Starting in 1906, Philadelphia-based architects Walter Mellor and Arthur Ingersoll Meigs joined forces in a partnership that would ultimately produce some of the most exceptional homes in Main Line history. So it was hardly a surprise when A.P. Scull, heir to the Phoenix Iron & Steel Co. fortune, tapped the same dynamic duo to design a magnificent French country estate for his family on 35 acres in Phoenixville.
Mellor and Meigs didn’t disappoint. Built in 1929, the home is a prime example of their exacting craftsmanship. In his 2004 book, The Main Line: Country Houses 1870-1930, William Morrison notes that the two designers were “greatly esteemed for their country house designs,” not to mention their instrumental role in “introducing the French Norman and English Cotswold styles to American residential architecture.”
Similar to the Glenbrook estate in Haverford, which the pair designed 14 years prior, the Phoenixville property has what Morrison described as a “storybook pastoral” aesthetic that people of the day cherished. With ivy creeping up its walls and a cedar shake roof, the three-story stone manse has all the understated splendor of a European manor home. Mellor and Meigs fashioned an impressive courtyard entrance out of striking pink Belgian block and flagstone accents.
Outfitted with all the grand accompaniments expected in those days, the 25-room house boasts a sweeping main staircase in the center hall, high ceilings, gorgeous crown molding and woodwork, and spacious living areas. The current owners are just the third family to call the estate home. “[They all] really loved this place and took care of it,” says the current owner. “It was in really good condition and clean when we moved in 15 years ago. It just needed someone to come in and love it.”
Growing up in nearby Audubon, the owner admired this house as a little girl. “Whenever we drove down Valley Forge Road, I always saw the pitch of this roof,” she recalls. “The estate was surrounded by evergreens, and I always imagined what was beyond them.”
Originally, she and her husband were in the market for an older estate home on the traditional Main Line. She’d grown to appreciate European architecture while traveling extensively throughout the world as a clothing designer. The couple had been ready to put an offer on the Strawbridge estate in Bryn Mawr just before it was destroyed by fire. “My husband and I agreed that we didn’t want to look beyond Villanova because of our commutes to our jobs,” she says.
Their realtor took a chance, showing them the listing in Phoenixville. The owner recognized it from her childhood, and she knew she had to see it. “I thought the Strawbridge estate was our dream home until I saw this,” she says. “Finding this was meant to be.”
As soon as they pulled up into the courtyard, they knew. “I remember feeling like we’d arrived,” she says.
Following a subdivision of the property a few years prior, the estate remained on 4 acres, affording the owners the privacy they desired, along with gardens, terraces, patios and a pool.
Her career having evolved from fashion to interior design, the owner took on the monumental task of achieving just the right look for her home. Her appreciation of antiques and oil paintings leans toward French traditional, and her previous career solidified her fondness for fabrics. She adores working with window treatments and tapestries. “I just love textiles,” she says. “Whether it’s a pillow or a drape, I love adding it, because it gives attitude and personality to the space.”
Original walnut paneling, double-crown molding and a fireplace all add to the formal feel of the dining room. The striking Waterford crystal chandelier was inherited from the home’s previous occupants. “It was perfect,” says the current owner. “I knew it was something we wanted to buy from them.”
A new mahogany dining set with seating for 10 and chairs in an ivory silk damask go perfectly with the antique sideboard and pedestal tables. A floor-to-ceiling bay window with French doors is draped with beautiful silk Dupioni fabric long enough to create a puddle effect. A portrait hanging in the window’s center is a reproduction of a work by artist Thomas Sully. “She reminded me of my mother,” says the owner of the painting’s subject. “I liked the idea of having a matriarch at the head of the room.”
The couple entertains family and friends frequently, so the room gets plenty of use. “Of all the rooms in the house, the dining room is my favorite,” the owner says. “I’m Italian and Greek. So, growing up, it was always about food. We would sit in our dining room for hours eating and talking. I love that I have a beautiful space now that I can do that, too.”
Continued on page 2 …
An all-white living room is a daring look to try to pull off. Yet, the owner remains convinced she achieved what she was striving for. “I wanted a pretty, perfect room,” she says. “It looks so chic.”
She used gradations of white on the tufted damask sofa, various armchairs, a marble coffee table, and the lamb’s wool area rug. The white palette is offset with a deep khaki on the walls and light-brown patterned pillows and accessories.
You would think that an all-white room is more for show than anything else. That was the case here—until recently. “It started to become the forgotten room used only when we would entertain,” the owner admits.
She remedied that by adding a custom pool table. “It gives it more of an attitude for entertaining, but it’s still chic,” she says. “I want people to be able to enjoy the room.”
The more relaxed, lived-in areas in the back of the home balance out the formal spaces in the front. “The house is inviting and comfortable,” the owner says. “As much as I love the look of formal, I’m a casual person. I know how we live.”
Due to the superb care provided by its previous owners, the house didn’t need the sort of major renovation work a structure of this age often requires. The current owners did decide to reconfigure the areas around the kitchen to make it more family friendly, though. “We worked within the footprint of the home,” she says. “I didn’t want to add on or destroy its integrity in any way—I have too much respect and admiration for the craftsmanship that went behind these stone walls. That’s not why you buy a house like this, in my opinion.”
Removing a wall that separated the kitchen from the two-story servant’s quarters opened up the area, creating an open-loft effect to the second floor. The space is now a playroom. “If I was in the kitchen I wanted to be able to hear [the kids] and feel connected to what they were doing,” the owner says.
The redesigned kitchen features custom fluted cherrywood cabinetry, with a built-in secretary desk in a lighter bird’s-eye maple. The farmhouse sink is made of honed marble, with marble backsplashes. Thermador appliances and double-stacked Carrera marble countertops complete the signature look, while a breakfast bar comfortably seats six. For the floors, the owners chose random-width oak in a herringbone pattern.
That herringbone pattern continues into the adjacent great room. A flat-screen TV mounted above the original fireplace illustrates how seamlessly modern and traditional can coexist. A custom, floor-to-ceiling maple breakfront with burl inlays provides additional storage in the form of spacious sliding drawers.
Upstairs, two master bedroom suites flank either end of the home, with three bedrooms in between. Rumor has it, Mr. and Mrs. Scull each had their own master suites, and that the gentleman’s suite—now the owners’ bedroom—faced the courtyard so his wife wouldn’t know when he was home. The wife’s suite has the larger bathroom, so the current owners had plenty of space to add a small vanity table and chair. Damask wallpaper in a blue-on-brown pattern brings an air of formality to the space.
The third floor is a bonus area, with more than 3,000 square feet of living space. Right now, the current owners use it for a home gym and storage. They acknowledge the endless possibilities, with its high-pitched roofline, exposed beams and hardwood floors—and they haven’t ruled out plans for an authentic Irish pub, perfect for entertaining.
“You can’t get this anymore,” says the owner of the perfectly preserved treasure they call home. “It’s a lifestyle you’re buying, not just a house. It has arms, legs and a personality. You have to embrace everything that it offers and really care for it.”
