The Fountain House is located in the borough of

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton, north of Center City, Philadelphia, southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City. As of the 2020 cen ...

, in the central commercial district. The four-story building is steeped in local history and is a major landmark of the

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

area. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972.

History

The Fountain House was one of seven

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

s in pre-revolutionary Doylestown. It was constructed by William Doyle, the founder of Doylestown. The first part of the building was constructed in 1758. Owned by a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, it was seized by government authorities and sold at auction. Throughout the 19th century, The Fountain House hosted, in addition to a tavern, the first Doylestown post office, and a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

line connecting

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and Easton. The Fountain House was entered into the

in 1972.

Construction

The Fountain House, built primarily in the Victorian style, has gone through a number of changes. * 1758: Original stone structure built * 1830: Third story added * 1849: Two additional structures built on either side * 1876: Gabled Roof replaced with Mansard Roof * 1971: Restored

Current occupants

Currently, The Fountain House hosts several business occupants, primarily the

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

which occupies the entire first floor. Several law offices and apartments are located on the second and third floors. It is a major social gathering location in Doylestown. The town's Christmas Tree is placed in front of the building annually.

References

External links

Living PlacesPhotographic Tour of Bucks County
Doylestown {{DEFAULTSORT:Fountain House, The (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) Houses completed in 1758 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses in Bucks County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania