Fairview Township home for sale includes garden listed by the Smithsonian Institution
If you ever wanted to own a 110-year-old Dutch Colonial home surrounded by a garden worthy of note by the Smithsonian Institution, now is your chance.
All you need is $990,000.
Built in 1914 by James McBrier as a summer residence for his family, the two-story home at 6721 Brier Hill Road in Fairview has been best known in recent years as the site of Blossom McBrier's impressive gardens. Each Memorial Day weekend, McBrier, who died in July at the age of 99, would open her gardens for public tours.
"People from as far away as Europe would visit to see all the rhododendrons," said Heather McBrier, McBrier's granddaugher-in-law and the listing real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Select. "They were part of the original garden when it was started in 1927, but Blossom really added to them."
Blossom McBrier and her husband, James, took over the property in 1967, after his mother died. They renovated the family summer home into a year-round residence, in part by enclosing the wraparound porch.
The couple also renovated the inside of the house over the next five years, creating a second-floor studio, updating the kitchen and building a back deck.
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"There hasn't been much renovation work since then," McBrier said. "It will be a bit of a project for the new owner."
James McBrier died in 1997. Blossom McBrier continued to live in the house until her death.
10-room house includes Murphy beds, servants' quarters
The 4,678-square-foot house includes 10 rooms, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. An addition, known as the Cape Cod room, was built in 1925 and includes two Murphy beds that are stored inside adjacent closets, McBrier said.
Part of the second floor was built as servants' quarters with a separate staircase, though McBrier doesn't know if that section was ever used to house servants.
"What I remember was all the family gatherings in this house," McBrier said. "Blossom would have 40 family members here for Christmas dinner and other events. She'd have a big table set up for everyone."
The nearly 12-acre property is technically split into two parcels, with the house and 6.65 acres listing for $990,000. It also includes a detached carport/gardening shed and a separate ceramic studio.
The rest of the property is also available for purchase, McBrier said.
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Garden listed by the Smithsonian Institution
It's the land that truly makes this property unique. Much of it was designed in 1927 by noted landscape architect Arthur Westcott Cowell, who established the Department of Landscape Architecture at Penn State University.
"Not only do you have these incredible flower gardens that Blossom expanded and maintained, you have a mini orchard, a vegetable garden and some of the oldest trees in the area," McBrier said.
Photos and a description of the garden are included in the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Gardens.
Due to the expansive garden and the renovation work required for the house, McBrier said the property needs a special type of owner.
"Perhaps it's a family from Pittsburgh or somewhere else who wants a summer residence," she said. "Or it can be used more as a public place, where it can host gatherings. It truly is a unique property with such a rich history."
Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ETNBruce.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fairview Township house has garden listed by Smithsonian Institution
