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| Though the
Conference Center opened in 1980, the property
has a long and interesting history. ACE
Conference Center currently occupies about 311
acres of land in Whitemarsh Township,
Pennsylvania, one of the oldest townships in the
Commonwealth. Created in 1704, the Township was
formed largely from land originally purchased
from William Penn in 1693. In late 1777, during
the American Revolution, the British occupied
most of Philadelphia after their success at the
Battle of Germantown (just miles from Whitemarsh).
George Washington moved his troops to the
encampment at Valley Forge (just a few miles to
the west), to wait out the winter. In May, 1778,
the Marquis de Lafayette, by this time a General
in the American Army, was ordered to exercise
his first independent command to engage the
British at Germantown. |
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| He and his men
crossed the Schuylkill River and occupied the
Barren Hill area, placing his cannon on the hill
where ACE Conference Center is now located. The
British were aware of Lafayette’s presence, and
were ordered to attack the Colonist force and
surround them – or so they thought. But the
Redcoats were not aware of Barren Hill Road,
which runs along the back of the property, and
General Lafayette and his troops escaped down
the hill to the river and crossed it to safety.
The surrounding area was renamed Lafayette Hill
in the General’s honor. |
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| Continuing from
the early part of the 17th century, the parcels
of land that comprise the ACE Conference Center
were sold many times. In the 1870’s, most of the
property was purchased by Henry H. Houston, who
is noted for his contribution to the
Pennsylvania Railroad, as well as other
endeavors including ownership of a fleet of
ocean steamers, gold and silver mines in
Colorado, and oil wells in Pennsylvania. In
1925, the Houston Estate sold the property to a
local group who created the Roxborough Country
Club by building a golf course and renovating
the old stone barn into a clubhouse. |
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| In 1945, John
Diemand, the dynamic president of the Insurance
Company of North America (INA), purchased the
Roxborough Country Club with the intention of
providing his employees and their families with
a suitable recreation area outside the city of
Philadelphia. After more renovations to the golf
course and the buildings, the club opened in
1946 and was named “Eagle Lodge Country Club”
because of the connection with INA’s well-known
trademark – the American Bald Eagle. |
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| In 1980, the
Conference Center, which was designed by
renowned architect Edward Durrell Stone, was
completed and opened to serve as a training
center for INA, and later CIGNA, employees.
Concurrently, the property’s golf course was
completely redesigned and rebuilt by famed golf
course architect Rees Jones. It opened for play
in April, 1983, and quickly earned accolades for
its beauty and challenge. It served as the home
of the Philadelphia Section PGA Championship
from 1983 through 1989, and was rated 4 out of 5
stars by Golf Digest. |
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| In 1999, The ACE
Group of Companies, headed by ACE Limited, a
global holding company based in Bermuda and
specializing in insurance, reinsurance and risk
management, purchased the domestic and
international property and casualty business of
CIGNA Corporation (the original INA companies).
Eagle Lodge Conference Center and Country Club,
as the property had been known for many years,
was included in the sale and, shortly thereafter
it was named ACE Conference Center. |
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Though the name was changed, the business mission has remained the same – ACE Conference Center exists to provide outstanding business meeting and event facilities and unmatched service for our clients. To that end, a new master plan was developed for ACE Conference Center to ensure that we continue to achieve our mission. The first phase included the construction of a new Gary Player Signature Design 7,500 yard golf course and a spectacular new clubhouse comprising what is now known as The ACE Club. The club, which opened in September, 2003, is operated separately from the conference center as a corporate-oriented golf facility offering corporate and individual memberships.
A $5 million renovation was completed in 2007 with expanded space, more comfortable surrounds and emergency power back-up. A new heating, ventilating and air conditioning system has been installed to ensure year ‘round comfort, allowing guests to individually control the temperature in their guest rooms. We’ve also added more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space to the conference wing and upgraded our conference amenities with new carpet & lighting, built-in LCD projectors and state-of-the-art sound systems. To ensure that every aspect of your meeting goes off without a hitch, we installed a one million dollar generator that provides back-up power for the entire facility in the event of an emergency. 2008 will bring continued improvements at the ACE Conference Center with expansion of our dining room, public restrooms completed renovated and new mattresses in the guest rooms. We are also stepping up our “green” program with more recycling opportunities throughout the facility. We’re excited about the future of ACE Conference Center and we hope you’ll join us on our journey.
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