Stoneleigh is Growing

It’s rare that a botanic garden has the opportunity to expand by nearly 25%. It’s even more rare to reunite properties that were subdivided nearly 100 years ago. But that’s exactly what has just happened at Stoneleigh: a natural garden.

Stoneleigh’s 42-acre footprint has grown to 52, marking the reunification of two historic landscapes. The 10-acre addition represents the majority of an adjacent property known as Oakwell, which was subdivided from the Stoneleigh estate in the 1920s and ’30s. The view into Oakwell from Stoneleigh’s northernmost garden path is remarkable in its similarity — towering trees, stately architecture and remnants of significant garden designs.

What had once been a cohesive landscape had been divided by a property line and a tall fence for more than a century. Until now.

The History

The reunion story began in an unusual way and involved an unanticipated partner. In 2018, the Lower Merion School District purchased the 13-acre Oakwell property from three private homeowners to create athletic fields for a planned middle school nearby.

Five years after they acquired Oakwell, the school district’s plans changed as they faced public concern about the loss of the historic landscape and buildings. The district began conversations with Natural Lands — the region’s oldest and largest land conservation nonprofit — focusing on alternatives for the property.

Nearly two years later, the school district sold 10 acres of the Oakwell property to Natural Lands to be added to Stoneleigh and the remaining three acres to the Wyncote Foundation, which will restore and preserve the Oakwell mansion.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to preserve Oakwell as part of Stoneleigh. We are immensely grateful to the current leadership of the Lower Merion School District and to the community for its support,” said Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands. “It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the culmination of years of work by our staff, our supporters and members of the Lower Merion community. The township commissioners dedicated countless hours to public engagement and decision making to help protect this historic landscape and ensure it would be available for public use.”

The Future

While it will be a few years before this new addition to Stoneleigh is open to the public, this expansion will further Stoneleigh’s mission: to celebrate the beauty and importance of the natural world and inspire the cultivation of native plants for the benefit of all. A new Master Plan for Stoneleigh offers a blueprint for weaving the two properties into one, adding capacity for expanded educational programs, enhancing guest amenities, and honoring the history of the landscape.

Highlights of the Master Plan for the expanded Stoneleigh include:

• Limiting disturbance in areas with healthy, mature trees. A detailed study of significant trees informed this approach.
• Construction of a new Welcome Center to greet and orient garden guests.
• Creation of new garden spaces to inspire guests, offer new learning opportunities, and support local wildlife.
• Removal of physical barriers between Stoneleigh and Oakwell, truly reunifying the two properties.
• Adding capacity for educational programming by creating both indoor and outdoor classrooms.
• Developing opportunities for community connections through new gathering spaces and innovative partnerships.
• Honoring the history of the landscape, which has been shaped by some of the most influential landscape architects of the 19th and 20th centuries.

“None of this would be possible without the exceptionally generous support of the Wyncote Foundation with additional leadership support provided by the William Penn Foundation,” said Bass. “Stoneleigh is growing in so many ways. We look forward to the day we will welcome everyone to experience all the joys of Natural Lands’ now 52-acre public garden.”

Learn more and sign up for the opportunity to get a “sneak peek” of Oakwell at NatLands.org/Growing.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors. As the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands, which is member supported, has preserved more than 137,000 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,000 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. NatLands.org