Issues at Painters Folly

When George and Helen Sipala owned Painters Folly, there were maintenance issues. The issues were so costly that they were thinking about selling the property in the mid-1990s, 20 years after moving in. But their friend, the late Andy Wyeth, bailed them out paying what was needed to fix up the place.

Chadds Ford Township bought the property from the Sipalas in 2018 and now the supervisors are feeling the need to fix it up to the tune of almost $86,000.

According to township Manager Matt Baumann, the roof is in bad shape, there’s deterioration along the porch and there are compromised beams. “But it’s not life-threatening at this point. This is preventative maintenance,” he said.

The matter came up during the May 3 Board of Supervisors meeting when solicitor Mike Maddren asked that the issue be added to the agenda.  Supervisors Samantha Reiner and Noelle Barbone later voted to contract with Ferriera Construction to fix the old house at a cost of $85,965.

Samuel Painter built the house in 1857. It’s on Route 1 adjacent to the Brandywine Battlefield Park and was once the home of Howard Pyle when he was teaching illustration to N.C. Wyeth.

Other business

Supervisors also voted to authorize Baumann to apply for a $20,000 grant for a feasibility study for the preservation of Archie’s Corner at Ring and Bullock roads. The grant would be from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, a bureau within the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The township would have to put up 20 percent, or $5,000 if the application is accepted.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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