Father Divine’s Peace Mission is auctioning off another notable property in North Philadelphia’s mansion district, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The historic 35,000-square-foot Disston House located at 1530 N. 16th Street is one of the few surviving mansions in the neighborhood that was home to the city’s manufacturing tycoons in the late 19th century.

“It’s a mansion in a neighborhood where people don’t really live in mansions anymore and haven’t in decades,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

This stunning residence will be the second historic mansion in North Philly built in the late 1800s to be sold by the International Peace Mission Movement in just over a year. The religious organization was founded by a charismatic civil rights leader who claimed he was God and was called Father Divine by his followers.

The Disston House is part of the North Broad Street Mansion District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house itself has been listed on Philadelphia’s historic register since 1971, which protects it from demolition.

Notable features include marble floors, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted mural ceilings, and an auditorium.

“It’s truly a marvel,” said auctioneer Alan B. LeCoff. “It’s gonna sell. It’s just a matter of how much it’s going to sell for.”

Read more about the North Philly mansion up for auction in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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