Page 19 - The Hunt - Winter 2019/2020

The living room is both elegant and cozy. (Opposite page and inset) One look at the stately foyer, and Anthony and Carrie Wedo were sold.
In 2008, Anthony and Carrie Wedo were searching for land in northern Delaware’s picturesque Chateau Country, a place where they could build a home for themselves and their two sons. They found 10 sylvan acres in Greenville that offered them privacy and lovely views. There was only one obstacle: the faded mansion sitting on the property.
Their real estate agent persuaded them to take a look at the house, so they stepped beneath the sagging front portico, whose pediment
is modeled after the White House’s façade,
and went inside. There they beheld a grand staircase and basked in the glow of sunlight streaming through large arched windows on the landing.
In that moment, they went from prospective builders to preservationists. “Something said to us that we needed to be here,” says Carrie.
A NEW DEAL
The Wedos loved the storied history of the house, which was built by Eugene
du Pont for his daughter, Aimee. Franklin
Delano Roosevelt visited what was then the 30-acre estate in 1937, when Ethel du Pont married the president’s son. Previous residents also included the Carpenter family, whose members are former owners of the Philadelphia Phillies and notable benefactors of the University of Delaware.
To restore it to its former glory, the Wedos commissioned a historian to research the house and grounds. “I’m a huge history buff,” Tony says. “We both believe in preserving the architecture from an era in history we will never see again.”
Tony studied vintage photographs at Winterthur, the nearby 150-room estate- turned-museum owned by Henry Francis du Pont. “I could see that the moldings in our dining room were the same as the moldings in the dining room at Winterthur,” he says.
The couple interviewed a number of contractors, but they struggled to find somebody that shared their vision of retaining as much of the original house as possible and replicating elements that couldn’t be saved.
LEADING THE CHARGE
Instead, Tony decided to act as his own general contractor. A seasoned CEO in the restaurant industry, he has succeeded in turning around troubled companies. Why not a house? Updating the mechanical systems for
the 13,000-plus-square-foot structure was essential. “We could see the needle spinning on the gas meter,” recalls Tony. “That’s how much gas it takes to heat a home this size.”
Combatting the costs, the Wedos installed geothermal heating and cooling. “It keeps us comfortable for 10-15 percent of our previous energy costs,” Tony says.
Throughout the house, crumbling walls were taken down. The Wedos brought in plasterers
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3801 KENNETT PIKE, GREENVILLE, DE 302.654.9941
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