Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center

This property came to be a part of Saint Joseph’s University in 2012 but has an interesting history with ownership ranging from indigenous peoples to Quakers to the Catholic Church. The building that still stands today was initially built almost 150 years ago in 1882. The building currently serves as the headquarters for campus tours, making it the first impression prospective students and family have of Saint Joe’s. The building also currently serves as the home of several works of art from the David L. Wolfe ‘60 Art Collection.

The land where the current Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center stands was originally the hunting ground of the indigenous Lenape tribe to which they referred to as “The Grove of Tall Pines”. In 1682, the land was sold by William Penn to a group of Welsh Quakers, marking the beginning of the land’s Quaker history. In 1882, the beautiful Victorian Goth style mansion that stands today was designed by a notable Quaker Architect named Addison Hutton for the prominent Quaker Scull family. The Scull family is known for their work with women’s higher education through the founding of Bryn Mawr College. When hard financial times came, the Scull family was forced to sell their elegant home to Richard J. Seltzer in 1920. Shortly thereafter in 1935, the 16-room home was purchased for about $117,000 for Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, one of the Archbishops of Philadelphia. Cardinal Dougherty was one of the six archbishops who would reside in the mansion after previously residing in the building that is now the Loyola Center. He was a prominent religious leader in Philadelphia who was passionate about expanding Catholic education. During his life, he built 7 new diocesan high schools and 120 parish schools, expanded the St. Charles Seminary, and encouraged the building of numerous schools and colleges by religious orders. The residence of the archbishops in this home contributed to making this area a center of Catholic institutions along with the Sisters of the Visitation convent, the St. Charles seminary and Saint Joseph’s University. 

In 2012, the 9 acre property sold to Saint Joseph’s University for roughly $10 million due to some financial problems of the archbishops and Catholic church as a whole. This property was sold along with other properties, including a summer vacation home for retired priests, the Holy Family Center in Philadelphia, and the Mary Immaculate Center in Northampton, Pennsylvania. Upon selling the property, archdiocesan officials stated that the proceeds from the sale would help struggling inner-city parishes. Once the building officially became property of St. Joe’s, it became the Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center, named after Eustace Wolfington ‘56 and James J. Maguire ’58 in recognition of their generous donations. These men met as undergraduates at St. Joe’s and became business partners in the car leasing and insurance business. In 2015, the university named the campus where The Welcome Center is located the “Marcy Dugan Wolfington Campus” in honor of Marcy Dugan, wife of Eustace Wolfington, and her devotion to her faith and family.

The Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center consists of a first floor of reception space and an area to relax for any students or guests. It also works as a meeting spot for before or after campus tours. The first floor has a spacious presentation area and a conference room full of windows to allow for natural light. The top floors include the offices of admission counselors, student financial services, and enrollment systems and analytics. The building itself serves as a first impression for incoming students and families and aids in tying the Jesuit campus into its religious background of being the prior Cardinal’s Residence. The building is also home to an art collection donated by David Wolfe ‘60 and consists of various 20th century American and European works of art created by Andy Warhol, Christo, Josef Albers, Niki de Saint Phalle, Alexander Lieberman, Edward Ruscha and Victor Vasarely. The modern art showcases movements such as Pop Art, Op Art, Dada, Social Realism, Photo Realism and COBRA, a European art movement formed by a group in 1948 by artists from Copenhagen (Co), Brussels (Br) and Amsterdam (A). Because of the art collection being housed in the welcome center, the building also serves as a place for fine arts and service-learning classes to view and study the art gallery.

Today, the previous Cardinal owned property continues to be a part of the religious and educational foundation of Philadelphia with its connection to the Jesuit campus of Saint Joseph’s University. The Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center will continue to represent the culture and diversity of Saint Joseph’s University and hold a significant role as the first impression to students, families, and faculty as the university merges with University of the Sciences in the Fall of 2022.

Croce, Carmen R. "The Art Collection" SJU Magazine, Fall 2015, pg 17.

Croce, Carmen R. "5800 City Avenue: A History" SJU Magazine, Fall 2015, pg 16.

Gambino, M. (2012, January 14). Philadelphia Archbishop's Residence For Sale. Arlington Catholic Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.catholicherald.com/article/local/philadelphia-archbishops-residence-for-sale/ 

Harty, Molly Crossan. "Welcome Center Emerges as Historic Jewel" SJU Magazine, Fall 2015, pg 12-17.

“In Memory” SJU Magazine, Summer 2016, pg 34.

"Jesuit university to buy Philadelphia archbishop's residence." Catholic News Agency [Philadelphia], 7 Sept. 2012. Catholic News Agency

M.McShea. “Chateau Chaput - Philadelphia -16 Room Cottage to Be Sold.” Chateau Chaput - Philadelphia -16 Room Cottage to Be Sold, 22 Aug. 2012, http://thisculturalchristian.blogspot.com/2012/08/chateau-chaput-philadelphia-16-room.html. 

“Saint Joseph's University Virtual Tour.” Saint Joseph's University Tour, https://sju.university-tour.com/campus-map#Maguire%20Wolfington%20Welcome%20Center. 

Shank, Patrick. “Cardinal Dougherty and His Golden Jubilee.” Catholic Historical Research Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 2 June 2020, https://chrc-phila.org/dougherty-jubilee/. 

Vivaldi, Carolyn. "A Tale of Two Friends" SJU Magazine, Fall 2015, pg 15.