Although development already exists around the field site, the clustered woodlands and ephemeral wetlands within them provide many ecological benefits. Local stream conservation plans prioritize the protection of these headwaters to help remediate polluted waters before they reach downstream neighborhoods. The 13-acre site is located on a topographically-high point near headwater streams of the Darby Creek, Mill Creek, and Gulph Creek watersheds. High brick walls with arched openings enclose three sides of the complex, making the entire composition, which cleverly blends Pennsylvania colonial with Flemish design features, feel like a secret garden. These buildings belong to a historic brick and limestone greenhouse complex designed in 1901 by Frank Miles Day, a celebrated Philadelphia architect. The site also contains completely unprotected buildings that have possibly even greater architectural value than the Class II house. The trees on the site are important for absorbing water, filtering air, and sequestering carbon, which all address the broader issues of flooding, poor air quality, and climate change. This designation prevents by-right demolition of the house. 1920 Elizabethan Revival house designated on the Township’s Historic Resources Inventory as a Class II resource. The “field site” contains over 400 mature trees and multiple historic buildings originally associated with Stoneleigh (a public garden on which the Conservancy holds a 42-acre conservation agreement), including an elegant ca. Since that time, the Conservancy has devoted countless hours to exploring and encouraging alternatives to the District’s plan. In 2018, the Lower Merion School District (District) announced plans to construct middle school athletic fields on an environmentally sensitive and historically significant 13-acre site in Villanova.
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