Parlor:

One of the finest remaining examples of Rococo Revival, the room remains almost unchanged since the house was built. The Zuber wallpaper is the original dating from 1853. The furniture is hand carved rosewood from France. Mantles throughout the house are Carrara marble. The marbleized cypress baseboards are hand painted to match the mantles. The bronze gasoliers throughout the house were made by Cornelius and Baker in Philadelphia. Lansdowne had its own coal-fired illuminating gas plant. The house was wired for electricity in 1940.

 

Dining Room:

Double sliding doors connect the parlor and the dining room. The dining room is presided over by portraits of the builder, George M. Marshall and his father Levin R. Marshall, painted by Louis Bahin. The two large sideboards display the large collection of family silver. According to family legend, the Marshalls’ butler buried the silver under the parlor to save it from Union soldiers.

 

Hall:

The hall is 65 feet long and has ceilings 14 feet high. Family portraits and other artwork line the walls of the hall which is used to day as a family living room. Six rooms including the parlor, dining room, butler’s pantry and three bedrooms all open into the hall.

 

Front Bedroom:

The front bedroom was originally the master bedroom and features rosewood furniture made by Mallard. The large canopy bed was designed for mosquito netting which was attached to brass rings and rods around the canopy. The netting was pulled forward at night by a silken cord and draped over posts at the foot of the bed which extend upward telescopically. The front bedroom and parlor have jib doors beneath the windows which can be opened providing access to the front gallery.

 

Middle Bedroom:

This room was originally intended to be a library. However, the family became impatient to finish the house and decided to make it a one story house instead of two story, hoping to add the second story later. Thus some of the downstairs rooms had to be converted to bedrooms. This room features a mahogany “clover leaf” bed made in New Orleans by Signoret.

 

Butler's Pantry:

Food was cooked in the kitchen which was separate from the house, and was then brought into the Butler’s Pantry for serving into the adjacent dining room. The Pantry has the original cabinetry featuring “faux grois” or false grain. The cypress was hand painted to look like oak grain. This room had been converted into a kitchen.