What Will Become of the Willows Mansion?

People call the Willows estate and mansion “a diamond in the rough,” and like a diamond, it costs money.

The Willows mansion rental facility has been running in the red for at least four years, prompting owner Radnor Township to rethink the former estate’s operation.

According to documents from the finance department, last year the mansion operated at a $22,494 deficit.

There were $316,535 in revenues and $251,146 in expenditures on the mansion, but there was also $87,000 transferred from the township’s general fund into the Willows fund as part of the annual budget.

In 2009 it operated at a $30,876 deficit ($90,000 was transferred in from the general fund). In 2008 and 2007 the operating deficit was $10,656 and $56,004, according to the township (there were no transfers from the general fund).

Bob Zienkowski, manager for Radnor, said the township is looking to operate the mansion “more efficiently” through a private operator or some type of partnership.

The township has not taken bookings for 2012, but will start to now, said John Nagle, a Radnor commissioner who sat on the township’s Parks and Rec board for many years.

Although officials have spoken with multiple organizations about taking over care and control of the building, it looks as if a hand-off is not ready.

Whoever operates the mansion, Nagle said he still wants it to be used for events to some extent.

A catering company has made a presentation to the Parks and Rec Board on taking over its operations. In order for a for-profit company to run it, the zoning on the property would have to be changed or a variance would have to be acquired.

In any case, a “significant investment” needs to be made to the house and estate roads, Zienkowski said.

In 1910 the Rose Garland estate was built including the mansion, the gatehouse and the duck house, according to a history of the estate by the Friends of the Willows Cottage.

The township purchased the property in the early 1970s.

According to the history from the Friends of the Willows Cottage, the mansion remains “incredibly intact architecturally. The interior configuration of rooms and hallways has remained intact. All doorways and window openings have remained original, despite some windows having been replaced.”

But the fact that it has changed little contributes to the fact that it is not paying for itself, township officials have opined over the years as the fund deficit has been discussed. The fact that the first floor is broken up into numerous small rooms makes certain rental types impossible, for example.

Still, even if the mansion ran in the black, Zienkowski maintains that operating an event space “is not typically in the realm of what a township provides in services.”

Two of Radnor’s neighboring townships also own event spaces, although one, Appleford in Lower Merion, is operated by a committee and is not supported with tax dollars.

Easttown Township’s converted 200-year-old farmhouse, Hilltop House has not covered its annual costs yet, said Michael Brown, assistant township manager.

He estimates that since 2006 it has probably averaged a $40,000 annual loss, but $23,000 of that is debt service on the house's portion of the bond issue that was used to make the house a viable commercial entity.  

From a strictly business standpoint, Brown admits that the house hasn't made a compelling case for itself yet, but he said they’re optimistic that they can increase bookings and revenue.

Plus, he said, the Board of Supervisors believes there is a point of honor involved since the house and 25 acres were donated to the township with a $250,000 bequest to help keep it up.  

Back in Radnor, Zienkowski said the township has heard all sorts of rumors about what will happen at the Willows, including one for a housing development.

He said that any kind of retail venture could be problematic for the site and neighborhood, but noted that a bed and breakfast there could be “interesting.”

Either way, “The township will never give that property up,” he maintained. “We hope to preserve that for years to come.”