It’s that time again — fall lecture series at Lower Merion Conservancy

For sale, French-chateau-style "Bloomfield" by Horace Trumbauer, all 14 bedrooms of it

Year after year the Lower Merion Conservancy does great preservation work and offers a tremendously entertaining, informative and inspirational lecture series featuring savvy speakers and intriguing topics.  

Haven’t attended yet?  You don’t know what you’re missing!  Find one you fancy below and sign up.  (Just  call 610/645-9030 or email programs@dragonfly.org and tell them which lecture(s) you want along with the # of tickets and your contact info)    

“The Architecture of Horace Trumbauer: A Book Signing Event”

Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. $20 per ticket, includes wine & cheese reception, “Bloomfield,” 200 Ithan Ave., Bryn Mawr

In the great ballroom of a great Trumbauer mansion, enjoy an illustrated presentation by Rachel Hildebrandt author of  “The Philadelphia-Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer.”  Best known for Ardrossan, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the Philadelphia Free Library and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Trumbauer was a master at interpreting the classical styles for a wide range of residential, commercial and civic buildings.

Bloomfield is one of the last remaining grand country estates on the Main Line. A gated private enclave of over six acres, it features charming courtyards and walkways, glorious terraces, majestic fountains, a reflecting pond, stately mature trees and enchanting gardens designed by the Olmsted Brothers. The French Chateauesque residence has been meticulously restored and includes 14 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and three powder rooms. Within the grounds is an outdoor swimming pool and charming open-air pavilion.

Guests are invited to walk through Bloomfield, which is now for sale.

“Houses Built by Love: A Walking Tour of English Village”

Sunday, Oct. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. $20 per ticket, includes wine & cheese reception, Tour begins at 619 Loves Lane, Wynnewood

Walk with the Conservancy through the picturesque, charming and historic English Village, created by architect Arthur S. Love and his builder, brother Donald, in the mid-1920s. Arthur modeled the design and layout of this compact Tudor-style neighborhood on an English town he had greatly admired, creating a village with narrow winding streets and architectural features and distinctive materials that evoke “old England.” Each of the homes has a different story to tell.  Find out which was built without a kitchen for a third Love brother who never cooked and which features paneling originally salvaged from a fabulous mansion.  You’ll be welcomed into several homes and finish the evening with a wine-and-cheese reception hosted by English Village homeowners.

Architectural historian Dr. Kathleen Abplanalp guides tourgoers. Several neighbors are working with Abplanalp and the Conservancy to consider designating this hidden treasure a local historic district.

“The Great Houses Tour”

Sunday, Oct. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. $35 per ticket. This self-guided tour begins at the Shipley School’s Beechwood House, Montgomery Avenue and Roberts Road, Bryn Mawr.

You will visit five great houses ranging in style from Georgian Revival to Tudor to Colonial Revival, lovingly restored and renovated with today’s conveniences. Owners have graciously allowed the Conservancy into their homes for this special afternoon, hosted by the architects responsible for the restorations and discussing their work as you tour. Here is a sampling of what you will see:  

A Walter Durham home in Penn Valley, built in the firm’s classic stone farmhouse style, was renovated and extensively updated by Shep Houston Architect with detailing, executed in the Durham style that seamlessly integrates new with original construction.

Agoos/Lovera Architects won Lower Merion’s preservation award in 2009 for its renovation and compatible expansion of a beautiful Villanova carriage house included on this tour.

The extensive and highly detailed renovation by Archer & Buchanan Architecture of a William Lightfoot Price house in Haverford features fabulously restored windows and woodwork created by Rose Valley artisans.

Hanson General Contracting created the modern connection that transformed two 19th-century creekside cottages into one fabulous residence.

Your tour will begin at Addison Hutton’s 1877 Sylvula, the home now known as Beechwood, saved and renovated for the Shipley School by Frens and Frens Restoration Architects.

“Mills and Milestones: Additions to the Architectural Hall of Fame”

Sunday, Nov. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. $20 per ticket including dessert buffet, “Tayr Pont,” 760 Mill Creek Road, Gladwyne

Tayr Pont began as a paper mill by John Roberts III circa 1758 and continued to operate until the devastating flood of 1894. The mill and Tayr Pont next door now serve as single-family residences and are the only mill and miller’s-house buildings remaining in the township.  A special “Hall of Fame” ceremony will take place here, followed by a venture to the Evan Jones Mill. Parking is available on the meadow next to Tayr Pont; pull into its driveway.

While I have your attention, check out the Lower Merion Conservancy’s 2009 Watch List, bringing attention to the plight of endangered rare and significant area properties.  What can you do to help?  Write a letter?  Make a contribution?  Make a call?  Share an idea?