Ravenhill was the mansion of William Weightman

William Weightman

William Weightman I was a chemical manufacturer and one of the largest landowners in the United States.-Biography:...

 in Philadelphia. It was designed by Willis Gaylord Hale.

History

At his death in 1904, the Ravenhill Mansion passed on to Anne Weightman

Anne Weightman

Anne Weightman Walker Penfield , was a philanthropist, and one of the richest women in world.-Biography:She was born in 1884 to William Weightman....

 who gave the estate to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1910. Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty

Dennis Joseph Dougherty

Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was created a cardinal in 1921.-Early life and education:...

 of the Archdiocese would go on to grant the Mansion to the Religious of the Assumption

Religious of the Assumption

The Religious of the Assumption were founded by Saint Marie Eugénie Milleret in Paris in 1839. Her vision was of transforming society through education...

. They opened a private girl's school there and named it Ravenhill Academy — best known for its most famous attendee: Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...

. In 1982, the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, today known as Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University, founded in 1884, is a private university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Philadelphia University's student body consists of about 3,500 individuals from all 50 states and over 50 countries...

, purchased Ravenhill Mansion and the school along with its surrounding 27 acres.