Demolition permit issued for Lewisburg's historic Slifer House, preservation fight intensifies
A demolition permit has pushed the Slifer House fight into a critical phase, forcing preservationists in Union County to race the clock before the 1861 mansion can be lost.
The demolition permit for Lewisburg’s Slifer House has moved the preservation fight into its most urgent phase, narrowing the window for anyone hoping to save the 165-year-old Victorian mansion at 80 Magnolia Drive in Kelly Township.
The house, built in 1861 for Eli Slifer, is far more than a local landmark. It was designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, later became known as the Administration Building-Evangelical Home, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 under reference number 75001668. Over time, it served as a home, orphanage, elder-care facility, community hospital and museum before the museum reportedly closed in 2022.
That history is why the permit has drawn such strong opposition across Union County. Slifer, born May 23, 1818, served as Pennsylvania secretary of the commonwealth under Governor Andrew Curtin beginning in 1861 and played a role in mobilizing the state’s Civil War effort. For preservation advocates, the issue is not simply a property dispute. It is about whether a building tied to that era, and to the county’s historic identity, can still be spared from irreversible loss.
The permit changes the stakes immediately. It does not mean demolition has started, but it does mean the fight has shifted from warning that the house could be endangered to racing against the next procedural step. Preservation supporters have already been fundraising through Save the Historic Slifer House, and residents later worked to form the Eli Slifer Foundation as a nonprofit vehicle for grants and long-term preservation efforts.
RiverWoods, the owner, has said demolition remained a strong possibility, even as it left room for alternative paths forward. Aaron Barth, RiverWoods’ executive director, had previously described demolition as a strong possibility while saying other options could still be considered. Union County commissioners had also planned to send a letter opposing demolition, signaling that the concern had already reached county government before the permit was issued.
The new permit has made the next steps clearer and more consequential. Supporters of the Slifer House are now looking for any pause, compromise or financing plan that could preserve the building before the machinery arrives. If those efforts fail, the loss would be permanent, taking with it one of the county’s clearest links to its Civil War-era past.
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