CBS Sunday Morning's annual design episode comes to Philadelphia May 17
CBS News Sunday Morning hits the road to Philadelphia for its annual "By Design" show airing this Sunday, May 17. The famed Ardrossan Estate, a Gilded Age mansion in Villanova, will be on full display along with other aspects of Philadelphia culture and design.
Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley anchors the show from the Ardrossan Estate, which is perched on the Main Line and later visits the nearby Chanticleer Garden. CBS News Philadelphia caught up with Pauley and the crew while they were recording the episode earlier this month.
On a picturesque day in May, it looked like the set of a movie with CBS Sunday Morning's crew in place under tents, screens, lights, cameras, and a 38,000 square foot mansion in the background. It wasn't a movie, but it inspired one: "The Philadelphia Story" in 1940 and Katharine Hepburn played Hope Scott, one of the daughters who lived in the home and was a well-known socialite and philanthropist.
CBS News Philadelphia met Joan Mackie, who is Hope Scott's niece and one of the current owners of Ardrossan. Mackie said she was thrilled when CBS Sunday Morning selected Ardrossan for their design episode. In years past, the special episode has showcased locations all over the world, including Florence, London, Amsterdam, New Orleans, The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, Hearst Castle in California, and The Biltmore in North Carolina.
Pauley told CBS News Philadelphia, "You want to find a location that has many dimensions of design and Philadelphia has the history, obviously, the 250th birthday of the United States."
Mackie says except for one painting, every piece of furniture, design element and décor is the same as it was in 1913.
"Everything is still in it from the time of my grandmother," she said.
The property is now used for family functions and parties and can be rented by the public for events and tours.
"I love this property, it's very special. It's a house filled with children and life and still is in its own way," Mackie said.
The CBS News Sunday Morning "By Design" edition will be broadcast Sunday, May 17 (9 a.m. ET) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+. Along with the Ardrossan Estate, the show looks back at the design legacy of influential 19th-century Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and features other aspects of Philly culture, including hoagies, soft pretzels and cheesesteaks.
