West Orange Wedding Venue Is Home To A Secret Tree Sanctuary (PHOTOS)
WEST ORANGE, NJ — If you want a glimpse into what the Pleasantdale area of West Orange looked like before it was developed, look no further than the grounds of Pleasantdale Château.Located at 757 Eagle Rock Avenue, the popular event venue has hosted many weddings and other celebrations on its historically-designated 40 acres of woodlands, gardens and meadows. But for the past 28 years, there has been a side project in the works that has gained a fresh relevance as West Orange rolls out its new town-wide tree protection law.“Our goal is to re-introduce as many native species of trees back to the area as were once abundant when much of the Pleasantdale area of West Orange was forested – before it was even farmland,” owner Wade Knowles said.Knowles said that Pleasantdale Château started adding trees as far back as the 1990s when his family first acquired the property, and the effort has been a “continual labor of love.”“We’re proud of the ecological diversity that we have – nearly A to Z – from American Lindens to Walnut trees,” Knowles enthused.While its guests have been partying, the château’s proprietors have been busy with renovations. One of them? A new “Arboretum Conservatory” – the result of a five-year plan to convert an existing unused structure on the estate into an additional multi-use event space to host indoor wedding ceremonies, public events and educational seminars.After getting approval from the West Orange Historical Preservation Commission, the Knowles family began renovations that included intricate traditional timber frame construction, “adaptive reuse” of existing materials and the sourcing of other natural materials that were hand-picked from Europe and beyond – all in an effort to stay true to the period architecture of the château.After completing construction on the conservatory, the Knowles family kicked off the next phase of their plan: surround it with a combination of mature old-growth trees and newly-returned species that were known to have existed in the West Orange area centuries ago. As part of the arboretum project, the Knowles family have also added additional trees to practically every area of the property. Included among the plantings are the addition of new apple trees to its farm, expanding a small orchard that already includes pear, peach, plum and persimmon trees. “Many of the trees that we’ve successfully transplanted started their lives as nuts and seeds that we’ve grown in our greenhouse and continued as saplings in our farm fields,” Knowles said.Pleasantdale Château also has another connection to the days of yore: an estate farm that dates as far back as 1835 and has been in continuous operation since the Knowles family took ownership of the property in 1995.Through its several fields and greenhouses, the estate’s farm and grounds staff harvest thousands of pounds of produce each year (as well as honey from its bee hives) that the château’s culinary staff then incorporate in meals for guests of the estate.The farm is also used to propagate many of the flowering plants that are on display throughout the estate, as well as inside of the château’s orangerie. This formal display greenhouse is also host to potted trees that produce calamondin oranges, ponderosa and Meyer lemons, as well as key limes.Included among the estate’s collection of flora are an over a century-old pair of rare Dutch elms, nine different varieties of magnolias (including one grown from the seeds of a tree in the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, Italy), 10 species of oaks, a number of beautiful flowering redbuds, and countless others. Knowles’ efforts also include the restoration of the Northern spicebush (‘Lindera benzoin’) and pawpaw (‘Asimina triloba’), which were once plentiful in the region.Knowles said tree conservation has been a lifelong interest of his ever since he learned about the classification of tree species in his early teens. It’s a hobby that he has put to good use, identifying more than 60 different tree species on the estate so far – and marking them with placards for visitors.“We have some truly magnificent trees on the property that we’re often asked about, so this is a great way to help educate our guests about the wonderful diversity that we have here in northern New Jersey – and on our estate especially,” Knowles said.While there are currently no public tours of the estate available, local environmentalists can visit Pleasantdale Château’s website (pleasantdale.com) and join its mailing list to receive announcements of future public events.A view of the grounds at Pleasantdale ChâteauPleasantdale Château: A Brief HistoryWant to know more about the history of Pleasantdale Château? Here’s some background info, courtesy of the Knowles family:“In 1912, Charles Walter Nichols, a renowned industrial leader in New York City, purchased a number of contiguous Dutch farms in New Jersey. The farms and portions of the Château date to 1835, during the time of Andrew Jackson’s presidency and 30 years prior to the Civil War. They became known as ‘Pleasantdale Farms’ on which the Nichols established their new home to escape the rigors of city life. Mr. Nichols, who frequently traveled to Europe for business and pleasure, developed a fondness for the Norman architecture of Northern France and Southern England and thus retained Augustus N. Allen, an architect renowned for his great homes and buildings on Long Island and in New York City. Together, Nichols and Allen toured Europe seeking Norman-style buildings for inspiration that would shape the design of what is now Pleasantdale Château.”The Knowles family continued:“With the goal of having the expansive grounds visually support such a spectacular château, renowned landscape architect Augustus E. Furlong was tasked with incorporating pristine woodlands, multiple ponds with interconnecting streams, bridges, and meandering paths. Antique gazebos and formal gardens embellish the landscape and to this day are maintained by skilled tradesmen. After Mr. Nichols’ death in 1959, the house was left to the board of directors of his company, Allied Signal, for use as an exclusive corporate training retreat.”The Knowles family acquired the estate in 1995, with plans to “ensure that its elegance and rich history would remain intact.”Send local news tips and correction requests to [email protected]. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.The article West Orange Wedding Venue Is Home To A Secret Tree Sanctuary (PHOTOS) appeared first on West Orange, NJ Patch.
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