Glasgow Park

Design Preserves Historical Value and Maximizes Flexibility of Community Gathering Place

Problem

The Hermitage at Glasgow Park was a thriving agricultural complex and dairy farm until the mid 1960’s. The remaining cluster of barns, sheds, and buildings sat unused for decades as the land around it was repurposed the Glasgow Park recreational area. These dilapidated buildings became an unfunctional eyesore in an otherwise bustling park.

New Castle County wanted to repurpose a few of these historical farm buildings into a multi-functional space for community enriching events.

The buildings and surrounding land needed to be creatively redesigned to serve multiple purposes while preserving their historical integrity.

Solution

Master planning at the start of the project was crucial in developing a clear approach to renovations that would preserve the historical value of the buildings while maximizing the budget and use of the land. StudioJAED’s approach was to:

• Balance historical property value with future function of the space by identifying which structures to preserve and which to demolish
• Improve sightlines and recreational space by planning which trees to keep and which to remove
• Design new campus to seamlessly integrate with existing areas of the park via walking paths and roads
• Optimize vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow for higher anticipated volumes

Once the master plan was complete, StudioJAED engineers and architects worked together to:

• Complete exterior stabilization for the Main House
• Enhance the building envelope for Historic Barn to improve insulation and weatherability while maintaining historic appearance
• Convert an old building into a centralized maintenance facility for New Castle County
• Add restrooms to all facilities
• Ensure handicap accessibility and ADA compliance for all facilities
• Bring buildings up to modern fire and safety codes

Impact

Creative master planning for the historical barn buildings and surrounding campus maximized the flexibility for this new hub of community activity.

The multi-purpose space now hosts…

• Seasonal farmers’ markets
• Holiday events
• Arts & crafts festivals
• Meetings
• Live Music

StudioJAED’s unique combination of in-house engineering and architecture expertise made it possible to maximize building energy efficiency while maintaining aesthetic and historical nature of barn.