The Allentown Art Museum’s Society of the Arts is providing the perfect excuse to take a leisurely ride down a country road — the 2012 SOTA Designer Showhouse Gardens.
The three-week event, “Spend a Day in the Country,” kicks off 10 a.m. April 28 and continues through May 20 at Three Chimneys Farm in Springfield Township, Bucks County.
This year’s home is an 1870 Victorian farmhouse situated on 75 scenic acres near Coopersburg.
SOTA has a knack for finding some of the most incredible homes for its major fundraiser, which is held every other year.
Its members search the Lehigh Valley for a home with beautiful features and great potential that can be vacant for about six weeks. Then they invite more than two dozen area interior and landscape designers to transform one room or area. Finally, they open the home to the public — for a fee, of course — to raise funds for the Allentown Art Museum
This year’s showhouse was a sight to behold before designers took over. The three-story stone home features impressive period details, including original wood molding and a fireplace in the kitchen. These are blended with the newly renovated kitchen and baths.
The exterior boasts broad porches set off with ornate gingerbread detailing, a slate roof and large windows with arched cornices and decorative carvings.
The historic home sits on rolling hills overlooking two ponds, a large red bank barn and a gazebo.
The private property, once a working farm, is owned by Bruce and Anne Lawrence of Bethlehem. It has been in Bruce’s family since his parents purchased it in 1965. His mother lived there until she died in 2003.
Now the Lawrences hope to turn it into a country retreat. They love their home in historic Bethlehem, but they look forward to having Three Chimneys Farm for large family gatherings and for a quiet escape — especially when Bethlehem is busy during Musikfest, says Bruce Lawrence, with a smile.
The property had been owned and farmed by several generations of the Weierbach family, beginning in the 1750s. Believed to be among the oldest settlers of Springfield Township, the Weierbachs purchased the land from Conrad Reizley, who purchased it from the family of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn.
The current house was built on the property in 1876 by Zeno W. Weierbach. Built of stone quarried from the farm, it has many architectural features superior to those usually found in farm houses in the day, including many large, deep-silled windows on all sides. Windows in those days were thought to be a high-end feature, says SOTA Showhouse Co-chairman Nancy Ordoski. So many people who built in those days cut costs by putting windows only on the front side, she says.
Zeno Weierbach was a teacher and a farmer. Along with general farming, he raised cattle and hogs, keeping from 70 to 100 dairy cows and beef cattle on the property. He built the largest stone barn in the township. It is the only of several outbuildings that remains.
The barn, which has a long, covered porch with a view of the ponds, will house the SOTA cafe, where you can get sandwiches, salads, wraps and desserts. Also inside will be the SOTA Boutique, filled with items from jewelry and giftware to photography and wreaths. Behind it is SOTA’s Attic, where you can purchase donated, second-hand treasures.
As you enter the home through its large, double-door entry, you walk into a central hallway flanked by a living room and a library. A dramatic staircase features hardwood floors, crafted balusters and a curved handrail.
The focal point in the living room, decorated by Donna Wood of Stonewood Interiors in Emmaus, is a faux fireplace trimmed with an 1860 surround, which Wood found at an antiques store. The fireplace is inviting, framed with carefully selected art and two Victorian-style leather loveseats.
The library, transformed by designer Quentin Eshleman of Beautiful Home in Emmaus, has a global feel, with interesting animal accent pieces.
The Lawrences got a jump on the kitchen transformation before the designer Milou Mackenzie moved in to give it decorative touches. Old cabinets that partially covered two large windows were removed, as was a wall that divided the kitchen from its eat-in area, creating one big room with a full-wall, stone fireplace. Mackenzie’s design details set off the room’s architectural assets and the handsome new cabinetry, granite counters and upscale appliances.
Designers who decorated the upstairs bedrooms took advantage of the home’s abundant large windows, creating bedrooms that were bright and inviting even on a recent misty day.
With his clever use of white, blues and greens, Scott Rothenberger of Scott Rothenberger’s Place in Barto created a master bedroom you’d love to wake up in. Pay close attention to the artwork gracing its walls that are made from his own nature photography. A small Hess’s chandelier adds another touch of elegance.
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