Condition Assessment
and Recommendations

In 1911 Joseph P. Day retained the Architect William Whetten Renwick (nephew of the prominent architect James Renwick, Jr.) to design a new house and gardens. The gardens included two stone summer houses, a water cascade, grottos, arbors, pools, all designed with arts and crafts details. The rustic paths and romantic stonework as well as the colorful tiles from the famous Rookwood Company of Cincinnati, Ohio all make for an idyllic setting. In 1949 the house and gardens were purchased by Peter P. Blanchard, Jr. as a country retreat, the name of the estate was changed to the Greenwoods. The gardens were main­tained and restored by the Blanchards. Most recently the gardens have been put under the care of a new non-profit conservation organization, Greenwood Gardens and are open to the public.

HBA were asked to prepare a conditions assessment and recommendations report for the garden structures. These included the sundial terrace walls, the 1926 and 1925 cottages, the Tea House, the fountain and swimming pool, the old greenhouse, the summer house and reflecting pool. The condition assessment involved a com­prehensive assessment of each of the built elements in the gardens as well as a review and assessment by the structural engineers. Other work included building probes and material analysis of the stucco wall con­struction. The prioritized recommenda­tions have been reviewed by Greenwood Gardens and it is anticipated that the Phase I Restoration Project will commence in 2007. The Gardens are currently being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

www.greenwoodgardens.org

Site plan (Click to enlarge: PDF)

Condition assessment (Click to enlarge: PDF)