Set behind a landscaped entrance driveway, this dignified limestone mansion is the headquarters of one of the country's most exclusive social clubs. The residence was built in 1899 for Richard Townsend, the president of the Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad, and his wife, Mary, heiress to the Pennsylvania Railroad fortune. The renowned architectural firm Carrère and Hastings was responsible for the palatial residence appropriate to the Townsend's social position and grand lifestyle. In 1950 the residence was purchased by the Cosmos Club, a social club founded in 1878 for men of distinction in the fields of science, literature and the fine arts.