Trinity Episcopal Church’s 16th annual house tour will highlight both historic and modern estates in Bucks County, Pa.
By: Jessica Loughery
If you’ve ever taken a drive through the rolling hills of Pineville, Pa., Solebury, Pa., or Buckingham, Pa., you’re sure to have admired both the historic farmhouses and the majestic modern estates that dot the roads. And, if you’re like me, you’ve stared down some of those long, gravel drives thinking, If only I could befriend the homeowners…
Trinity Episcopal Church in Solebury will provide the next best thing with its annual house tour Oct. 21. The tour, in its 16th year, benefits the church’s mission and projects. It offers a look at the interior and exterior design of five very different houses, including a spacious recent construction on Greenhill Road in Solebury; an early stone house updated with Asian-inspired additions on Holicong Road in Buckingham; and a Colonial home dating back to 1760 on Pineville Road, also in Buckingham.
A fourth home included in the tour, also on Pineville Road but in Upper Makefield, Pa., began as a cement blockhouse in 1933. Andrew and Mary Lou Abruzzese bought the five-acre property in 1979. Since then, they have added 1,800 square feet to the main house in 1988, a three-car garage and studio apartment in 2001 and a timber-frame barn in 2005, all under the direction of architectural designer Jim Hamilton, their longtime friend. The Abruzzeses call renovating "a passion." Mr. Abruzzese believes that the home must be a place you enjoy and feel comfortable in, a cozy retreat at the end of a long day. That being the case, he sees no reason not to continuously work at improving his home.
A self-professed food fan, Mr. Abruzzese names the kitchen as one of the top priorities during remodeling. "We told Jim we wanted a commercial cooking set-up, complete with a walk-in refrigerator," he says. As the owners of Pineville Tavern, they were coming from a background in large scale meal preparation. They got the giant fridge, plus an open grill and a six-top stove, any cook’s dream.
In front of these appliances sits an island with a line of overhanging pots and pans. The countertop on this piece is solid marble. "I wanted a 10-inch thick chunk of marble," says Mr. Abruzzese. "We got a call from Valley Marble in New Milford, Conn., and they said they had a piece of marble seven-feet long, three-feet wide and three-inches thick. I called Jim up and told him and he said, ‘Call them back! Tell them you’ll take it!’ "
The more than fully equipped kitchen opens right up into the dining area, that is, if they want it to. "We installed large doors in case we want to section off the rooms, for washing dishes and that sort of thing," Mr. Abruzzese says. The doors are eight-foot interior bifolds.
The kitchen also opens into the two-story living area, and the entire space is surrounded by windows. "We have no neighbors close by so privacy is not an issue," Mr. Abruzzese explains. "We have 360 degrees of glass."
They also have a sizable artwork collection adorning the walls. Works from local Impressionist and Modernist painters hang in almost every free space, including "Delaware Canal" by Anthony Autorino, "Winter Wood" by Lee Gatch and two portraits of the Abruzzeses’ sons done by Eric Sparre.
Step out onto the blue stone patio, which is prepped and ready for dining with a table set shaded by a clematis overhang, move forward and to the right and you come to the three-car garage and studio apartment. The building opens up on both sides, an idea Mr. Abruzzese had while driving by the Washington Crossing Pavilion one day. Once he considered how fabulous opening both sides for parties and gatherings would be, all he had to do was solve the lighting issue. To prevent blocking overhead lights, he installed glass garage doors on one side.
In colder weather, when the pavilion is kept shut, the garage is heated to melt snow off cars that were left outdoors. There’s even a drain in the corner to collect run-off water. "It’s all about the planning," Mr. Arbuzzese says with a smile.
Upstairs, you’ll find a cozy studio apartment, decorated with wooden decoys received as gifts, and a countertop obtained from the Newtown Bowling Alley, among other items. Skylights open the interior up, adding light to the snug but comfortable space.
The Abruzzeses’ most recent addition to their property arose from Ms. Abruzzese’s parents’ need for a retirement home. They couldn’t find a place they liked, so the Abruzzeses offered to renovate their barn. That structure turned out to be too unsound to work with, so they knocked it down and built a new barn that includes a large one-room living, dining and kitchen area, a study and two master suites. Of note decoratively are the 18th century Dutch door and a top-notch collection of art deco posters hanging on the walls.
So what do the Abruzzeses do with all their space? Why, they entertain, of course. On the day I visited, slate tiles were being mopped and wine glasses lovingly returned to their cases. The Abruzzeses confess a deep-felt love for Burgundy wines they’d just hosted a tasting of 18 different types the night before. They even have maps of the Burgundy wine region hanging by the dining table.
The marble countertop, the Dutch door and all the rest of the Abruzzeses’ interior and exterior pieces and adornments will be available for general viewing the day of the tour, along with the tastes and decors represented by the other four houses. Docents at each house will direct and provide information. Otherwise, the tour is self-guided.
Trinity Episcopal Church’s annual house tour will be held Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets cost $35, $30 advance, and will be available on the day of the tour at Trinity Episcopal Church, 6587 Upper York Road, Solebury, Pa., beginning at 9 a.m. For information, call (215) 297-8285. On the Web: www.trinitysolebury.org/housetour.html

