The clients wanted to add a swimming pool in the rear of their historic home, designed in 1928 by Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre. Unfortunately, the ground sloped up in several directions, leaving no apparent level area for this desired feature. The clients expected part of this slope would have to be carved out, and thus leveled it to accommodate the pool. They didn’t, however, expect Chuck Gale to suggest that they use the steepest ground in one corner of the backyard.
Now built, the pool currently sits approximately ten feet below the original grade. A high stone wall on one side and a two-story pool house (designed by Spence Kass) at one end, as well as its placement about three feet lower than the surrounding grade, give the pool area a sense of privacy and seclusion.
While it might have been simpler to site the pool elsewhere on the property, this particular location placed it near the family room and kitchen, with the adjoining terrace and gardens creating a fantastic nexus between the pool and the house.