Levi Deal Mansion

The mansion was built by Levi Deal, a timber and coal baron at the turn of the century. Levi was one of 16 children born in Grove City PA. He commissioned the mansion to be built in 1896 and 4 years later he and his family (wife, 3 daughters and 1 son) moved in. They lived in the mansion for 17 years before returning to Grove City.

What is most notable about the mansion is the architectural style itself, which is Victorian Chateauesque; the last and most opulent of the Victorian era. The Chateauesque style is meant to dominate, and brandish the owner’s wealth and power. This style of home was reserved for the very wealthy and was not often seen in the United States outside of New York’s Park Avenue. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC is the most famous Chateauesque home in the US.

Completed in 1900, the 15-room house featured a ballroom on the top floor, reception hall, parlors, drawing rooms, a dining room, and library all trimmed in light, native hardwoods, including birch, sycamore, oak, and sugar maple. The very latest in kitchen design and technology were included and intended to “make rapid and satisfactory dispatch of work along this line”. It was said that one would never tire of feasting their eyes upon views of the Casselman Valley and Allegheny mountains from “this elegant point of observation”. Finally, the large leaded glass windows, transoms and doors illuminate the rooms with sparkle and magic all throughout the year.