Greenwood Gardens History

A Private Estate

In the nineteenth century Greenwood Gardens was home to the Feigenspan family, who were prominent brewers in Newark. In 1906, the estate was sold to Joseph P. Day, a leading New York City real estate auctioneer, and his wife Pauline Martindale Pope Day. After the existing home on the property was destroyed by fire in 1911, Day commissioned architect William Whetten Renwick AIA (a partner in the architectural firm of his uncle, James Renwick, Jr.) to design a new house and gardens, which he named Pleasant Days. The estate featured a 28-room Italianate mansion built by the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company of New York City, renowned for its work on Grand Central Terminal and Carnegie Hall.

Pleasant Days was in its prime in the 1920s and 30s, when it was the scene of many parties for the Days' large family. With stone pavilions tucked discretely behind plantings, shady grottoes decorated with Rookwood tiles, and sunny lawns surrounded by beds of peonies, iris, and mixed borders, the garden was also a quiet retreat for the family. Following Mr. Day's death in 1944, the 70-plus acre estate was subdivided and sold at auction. Robert E. Havell of Morristown acquired 26 acres of the property, including the mansion and gardens. The remaining property, including two cottages and a carriage house, was sold separately.

In 1949, Peter P. Blanchard, Jr., and his wife, Dr. Adelaide Childs Frick Blanchard, purchased the house and gardens as a country retreat where they could enjoy riding and other outdoor pursuits. By this time, the Day house had deteriorated significantly, so the Blanchards replaced it with a smaller house in the Colonial Revival style. They changed the name of the estate to The Greenwoods, after the home of a Blanchard family ancestor. The house was designed by Lewis Weeks AIA of Lawrenceville, NJ, with modifications by D. Wentworth Wright, AIA of Maplewood, NJ.

The Blanchards kept the original Day-era gardens, adding their own ornaments and plantings. After Mrs. Blanchard's untimely death in 1956, Mr. Blanchard continued to expand the gardens. With an eye on the distant future, he reassembled the property once owned by Joseph Day that had been purchased by separate owners in the 1940s. Once again the gardens were whole. Mr. Blanchard then donated more than 48 acres of his property, including the rolling meadow that was once the golf course of Pleasant Days, to Millburn Township for the establishment of Old Short Hills Park.

In the formal gardens, Mr. Blanchard planted grand allees of sycamore trees stretching out into the wooded hillsides and meadows. Two ponds were dug and a wildflower meadow planted to attract wildlife. He sensitively retained many characteristics of the Day-era landscape, while creating a formal European-inspired garden. This vision is now the legacy of Peter P. Blanchard, Jr.

A Public Garden

Following the death of Peter P. Blanchard, Jr. in December 2000, Peter P. Blanchard III, and his wife, Sofia, honored Mr. Blanchard, Jr.'s wish for the long-term preservation of the property. With the help of the Garden Conservancy, community activists, and supporters, a nonprofit organization was formed to own, restore, and manage Greenwood Gardens.

Led by dedicated and experienced Trustees and staff, Greenwood Gardens is now a center for the study of nature, historic preservation, conservation, horticulture, and artistic expression.

Greenwood Gardens is one of only 16 gardens endorsed by the Garden Conservancy, a national nonprofit that helps exceptional private gardens become public entities. The Garden Conservancy has provided Greenwood with invaluable technical assistance and visibility during its transition from a private property to a public entity. The Garden Conservancy does not fund or manage Greenwood Gardens.