The Trustees of Reservations Announce Historic Preservation Milestone at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, a National …

(PRWEB) November 18, 2014

The care and keeping of large, popular National Historic Landmarks for public use and enjoyment is a critical component of The Trustees of Reservations mandate. The nations first regional land trust and a leading statewide conservation nonprofit, The Trustees preserve and protect 112 iconic landscapes and landmarks around Massachusetts.

Today, The Trustees are celebrating a significant milestone in the organizations ongoing preservation work at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich a National Historic Landmark and one of the few surviving, intact examples of the American Country Place Era with the restoration of the Casino. Named for the Italian word for little house and used to describe small dwellings in gardens and landscapes that surround a villa, the Casino originally served as an elegant pool and entertainment space used by the Crane family. Located on the Grand Alle, it represents the most distinctive Italian Renaissance Revival-style architecture surviving from this period on the Crane Estate. The Grand Alle is one of the largest landscape features of its kind in North America, modeled after the beautiful Italian and French gardens of Renaissance Europe.

Since the Cranes gifted Castle Hill to The Trustees in 1949, the organization has carried on the familys legacy of entertainment on the property, using both the Grand Alle and Casino as a popular backdrop for hundreds of open-air concerts, weddings, historic house and landscape tours, community events, a childrens summer camp, and other recreational activities held year-round at the Estate. In order to preserve their original design integrity, both have required extensive, multi-million dollar landscape, architectural, and structural restoration work over the past several years.

There is no other formal, designed landscape in America that can compare to the Grand Alle and Casino at Castle Hill, says Barbara Erickson, Trustees of Reservations President and CEO. The national significance of this property and its unique landscape and architectural features illustrates the importance of our role in its authentic preservation. The restoration of the Casino marks a significant milestone that has been years in the making at this iconic property and we could not have accomplished this work without the ongoing support of our generous members and supporters and expertise of our talented staff. We invite everyone to come see the incredible transformation of this exciting, newly restored venue space.

The original Casino, strategically situated down from The Great House and along the Grand Alle in order to preserve the sweeping ocean views, featured a saltwater pool framed by plantings and statuaries and bordered by two pavilions containing a bachelors quarters (or guest accommodations) and a billiard hall/ballroom. The Casino was designed by the Boston architectural firm Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge during the first building campaign on the property (roughly between 1910-1920), in collaboration with renowned Boston landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff who also designed the Grand Alle and is best known for designing Colonial Williamsburg and the Charles River Esplanade. The Trustees completed an extensive landscape restoration of the Alle in June 2012, which entailed the sustainable replanting of hundreds of trees, the restoration of statuary, and the refurbishing of an underground cistern and rainwater harvesting system.

The Casino restoration marks the final phase of this important project. After nearly a century in its seaside location, the building fabric and structural elements of the Casino suffered from exposure to the harsh elements, leading to a compromised structure that was eventually closed to the public in the 1990s. The original pool had been filled and topped with grass before The Trustees took ownership of the property. Since 1998, The Trustees have worked to restore many of the Casinos architectural and decorative elements, preserving as much of the original site materials as possible.

This past May, cultural resource experts embarked on planning for the restoration project, taking months to cull through original documents, drawings, photos and design plans to ensure accuracy and detail in design and execution. The Trustees have worked to uncover and restore the beautiful marble pavers and herringbone brick pathways framing the area, as well as restoring and reproducing statuary, urns, and other decorative elements that once adorned this elegant space so it can once more serve as an entertainment space on the property.

The restoration of the Alle and now the final pice de rsistance, the Casino serves as a living laboratory, modeling a thoughtful, sustainable stewardship approach while preserving the historic integrity of this important National Historic Landmark, adds Bob Murray, Northeast Operations Manager and Project Manager. The completion of this restoration project is another step forward in returning this iconic estate to its authentic state for all to experience and enjoy.

The Alle and Casino restoration projects have been undertaken in memory of the late David Crockett, a former member of The Trustees of Reservations Board of Governors and Ipswich resident whose tireless efforts on behalf of Castle Hill and the Crane Estate were critical in preserving the property. His commitment to the care of the Crane familys extraordinary gift to The Trustees set the standard by which the property has been and will continue to be managed in perpetuity.

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The Trustees of Reservations Announce Historic Preservation Milestone at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, a National ...