Members of the East Torresdale Civic Association wanted details about the Glen Foerd estate’s rumored plans for building a new State Road entrance. During the monthly ETCA meeting on March 14, neighborhood residents learned about that and many more new initiatives at Glen Foerd.
Meg Sharp Walton, the executive director of the Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation, reported on a diverse array of projects, both in progress and planned, at the city-owned historic estate.
Indeed, Sharp’s organization would like to improve visitor access to the site, which could include a new State Road driveway. The 18-acre property has street frontage along State Road and Grant Avenue. But under the existing traffic configuration and due to one-way streets, vehicles may only access the estate via Fitler and Milnor streets.
Creating a driveway from State Road could reduce or eliminate visitor traffic on nearby residential streets. A new marked entrance could also improve public awareness of the site.
However, the intersection of State Road and Grant Avenue is already busy and may not be suitable for an entrance. In the past, traffic engineers have rejected the idea. But with the recent addition of a left turn lane at the intersection, a new Glen Foerd entrance may be feasible, Walton said. There is no timetable for any specific proposals.
In the meantime, the estate is planning to erect a security fence along State Road, Walton said. Last year, thieves entered the site at night and stole the metal rainspouts from outlying buildings. Walton and her staff are also concerned about nighttime trespassers and vandals, although the property is open to the public throughout the daytime.
The city has agreed to allow an eight-foot fence that reflects the historic nature of the property. Walton said they want to install a decorative fence similar to the one that surrounds the Union League Golf Course at Torresdale.
“That’s coming soon, I hope,” she said.
This is not to say that neighbors should not expect to see legitimate nighttime activity on the property. For example, two new tenants now occupy the estate’s carriage house. A non-profit kit boat builder is using one of the spaces. Meanwhile, a second space is now the workshop of a “tiny house” builder, Walton said. He works elsewhere during the day and works at Glen Foerd at night. The site director still encourages neighbors to call police if they see any suspicious activity at Glen Foerd at night.
In addition, Walton said she has been in contact with the William Penn Foundation about creating environmental education programming on the site. On April 1, she will host a tour with City Councilman Bobby Henon, state Rep. Mike Driscoll and city parks and recreation officials, hoping that they will help Glen Foerd obtain additional public funding.
Glen Foerd has two new “artists in residence” who are working on indoor and outdoor art installations that will be unveiled later this year. The estate identified the artists through an application process administered by the Center for Emerging Artists.
The estate’s regular tours will resume on April 9 and will feature tours of the ongoing stained glass laylight restoration project inside the mansion. The restoration should be complete in May and will include restored plaster trim as well as new wiring.
In the future, Walton’s organization hopes to restore the estate’s Garden House. It originally served as a potting shed and storage building accessory to a greenhouse. But after the Foerderer family removed the greenhouse from the property, the building became a playhouse for their children. The conservation corporation is working with the Community Design Collaborative and a community task force to restore the Garden House to its prior condition based on old photos. They also hope to develop public programming for that area of the estate.
The second annual Jazz Age on the Delaware is scheduled for Glen Foerd on July 30. For information, visit www.jazzageonthedelaware.com.
In unrelated business:
• ETCA board member Adelaide Martin invited the public to attend Meet the Candidates Night at the Delaire Landing clubhouse, 9355 State Road, on April 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• ETCA Vice President William Kennedy reported that state Senate candidates John Sabatina and Kevin Boyle have been invited to speak at the next civic association meeting on Monday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at Liberty Evangelical Free Church, Linden Avenue and Milnor Street. Sabatina and Boyle face each other in the Democratic primary for the 5th Senatorial District. ••
