The Stoneleigh mansion and 42 acres of beauty in Lower Merion Township will soon be home to a public garden protected by the Natural Lands Trust.

Stoneleigh, a Haas family legacy since 1934, has been gifted to the 60-year-old regional conservation organization for the benefit of the community. Initial plans include the occupation of the mansion by the Organ Historical Society and the restoration of the Stoneleigh grounds with native plants.

“The decision was made by my father and mother,” David Haas said in a Philadelphia Business Journal report by Natalie Kostelni, “and we helped with the process of executing on what they wanted. We have given it a lot of thought as to how best to do that, and Natural Lands Trust was a no-brainer.”

The family had previous worked with the Natural Lands Trust on a 1996 conservation easement for the Stoneleigh property, which sits at 330 N. Spring Mill Road along the northeastern edge of Villanova University.

Read more about the history behind the estate and what it is to become in the Philadelphia Business Journal here.