Cliveden (Benjamin Chew House)

Cliveden
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
Location	6401 Germantown Avenue Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	40°02′46″N 75°10′56″W / 40.0461°N 75.1822°W / 40.0461; -75.1822
Area	5.4 acres (2.2 ha)
Built	1767
Built by	Jacob Knorr and John Hesser, among other Germantown craftsmen
Architect	Attributed to William Peters
Architectural style	Georgian Colonial
Part of	Colonial Germantown Historic District (ID66000678)
NRHP reference No.	66000677[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	January 20, 1961
Designated NHLDCP	June 23, 1965

Cliveden (/ˈklɪvdən/ or KLIV-dən), also known as the Chew House, is a historic site owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, located in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia. Built as a country house for attorney Benjamin Chew, Cliveden was completed in 1767 and was home to seven generations of the Chew family. Cliveden has long been famous as the site of the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Germantown in 1777 as well as for its Georgian architecture.

New research is unearthing a more complicated history at Cliveden, which involves layers of significance, including the lives of those who were enslaved and in service to the Chew family. That information broadens the meaning of Cliveden as a preserved historic place, exploring themes and stories of American identity and freedom. Traces of the history of the Cliveden property and its occupants can be found throughout the five-acre (two-hectare) woody landscape.

The Cliveden grounds are open for the community to enjoy as a public park from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, weather permitting. The property includes four buildings, the Main House, Kitchen Dependency, Wash House and Carriage House. Tours of Cliveden are available May through November, from Thursday to Sunday, 12 pm to 4 pm.^[2]