Reed Creek Farm, Centreville, Maryland
REED CREEK FARM IS AN ESSAY IN SENSITIVITY. IT IS A MEMORIAL GARDEN.
Standing as a 175-acre waterfront property located on a natural peninsula on Maryland's Eastern Shore, this working farm includes the original Georgian mansion built in 1775. When our client's wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the couple decided to focus their energies on an ambitious landscape masterplan, including a walled formal Anglo-style garden that would honor both the house's architectural vernacular and provide a refuge and therapy garden for her periods of recovery and contemplation.
After the historic elements of the house were restored following local historic precedents, the main focus of the project centered on adding the special garden elements. These included a kitchen garden, a revitalized pear orchard, a spiral mount, a renovated old hunting lodge, a pool house and a new lake. The main focus of the estate, however, was the brick walled exedra garden which was seen as an extension of the main house. Although Reed Creek Farm was one of our most difficult and emotional projects, it shall always remain one of our favorites.
The Landscape Masterplan for this 18th-c. rural property (175 acres) on the Chesapeake Bay and historic home included several hardscaping designs for the gardens and site as well as discrete restorations and rehabilitations to the main house. Both north and south entrances were rebuilt and the third floor attic spaces transformed into additional bedrooms suites with private bathrooms. As Architect for the restoration, we provided additional designs for architectural features including doorways, stairs, garden structures, walls, paths, and a conservatory along with preliminary plans for the remodeling of the picturesque hunting lodge (ca. 1910) located on the bay.
