It was designed by architect William Wayne, Jr. The Oakwell estate’s mansion was built was built in 1922. However, in December 2018 the school district elbowed out Villanova and voted in favor of condemning Bennett’s property. He intended to sell the sprawling estate to Villanova University to be used as a retreat. John Bennett, founder and CEO of Devon Medical Products, has lived there for 25 years. The Oakwell estate’s current resident, Dr. It sits within the Mill Creek, Gulph Creek, and Darby Creek watersheds and is home to abundant wildlife, including foxes, deer, great horned owls, white-tailed deer, and insects vital to the ecosystem. It is a curated arboretum containing heritage trees and gardens planted over 100 years ago. The Oakwell estate is not an abandoned, overgrown property. “The school district intends to cut down over 500 majestic old-growth trees on the Oakwell estate in Villanova for the purpose of creating auxiliary playing fields for Black Rock Middle School,” said Robbins, a member of Save Oakwell, a grassroots organization formed in 2018 to preserve the forest. Who doesn’t want to save trees? The answer in Lower Merion is surprising. | Photo: Michael BixlerĮvery Friday afternoon since February, Deb Robbins and other concerned neighbors stand in front of Lower Merion School District’s administration building holding signs that read “Honk if you want to save the trees!” Drivers respond enthusiastically. The entrance to the Oakwell estate and its 100-year-old arboretum in Villanova.
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