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Community Public Program Brainstorming Session

Registration Link – Click Here

Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: The Venetian Social Club
Cost: Free

Join us on Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day) from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Venetian Social Club in Chestnut Hill for a community brainstorming session.

Timed with Earth Day—a day rooted in action, advocacy, and local engagement—this session is a chance to share your ideas for programs focused on history, architecture, open space, and community life. Your feedback will help shape the next season of Ask the Experts and Discovering Chestnut Hill, building on what we heard in last year’s strategic planning survey.

You’ll also be invited to vote on program ideas developed by staff and our Program Committee. Depending on interest and feasibility, we expect to move forward with one Ask the Experts and one Discovering Chestnut Hill program this fall, based on the results.

Registration is not required, but appreciated.

Take a Walking Tour of Tourison

Date: May 10, 2025, Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Location: Meet outside at Lovett Library, 6945 Germantown Ave
Registration Fee: $34.00

Ashton Tourison, Sr., was born in Mt. Airy in 1851 to a former captain in the Civil War. Beginning in the 1870s, he had a grand vision for and confidence in the future of Cresheim, which was eventually renamed Mt. Airy. In approximately 1904, he purchased 125 acres between Chew and Stenton Avenues, from E. Durham Street to Meehan Avenue, and advertised his plan for Sedgwick Farms as “stone-built homes, planned on an architectural idea that makes each different from the other, yet in perfect harmony with all.” Along with creating timeless beauty, he provided practical houses that incorporated the core values of space, air, light, comfort, and good taste. With these core values in mind, this walking tour will tell the story of Ye Sedgwick Farms Company, comprised of Tourison, together with his four sons. This singular family’s vision has provided us with a legacy of beautiful, enduring architecture, consisting of a variety of designs primarily in the Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Neo-Georgian, and Victorian styles.

Elise Rivers, Esq., M.Ac worked in the field of historic preservation as Assistant Director of Preservation Worcester in Massachusetts and Executive Director of Landmark West, a historic preservation non-profit advocating for the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her passion for beauty in architecture has never waned, and she was inspired to put together this walking tour after living in and loving her own Tourison home.

“Private Gardens of Philadelphia – Lost and Found” lecture with Nicole Juday

Date: Wednesday, April 9, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Location: Hybrid (Limited in-person seating in Chestnut Hill, virtual attendance available)
Registration Link: Click HERE for virtual registration
Registration Fee: $15 for Conservancy Members, $25 for Non-Members

Join us for the first installment of our 2025 Discovering Chestnut Hill series on Wednesday, April 9, for “Private Gardens of Philadelphia: Lost and Found,” featuring author and garden historian Nicole Juday.

This hybrid event will take place on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, offering both limited in-person seating and virtual attendance. The in-person program will run from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, while the lecture will begin at 7:00 PM for all attendees. It will be followed by a moderated Q&A led by Conservancy Board Member and landscape architect Rob Fleming. The Q&A will begin around 8:00 PM.

The Philadelphia region is home to more historic private gardens than any other part of the United States. In this engaging talk, Nicole Juday will explore remarkable gardens featured in her recent book, Private Gardens of Philadelphia, highlighting those that have survived against the odds and what they reveal about Philadelphia’s rich social and cultural history. These gardens—hidden behind tall hedges, nestled in bustling neighborhoods, or tucked away down quiet lanes—reflect generations of stewardship, dedication, resilience, and horticultural artistry.

The event will feature breathtaking photography by Rob Cardillo, showcasing the beauty and diversity of these private landscapes, from meticulously maintained estates to gardens that have adapted to environmental and urban challenges such as development pressures, flooding, and deer.

Registration:
Advance registration is required. In-person attendance is limited and expected to fill quickly. Virtual registrants will receive a link to join the event remotely approximately one day in advance of the program.

Space is limited for the in-person attendees; sign up today!

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s public programming is made possible through the generous support of our Lead Sponsor, Chubb, General Sponsors, Event Sponsors, and members. John B. Ward proudly serves as the 2025 Discovering Chestnut Hill Event Sponsor, while E.G. Rall Landscape Design is our 2025 Supporting Event Sponsor.

For more information, please get in touch with Chrissy Clawson at Chrissy@CHConservancy.Org or 215-247-9329 x 108.