After demolition to make way for new homes, the carriage house of the estate home of Pennsylvania railroad magnate Alexander Cassatt was the only thing spared. Now the private residence proudly reflects the estate’s rich history, and the Cheswold Estate’s original carriage house has been transformed into a botanical masterpiece, with emphasis on the outdoors. The home’s interior and exterior were updated. Lansdale’s Hess Landscape Architects restored and renovated the multiple acres surrounding the home. “It was a really fun project to be a part of,” says landscape architect Scott Christie.

The owners have older children, so they envisioned functional outdoor spaces for formal and informal gatherings, with multiple spaces to entertain. “In executing that, they really wanted a congruency of materials throughout the site to marry the historic look of the architecture with the landscape,” says Christie. “Carrying that vernacular through the design was an important thematic consideration for us.” Traditional plant materials were used, along with what Christie describes as “more superior varieties” that have the same historic feel. Wherever possible, mature trees and plantings were saved, further contributing to the graceful ambiance, writes Tara Behan in Main Line Today.

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Upon arrival, visitors pass through three distinct garden spaces as they approach the carriage home’s front entrance: a motor court, a walled formal lawn panel and an enclosed courtyard. The existing wall separating the formal lawn from the courtyard needed minor restoration work, including new detailing and the addition of stone. “The stonework on the house is all original Wissahickon schist, so we selected stone for the wall to match,” Christie says. “That material is much harder to come by now.”

Taking inspiration from distinguished Philadelphia blacksmith artisan Samuel Yellin, the Hess team designed a metal hoop arch above the wall’s opening. “It became an accent piece, creating a visual threshold between leaving the more public space and entering a more private, enclosed courtyard space,” says Christie.

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