Autun (West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania)
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Autun | |
 Autun, January 2011 | |
   | |
| Location | 371 E. Boot Rd., West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°0′39″N 75°36′21″W / 40.01083°N 75.60583°W |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Edmund B. Gilchrist |
| Architectural style | Neo-Norman |
| MPS | West Whiteland Township MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003232[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 1984 |
Autun, also known as Meadowcourt, is a historic home located in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] Designed by the architect Edmund Beaman Gilchrist in 1928 and completed in 1929, it is a 1+1⁄2-story, French style, L-shaped country house.[3]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]
Located on Boot Road in Chester County, Pennsylvania's West Whiteland Township, the historic residence originally called "Autun" and now known as "Meadowcourt,"[4] 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.[5] Completed in 1929, it was subsequently owned by the Rush family for two decades before being sold[3][6] to the artist and architect Silvio Pietrinferni and his wife, Frances.[7]
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.[8]
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 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, imported by Mrs. Rush" and "required skilled pruning twice a year."[8]
Autun/Meadowcourt was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]
