The Willows needs a new lease on life

Can Radnor's historic estate house, known today as the Willows, be saved and restored? Probably, but Radnor Township officials are considering who will accomplish this and how.

"It came down to looking at the revenue," said Radnor Township Manager Robert A. Zienkowski. "It's an enterprise operation that should break even, but it doesn't."

Zienkowski described the Willows, built in 1910, as a "diamond in the rough" in "desperate need of millions of dollars of renovations, repairs, and updates."

That's why Radnor Township is looking for a way to divest itself of the property located on Darby-Paoli Road.

The estate, acquired by Radnor in 1972, was never transitioned from residential to commercial use. "The Willows has a great history," Zienkowski said. "We would love to see someone partner with us to restore it back to its proud heritage."

Some fear a developer will send the Willows the way of the Poplar House, the beautiful mansion in Wayne that was demolished in 2010.

Zienkowski did not deny the possibility the Willows could be torn down, but says the township could prefer it become a boutique hotel or bed and breakfast.

"A renovation could turn the Willows around," he said. "It could be a jewel of the township once more."

Radnor Commissioner John Nagle agreed. "We've never seen it managed in a fashion that meets its potential."

Ideally, Nagle said, the Willows will remain as is through next summer, so the township is still taking reservations there for special events, a wish that was complicated by the recent retirement of caretakers Tom and Mary Conaghan, after 32 years in the position.

Radnor Commissioner Kevin Higgins said he was doubtful the Willows could be sustained by the township government.

"The township has invested significant amounts of money in this building, as well as many other buildings, and the Willows does not break even. It's not the role of the taxpayers to provide for and subsidize a building not capable of fully bearing the costs of its own operation not directly related to the provision of essential governmental services."

Public-private partnerships have been successful at Historic Harriton House in Bryn Mawr and Historic Waynesborough in Paoli.

The land on which the Willows is located was once part of the Welsh Tract, first settled in 1681 by the Richard Davis Company as part of a larger land tract. The house was designed by Charles Barton Keene and built in 1910 for John Sinnott, a distiller who named it Rose Garland. There was a mansion house, gatehouse, duck house, swimming pool, pool house, dog kennels, tennis courts and an observatory.

Then Prohibition hit and Rose Garland was sold - several times over - before it found long-term ownership in 1936. That's when Clarence H. Geist, purchased the house for his daughter Mary Golden Geist and her husband, Alfred Zantzinger.

Bart Zantzinger, grandson of Alfred, who lives in Paoli, recalls fondly The Willows and the pool, whichmwas filled in many years ago.

"Our family called the estate Maralbrook," Zantzinger said. "The pool was awesome. Really was a magical time for me."

In the holiday season, he said, "the lights inside were like stars in the cold winter nights, and all the activity made it seem as if it was some kind of Hollywood movie, except the actors were very kind men and women."

Amory Zantzinger Stedman also fondly recalls the times she spent there.

"In my teen years, Gei Zantzinger, my first cousin, the only child of Mary Golden and Alfred, was one of my best friends. We were exactly the same age and enjoyed the music, dancing, and parties that were part of teenage life in the early to mid fifties.

In June of 1954, my "coming out" year, Aunt Gozie  and Uncle Alfred gave my cousin and I a spectacular party on the terrace. Dinner and dancing to a big orchestra under a grand tent ... an unforgettable evening."

That era came to an end with Mary Golden Geist Zantzinger's death in 1969 and her husband's  some years later.

Radnor Township acquired Maralbrook in 1972, and it became known as the Willows, a park and site for weddings, private parties and meetings.

The Main Line has lost many great estates over the years. Some grand, some architecturally important, some more sentimental than grand. The Willows is a bit of a mix. What sets the Willows apart is that there are still many people who remember or visited it in its grandeur.

But for now, the Willows' future is uncertain. As has been demonstrated many times on the Main Line, uncertainty can be very bad for an old estate.