Phoenix House Historic Garden

Location: Next to the Phoenix House on Main Street

Description:

The Phoenix House Historic Garden is a beautiful nature escape located in the heart of Mendham Borough. It includes brick paths, numerous benches, statues to gaze at, and flowers to admire. This makes it a wonderful spot to meet a friend for coffee, walk during a lunch break, bring a book to read, or enjoy a quiet moment. It truly is a treasure waiting for you to explore. A detailed look at the transformation and recent history of the garden can be found here.

History:

After the Phoenix House was donated to the Borough in 1937, the Mendham Garden Club (founded in 1932) received permission to embark upon a major project by creating a Phoenix House Garden. By 1939, Mayor William Cordingley and landscape architect Martha Brookes Hutchinson designed the garden and work had begun. A second large undertaking began in 1942 when the area at the Oak Tree Triangle (Cold Hill and Route 24) was cleared and planted. Both areas were greatly improved in 1969, and recognition came to the club in the form of three prestigious awards from the Sears Foundation for local beautification projects—the Triangle, Phoenix House, and Garabrant Center. Another award from the Sears Roebuck Foundation was received in 1971.

Nowadays, the Mendham Garden Club is an eclectic group of resident volunteers that maintain the Phoenix House Historic Garden and the "Welcome to Mendham" Entrance Garden at the intersection of Cold Hill Rd and Main St. The club is a "working" gardening club and is busy from spring through fall planting flowers, weeding beds, and pruning shrubs in the gardens under its care. They also decorate the Oak Tree Triangle in the fall with mums and pumpkins. New members are always welcome!

 

Sources: