"The Lawrence Mansion"

An 1840s era plantation on the outskirts of Seaford, Delaware, sadly no longer standing,

but remembered here in this pen and ink by Ellen Rice

"The Lawrence Mansion," Seaford, Delaware, ​an original pen & ink by Ellen Rice,

part of the artist's recording of her "Favorite Seaford Scenes"

Prints are available in two sizes

"Lawrence"

The historic Lawrence Mansion was located on the outskirts of Seaford, Delaware, near the artist's home, It was a three-story, temple-front Greek Revival home built around 1840. Ellen, asked to come view a painting the then owner wanted to have restored, was given a private tour in the 1980s.

"It was beautiful, but the owner pointed out how the floors sloped and windows needed rebuilding. I was asked to watch my step as we went toward the back of the mansion. There was a drop from the front section to the back portion, built in different eras. There were termites in the columns. It was clear that it needed extensive repairs and restoration, though the interior at surface level was beautiful, decorated with period furniture."

Lawrence's front featured a pediment supported by four square columns, floor-length parlor windows, and intact original hardware and flooring. The home was originally built for Charles Wright, a prominent local tradesman and shipper.

It was a name familiar to the artist, who at the time worked in a large warehouse-like newspaper office and printing building situated by the waterfront. At one time it was part of Wright's shipping business on the Nanticoke River.

Lawrence was surveyed by state historical preservationists and was documented to be in excellent condition in 1977, but the historic mansion was demolished in 2015 by its private owners amid high maintenance costs and a lack of local historic preservation protections.

The demolition was primarily to preserve the owners' ability to sell the land as a high-value commercial parcel. Just before the demolition, the owners successfully had the five-acre property annexed into the city limits of Seaford. They had listed the land on the market for $995,000.

Local preservationists had formed an alliance (Lawrence Investors LLC) and offered a lower bid of $650,000 to save the structure. However, the owners feared that if the activists successfully placed a historic designation or legal easement on the home, it would permanently restrict how the land could be developed. They chose to clear the site to protect its commercial development potential.

Following the teardown, the vacant property along Bridgeville Highway (Route 13A) was split and positioned for commercial development. Parts of the surrounding tract have been marketed as prime commercial lots for Seaford's expanding business district.

What a loss of such a significant piece of Southern Delaware's history. The memory of Lawrence the way it was as late as the 1980s is kept alive in this pen and ink by Ellen Rice.