When The Broadmoor proposed transforming their beautiful 12,000 square-foot estate house into a space for events, weddings, or families to stay for a weekend, they had quite a bit of work ahead of them. The once luxurious historical estate had deteriorated over time, but The Broadmoor Estate House still had the potential to be restored into a mansion just as breathtaking as it was in the past.
The estate, which was constructed in 1930, has been called Gatsby-esque and the landscape renovation that Timberline Landscaping completed has certainly helped recall the era.
The History of The Broadmoor Estate House
The land was purchased from The Broadmoor in 1923, and the Estate House was built during the Great Depression for $60,000. The home was built for Thomas Harris Powers, a Pennsylvania native. He hired an architectural firm out of Boston – Frohman, Robb, and Little – to design the estate, and titled it “La Tourelle” for its turret on the front of the house. He owned the estate until 1949.
The estate was then sold to an Oklahoma man for $100,000, but was sold again 11 years later, and several more times after that. The estate then fell into despair and was bank owned until February of 2016, when The Broadmoor purchased it again and began the journey of bringing the estate back to life.
How did Timberline help?
Timberline was asked to help with the mansion’s landscape design, including grading, contouring, planting, and irrigation. Great care was taken with the design of the landscaping to maintain a formal style. The team designed the landscape with the “Gatsby style” in mind, which to the designers on the project, Elysa Engle and Ashley Stoever, was a fun challenge.
Many projects of this type today are created with curved lines and organic shapes, but this project was more symmetrical and linear. They used the past as their inspiration and evoked designs of beautiful, formal English gardens. They also pulled inspiration from The Broadmoor itself, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed Central Park in New York City.
The plant material was kept uniform with low, medium, and tall hedges. The croquet court was a request by The Broadmoor and provided an interesting and fun challenge to the team, as the grades had to be exact across the entire property, spanning 1.7 acres, while also taking into consideration drainage.
“I think that the final product turned out great! It was such a transformation from start to finish,” Engle said. “I still can’t believe how amazing it looks now that it’s all said and done.”
To see the overall project and Timberline’s work come to life, check out our time-lapse video:
For more information on how Timberline can transform your property, contact us today!
