'Twilight
in the Garden'
Gheens
Bank Barn to be unveiled
at Yew Dell Gardens event
The
facility, pavilion highlight 33-acre estate
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
|
October
2006 Kentucky Edition Cover with Yew
Dell Gardens Executive Director Paul Cappiello
|
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (October 2006) Betsie Taylor
views the new Gheens Barn and Peyton Samuel Head Pavilion at Yew Dell
Gardens as the ultimate educational experience for horticulturalists
and hobbyist gardeners alike. Before it even opens, the historic barn
has been booked well in advance to play host to a wide variety of events.
The Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association held its seventh summer
outing there on Sept. 23. This event caters to industry folks, said
Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association Executive Director Betsie
Taylor.
A lot of people in our industry knew Theodore Klein, said
Taylor. So it is only natural to her that they would come to Yew Dell
Gardens to study and continue the horticultural legacy that Klein began.
Klein was an internationally known and respected nurseryman and plant
expert who devoted much of his life to horticulture. His 33-acre estate
in Crestwood, Ky., called Yew Dell Gardens showcases his passion for
trees and plants, and is a repository of historic trees.
Klein created a private horticultural collection of more than 1,137
plant specimens that are showcased in stunning gardens throughout the
acreage. He developed new versions of holly, redbud, sugar maple, yew,
dogwood, weeping katsura and witchhazel.
Twilight
in the Garden
6:30
p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 at
Yew Dell Gardens, Crestwood, KY
Tickets: $125 per person or
$1,250 for tables of 10.
Includes: Light buffet, cocktails,
live music, silent and live auctions.
Information: (502) 241-4788 or
www.yewdellgardens.org
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The Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association members
would like to one-day partner with Yew Dell, said Taylor. There
are endless possibilities of what can be done at Yew Dell, she
said.
The completion of the Gheens Barn and Peyton Samuel Head Pavilion has
been eagerly anticipated. A ribbon-cutting celebration is planned for
the Twilight in the Garden gala on Oct. 13. The Gheens Barn,
originally built as a bank barn, has been rehabilitated to incorporate
audiovisual facilities, meeting space and breathtaking views overlooking
a meadow in the valley below the building.
|
Photo
by Don Ward
Yew
Dell Gardens offers visitors a
tranquil and peaceful place to stroll
among trees, plants and garden fountains.
The gardens contain more than 2,000 rare
specimen trees, shrubs and perennials,
including some that the late
Theodore Klein personally
introduced to the nursery trade.
|
The Peyton Samuel Head Pavilion is connected to the barn
by a glass bridge. It will include an outdoor stage, catering facilities
and public restrooms, amenities that are greatly needed when staging
events at the barn and connecting pavilion.
This is the third year for the gala, said Leslie Buddeke, director of
development and marketing. It is the largest fund raiser for Yew
Dell. Buddeke said she hopes to raise $70,000, an amount that
will support the operating budget.
This garden cocktail attire gala will consist of a live and silent auction,
a jazz band, food catered by The Silver Spoon, and donor recognition.
Buddeke said approximately 400 guests are expected. Its
a wonderful opportunity to stroll through the gardens, she said.
The Gheens Barn is a much needed facility for us, said Buddeke.
It will be used primarily as an educational and meeting facility.
It will enable the majority of educational programming to take place
on site, said Yew Dell Gardens Executive Director Paul Cappiello. It
will bring back to life a central part of Kleins vision.
The Gheens Barn is an example of a bank barn and provides a unique historical
character to the property, said Cappiello. Traditionally, bank barns
were built into the side of a hill and contained two levels. The lower
level housed animals, while the upper level held a threshing floor and
storage. Klein built the barn in the late 1940s and used it as a dairy
barn.
Construction was not intended to begin last fall when it did. After
hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, the price of building materials rose,
and Cappiello thought it would be wise to move ahead and begin the project
ahead of schedule.
Roberto de Leon and Ross Primmer of Deleon & Primmer Architecture
Workshop drew up the designs for the Gheens Barn rehabilitation. This
company did so much more for us than we asked them to, said Cappiello.
De Leon said this was a fun project. The quality that made
it so unique was the collaborative participation from everybody involved,
said de Leon. From his perspective, the fact that everyone pulled together
made it so rewarding.
Everything that could be salvaged was, said de Leon, in order to preserve
Kleins legacy.
The barn carries his style of eccentricity and is still adorned with
his amazing handmade birdhouses.
|
Photo
by Don Ward
The
Yew Dell Gardens Castle was built
in the 1950s as a pool house.
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The design for the Gheens Barn and pavilion developed
over time as the design team visited the barn throughout the different
seasons. The building fluxes with the seasons, said de Leon.
The barn and pavilion are a combination of rustic versus utilitarian.
The design team wanted to preserve the historic character of the barn.
We preserved details most would overlook, said de Leon.
The team was able to preserve Kleins air of whimsy, wit and sense
of delight.
I encourage people to come out and see Yew Dell, said de
Leon. A lot of people do not know its there. Many are surprised
at what is literally in their own backyard.
The renovation project began with a price of $200,000 to $300,000 but
exceeded that amount as construction continued. It was funded through
grants from the Gheens Foundation, Peyton Samuel Head Trust, James Graham
Brown Foundation as well as other foundations and individuals.
We were very fortunate to have a wonderful team like Primmer and
de Leon, said Mary Rounsavall, Yew Dell board of directors president.
The barn and pavilion will function as a rental facility for weddings
and corporate retreats. It is also an important piece of income, said
Rounsavall.
|
Photo
by Don Ward
The
new pavilion overlooking a valley
provides a serene setting for events.
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The barn was rehabilitated for several reasons, the main
one being that we need it, she said. It was falling down,
and though it would have been more economical to destroy it and build
a new one, that would have taken away from the nuances of the building.
It will also be available as a community resource, Rounsavall said.
Plans are in the works for childrens summer camps and classes
to be held at Yew Dell gardens next year. It was an honor to save
an old building.
Cappiello will still head research on different varieties of plants,
which will result in an opportunity to work with breeders and nurseries
all over the world.
Such research is conducted to determine what varieties of plants perform
best in this climate.
This is an excellent facility for the community to have available
to them, said Cappiello. There are not a tremendous number
of facilities like this. Thats why its so important to get
people on the grounds.
Back to October 2006
Articles.