playboy who dodged the draft during World War I by hiding in the mansion—that's how big it is. His later exploits included biting the thumb off of a man who kidnapped him while he was on the run in Germany, which for some reason earned him the nickname the Fighting Slacker, even though this was way before the ’90s.
The mansion features eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two cook's kitchens, carved mahogany woodwork, what seems to be a mini Alhambra room, hand-painted ceilings, multiple fireplaces, a terrace that would be right at home in Visconti's Leopard, frescoes and mosaics and more. Everything (heating, air conditioning, dishwashing, etc.) is contemporary in terms of comfort, so you can bring your Kinect and not feel like you're desecrating the place.
2201-5 GREEN ST [PhillyLiving]
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