Autun, also known as Meadowcourt, is a historic home located in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by the architect Edmund Beaman Gilchrist in 1928 and completed in 1929, it is a -story, French style, L-shaped country house. ''Note:'' This includes It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

History

Located on Boot Road in Chester County, Pennsylvania's West Whiteland Township, the historic residence originally called "Autun" and now known as "Meadowcourt," was built at the behest of insurance executive Benjamin Rush, II (1898-1975), a descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and his wife, Muriel (Bishop) Rush (1901-1992). Planned for the Rush family by architect Edmund B. Gilchrest in the French country-style in 1928, it was based on the design of a chateau in Autun, France that Gilchrest had toured prior to receiving his commission from the Rush family. Completed in 1929, it was subsequently owned by the Rush family for two decades before being sold to the artist and architect Silvio Pietrinferni and his wife, Frances. Sold to Marcia Green during the early 1980s, portions of the historic home were rented out to various tenants by the middle to latter part of that decade, including to musician Kit Stewart.McDyre, "Townhouses planned near Autun mansion," ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', January 31, 1988, p. 353. In early January 1988, Autun/Meadowcourt became the subject of media coverage when area newspapers reported that the historic property had been proposed as a site for townhouse development by the KAT Partnership of Exton, Pennsylvania. Developers had signaled their intent to the West Whiteland Planning Commission to divide the house into two units and build several townhouses on the mansion's north side. Representatives of both the planning commission and the West Whiteland Historical Commission expressed concerns regarding the project's potential impact on the property's existing lawn and landscaping, as well as on the historic chateau itself. According to ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', the mansion, which faces Boot Street, "across a terrace and broad lawn" had a "sloped slate roof and two high chimneys" which were "barely visible from the road behind a row of trees" in 1988.

Concord grapes The Concord grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species ''Vitis labrusca'' (also known as fox grape) that are used as table grapes, wine grapes and juice grapes. They are often used to make grape Jelly (fruit preserves), jelly, grape juic ...

grew "on gnarled vines across the front of the house, just above five French double doors and below five dormer windows." The property was also bordered by "European

linden trees ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain and Ireland they ...

, imported by Mrs. Rush" and "required skilled pruning twice a year." Autun/Meadowcourt was listed on the

in 1984.

Architectural features

Autun/Meadowcourt, a -story, L-shaped country house built for Benjamin Rush, II, is situated on roughly seven acres of wooded and landscaped property opposite from the Colonial Revival-style home of Rush's parents.Richards, "All About Autun," Claire Richards Realty Group, October 4, 2013. Accessed from Boot Road via a narrow, curved driveway leading which reaches around and behind the home to a

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

, it was designed in the French architectural style, and features a steep hipped roof with multiple rounded and gabled dormers, which were hallmarks of its architect Edmund B. Gilchrist. Other design touches visible from the front include

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

s, two chimneys and five French double doors. The main entrance, which is reached via a brick walkway at the back of the residence, opens into a large hall paved with white marble blocks that had been salvaged from Philadelphia's Hotel Colonnade prior to its destruction. Seven fireplaces were included by Gilchrist to ensure the comfort of the Rush family and their guests. During the late 1980s, the mansion still retained its original brass plumbing; its interior in 1988 was described by ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' as follows:

"To the left f the entranceis a
spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...
, carpeted in blue and flanked by a suit of armor. Beyond is a long formal dining room, decorated with original linen-backed wallpaper whose birds, ducks and flowers were hand-painted in China.
"Off the dining room, banks of glass-fronted cabinets line the pantry, which leads into the modernized kitchen and laundry. (Other than the kitchen remodeling, no structural changes have been made to the house since it was built, according to documents filed in 1982, when the house was submitted for inclusion on the National Register.)"

A narrow service stairway enabled servants to move easily between the kitchen and laundry room and their second-floor quarters, where an intercom box had been installed outside in the hallway. The study, which took up a significant portion of the mansion's first floor, was paneled with hardwood flooring, accessible by three French doors, and designed with a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling bookcases, two sections of which were designed to "

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

open, revealing secret passageways leading into the next room." The second floor's plan included four bedrooms and two fireplaces.

References

External links

*
Gilchrist, Edmund Beaman
(brief biography), in "Philadelphia Architects and Buildings." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, retrieved online October 7, 2019. * Hostutler, Mark.
Five Star Senior Living to Showcase Talent of One of Its Residents, a Former Architect and Artist
(profile of Silvio Pietrinferni, former owner of Autun). Chester and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania: Pivot.Today, June 26, 2019. {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1928 Houses in Chester County, Pennsylvania Neo-Norman architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania