The Playhouse was given to Josephine on her seventh birthday in 1930 by her grandmother Clara Ford. Architect Robert O. Derrick designed it to complement the other buildings on the estate. Its roof gables feature decorative bas-relief sculptures by famed De sculptor Corrado Parducci depicting children's nursery rhymes. Inside, it had electricity, heat, and running water, and everything was constructed at around two-thirds scale. Its details and scale made it a perfect place to host tea parties and practice social graces.