Super Bowl Sunday is almost here, and across America, people will soon be preparing their game day spaces: big screens, recliners, snacks, beverages. But what if you lived in 1927, before television and the NFL, before the idea of a “man cave,” where would you retreat to relax and reflect?
For William “Willie” Mercer, that space was his study at Aldie Mansion.
Today, this room is used as a lounge for wedding parties at Aldie, and place where nervous grooms and their groomsmen might gather before ceremonies. There’s a foosball table in there now, but step back nearly a century and you’ll find a space that reflects the artist that built it, and where we think he’d be watching the Super Bowl if he were alive today.
Willie Mercer: The Artist
The limestone fireplace features artwork designed and cast by Willie.
Willie Mercer wasn’t as famous as his older brother, Henry Chapman Mercer, the legendary tile-maker who built Fonthill Castle and the Mercer Museum. But Willie was accomplished in his own right.
He studied sculpture at Harvard (1881-1884), trained under master sculptor Charles Grafly in Philadelphia, and exhibited his work in Paris, Munich, Berlin, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Like Henry, Willie was fascinated by concrete’s sculptural possibilities, but his interests leaned toward Byzantine motifs, German Gothic details, Persian patterns, and classical Mediterranean art.
The Perfect Game Day Room (If There Had Been Games)
Oak ceiling panels with insets designed and cast by Willie Mercer
The study, as well as the rest of the house, was designed by Willing, Sims, and Talbutt, one of the most prolific Philadelphia architectural firms. The design is an example of early Tudor Revival architecture, and the house was completed in 1927.
The study features:
Beamed and planked ceilings. Willie designed and cast the plaster insets himself.
A limestone fireplace adorned with his initials and intricate Byzantine patterns he created.
Random-width oak floors and beautifully paneled dark oak walls
Imagine: A fire crackling in that limestone fireplace. Oak-paneled walls glowing warm. Willie settled into a chair, dogs by his side, surrounded by the artistic details he’d personally crafted.
If the Super Bowl had existed in his lifetime, this is exactly where he’d be watching.
From Willie’s Retreat to First Floor Lounge
Today, wedding parties will gather in this very room before their nuptials here at Aldie Mansion. You can imagine groomsmen adjusting ties and playing foosball on the same floors Willie once walked. The original architectural details remain, a reminder that whether you’re unwinding after a day of creating art or gearing up for your wedding ceremony at Aldie, everyone needs a space to call their own.
Would Willie approve of his study being used this way? We think so. Would he be an Eagles fan? We hope so!