Winterthur recently received a grant to preserve its historic Old Gatehouse. Located on Kennett Pike, south of the main entrance, the building is one of the more prominent and recognizable parts of the estate.
The gatehouse stands by the drive that was the main entrance onto the estate from 1839 to 1961. Ruth du Pont Lord, a daughter of Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont, wrote: “Driving from the railroad station, we would soon reach real country on the other side of the Gatehouse—owl country, fox country—and would speed down the winding mile-long driveway through the enormous woods and up the hill to the house.”
Designed in 1902 by Robeson Lea Perot, a Philadelphia-based architect, the two-story colonial/neoclassical revival building was also the residence for the gatekeeper and his family. Today, the building serves as offices for some of Winterthur’s development staff.
Winterthur requested and received $125,000 for the project and is contributing a matching $125,000. The award was part of $25.7 million in Save America’s Treasures grants from the National Park Service, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The funding supports 58 projects in 26 states, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. Save America’s Treasures requires applicants to match the grant money dollar-for-dollar with nonfederal funding.
The project includes restoring the gatehouse’s iron railing and gate; conserving the historic shutters; painting the exterior of the gatehouse, and more. All work will be completed by the summer of 2025.
At its peak, the Winterthur estate had 12 temperature-controlled greenhouses, a 23-acre orchard, a 5.5-acre vegetable garden, and a 4-acre cutting garden. It also had a butcher shop, sawmill, tannery, post office, train station, and a dairy barn where du Pont bred and raised award-winning Holstein cattle. Ninety-nine cottages housed 250 members of Winterthur’s staff and their families.
Restoring the Old Gatehouse honors its historic heritage and will ensure its stately beauty for years to come, and we are grateful for this grant, which has made it possible.