Share
All photos courtesy Don Pearse Photographers
The treasured landmark in the Brandywine Valley is revived and restored with an abundance of historic charm.
The main section’s stunning staircase and abundant moldings were preserved, serving as inspiration for formal spaces like the library and music room.
Time was running out for Clocktower Farm when Beth and Chris Knauer pulled up to the iconic Chester County estate seven years ago. Clocktower’s distinguished history dates to 1703, when the land was patented by William Penn. But in 2016, the once-elegant mansion was dilapidated and headed to auction the next day. A developer was poised to buy the eight-acre property and raze the manor house and outbuildings to make way for new luxury homes.
For more than 30 years, the Knauers had dreamed of owning a historic home. They lived less than a mile from the East Goshen landmark and had long admired its five-story clocktower. There was only one drawback: Chris was put off by the low ceilings found in many older homes. But Beth was convinced Clocktower deserved a look. A single glance inside the mansion confirmed her hunch. “When we saw the 11-foot ceilings, I knew I had a chance, even though we knew it would be a monumental task,” she recalls.
The mantel in the kitchen—Beth’s happy place—is a replica of one that noted Colonial Revival architect Brognard Okie designed for his Chester County home in the early 20th century.
Salvaged leaded-glass windows now sparkle in the butler’s pantry.
The master bathroom.
At the top of their to-do list was a design that would restore the charm and integrity of the original 1830 mansion and also provide 21st-century comfort and function. “How do we make this odd house with its additions into a house where a family lives?” Chris recalls thinking at the time. The Knauers looked to Archer & Buchanan Architecture to come up with a plan that reflected their lifestyle and made it easy to host events for nonprofit groups. “The house needed to serve as an elegant venue for large philanthropic events while maintaining a scale and sense of coziness appropriate for empty nesters on a daily basis,” says Alex Rice, the project’s architect.
The family room.
His solution: Create numerous small gathering spaces and seating areas, with an open flow to accommodate guests. Each space offers a unique view of a property focal point, including a barn reinterpreted as an events venue.
Builders Pancoast & Clifford removed the incompatible renovations, replacing them with a new two-story addition and large open porches ideal for admiring the bucolic setting. The main section’s stunning staircase and abundant moldings were preserved. They served as the inspiration for lovely formal spaces like the library and music room (Chris’s favorite spot in the home).
Builders Pancoast & Clifford removed the incompatible renovations, replacing them with a new two-story addition and large open porches ideal for admiring the bucolic setting.
Old stone from the demolished addition was cut and reused as door thresholds. The original lockboxes, brass doorknobs, cast-iron rat-tail hinges and other historic hardware were restored. Salvaged leaded-glass windows in the butler’s pantry refract the setting sun like prisms. “We reused everything we possibly could,” Chris says.
They also borrowed from the best. The mantel in the kitchen—Beth’s happy place—is a replica of one that noted Colonial Revival architect Brognard Okie designed for his Chester County home in the early 20th century. It’s one of 11 fireplaces in the house, which also benefits from the impeccable interior design touches of Patricia Gorman Associates.
A new sunken garden and pool house are now part of the estate’s legacy. The 68-foot clocktower was restored from the ground up. Its refurbished bell, forged in Baltimore to memorialize soldiers who died in World War I, now chimes to celebrate family weddings. As Clocktower Farm’s stewards, the Knauers have documenting the lives of previous owners. “We learned that the Roberts family lived here for 100 years, and two of their sons were Civil War heroes,” Beth says. “It’s a fascinating history, and we’re so happy that it will continue for future generations.”
A new sunken garden is now part of the estate’s legacy.
The barn was reinterpreted as an events venue, and the 68-foot clocktower was restored from the ground up.
