Live History

While The Willings is today a warm and inviting residence, railroad enthusiasts and history buffs would especially appreciate the building's rich history.

Located in magnificent Society Hill overlooking Independence Park, the neighborhood surrounding The Willings is home to the largest concentration of original 18th- and early 19th-century architecture of any area in the United States.

Built in the late 1800s, The Willings was the original headquarters for the Reading Railroad and is located on one of the most historic streets in the district where Thomas Willings mansion (for whom the building is named) once stood. Willings, a Revolutionary War financier, was one of the wealthiest men in the country at the time. He also founded the first private bank in the US.

The Willings shares a scenic courtyard with Old St. Joseph's Church — home to one of the oldest religious communities in Philadelphia — built in 1839.

The Reading Railroad headquarters — today The Willings — in an artist's rendering from 1871