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Recently, a detailed Cultural Landscape Report of Tregaron Estate was completed by Patricia O’Donnell of Heritage Landscapes. This landscape report carefully followed the original Tregaron plans of Charles Adams Platt and Ellen Biddle Shipman. Following this report, the Tregaron Conservancy will be striving to return Tregaron to its original glory days! While this work will take time and considerable amounts of money, your support will help make the restoration of a very significant landmark a reality.
Why the need for restoration? What are the current conditions?
The Cultural Landscape Report (pdf 104mb) found that the “landscape of Tregaron is in variable condition today with many areas showing degradation. The built elements of the stone bridge, the Causeway, its drive and its masonry walls, as well as the hundreds of stone steps throughout the property are deteriorating. The former paths “show the highest level of degradation through out the landscape. In terms of vegetation, much of the canopy is open from large tree losses. Volunteer and exotic aggressive invasive species are present throughout.” (CLR, p. III.1)
Many of the landscape features lay below erosion soil, leaf litter, fallen trees and vines. Because of unplanned volunteer trees, woodland coverage of the meadows has increased. The ancient, original Twin Oak tree is in serious decline from age and droughts. The meadow around the great Twin Oak has been overtaken by non-native woody plants, groundcovers and vines.
The paths around the lily pond are obscured beneath vegetation and woodland litter. The stream channel to the pond is obscured and degraded by siltation. From the pond, the sludged-in stream goes under the Causeway in a fractured terracotta pipe. After this, the Tregaron stream has escaped its channel and piping below the path adds to the runoff degrading the Klingle Valley. The original lush plantings in the Pond Valley and around the Causeway are only in remnant form today.
Along the drive and meadows, there are non functioning gutters due to fractures, displacement, erosion and overgrowth. Fast-growing, smothering invasive vines have taken over the meadows edges. The biotic release and changing mowing practices have reduced the size of the meadow completely.
The northeast woodland, stream and trails have missing path systems, broken stone work, rogue or desire paths of compacted earth and a silted stream channel. Invasive species, including poison ivy, cover the ground and aggressive woody plant invasive species, such as bamboo, are growing along the stream corridor.
What are the plans for rehabilitation?
Our initial goal is to clean up the site – remove fallen and dead trees, take out the invasive plants and vines. We are in the process of hiring a landscape architect to oversee this project and are receiving bids from firms that would do the heavy work. Once the initial larger objects are removed (as well as the poison ivy), we will invite the neighborhood to help with community clean-up days
The Conservancy expects to restore the landmark in specific phases – beginning with the historic bridal trails and pathways. By removing dead trees and invasive species, the Conservancy will open up the pedestrian routes, enabling circulation of the meadows and woodlands. The cost for this clean-up is over $150,000. Repair and improving the paths, steps, stonework, bridges and drainage gutters will cost over $250,000. Planting woodland deciduous canopy and under story trees and plants in accordance with the historic plans of Ellen Biddle Shipman will run over $160,000. Accordingly, the hard costs of Phase One (without any design contingency or soft costs (permits, taxes, legal, etc.) will be over $560,000.
The second phase of rehabilitation that the Conservancy will take on is the restoration of the Pond Valley. Once a beautiful lily pond fed by an underground water source, the pond is currently silted in and filled with sludge. The costs of removing the invasive species as well as the repairing the pond basins, edges and addressing the drainage system are sizable – over $520,000 before soft costs.
It will be wonderful to have folks get reacquainted with the beautiful woodlands and green meadows of Tregaron Estate. Walking Tregaron’s bridal paths with glimpses of the historic mansion and the Cathedral is a marvelous experience that soon will be shared with greater public. The possibilities are endless, but getting there is costly.
How much will this cost?
As can be seen from the budget, the cost of rehabilitating the property will be quite expensive (over three million dollars with additional maintenance fees), but it will be phased over several years.
In addition, the Ongoing Maintenance Funding will be considerable. An endowed maintenance fund of over two million dollars is the Conservancy’s goal. Preservation planners, historical experts and landscape architects are predicting that once the costly initial work is done, it may take upwards of $100,000 a year to keep up and maintain the Conservancy’s work annually.
As a result, the Conservancy must raise a great deal of money. Thanks to community support, we are on off to a good start. The Conservancy has received pledges for over $150,000 in the year 2006 and pledges of over $500,000 over the next six years. In order to meet our financial needs, the Conservancy will need additional major donors.
What’s the hurry? Why now?
With trees dying and falling, invasive species choking the remaining landscape, stone bridges collapsing, stream systems clogged and backed up, ponds silted and filled with sludge, mosquito- infested standing water and vines taking over the meadows and woodlands, Tregaron Estate must be saved now. The deterioration must be stopped and the site stabilized before we loose any more of its historic integrity. We have a detailed plan that we need to carry out in order to rescue this once beautiful and important landscape.
Is my contribution tax deductible?
All of the money collected will be used solely for the purpose of preserving, restoring and maintaining the historic landscape of Tregaron Estate. As required by the Internal Revenue Code, “the benefits to be derived from the organization’s activities flow principally to the general public through the maintenance and improvement of public recreational facilities.” The Tregaron Conservancy is a DC not-for-profit corporation and we have filed with the Internal Revenue Service and fully expect to be qualified by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization any day now. Meanwhile, donations can be made to the Friends of Tregaron Foundation, Inc., the founding non-profit organization from which the Tregaron Conservancy was born. The Friends of Tregaron Foundation, Inc. has been recognized and given 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax exempt status by the IRS since 1997.
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