The revitalization of the historic Winterthur Visitor Center includes the retooling of the visitor experience to begin from the moment one enters the property. Visitors are immediately enveloped with the history of Henry Francis du Pont’s working estate and treated to long views of the agrarian landscape—including a proposed orchard and apiary—along the newly clarified entry drive. Approaching the Visitor Center, guests experience a formal approach from the front through a proposed contemporary potager garden, with a view of a modern building floating in the landscape, just as du Pont intended. This landscape is conceptually rooted in the idea of the Three Natures: the first wilderness, the second agricultural, and the third gardens and parks. Safety, accessibility, and comfort for all visitors guided the design of an ADA compliant walkway that gracefully navigates the slope of the hillside. This project establishes welcome from the very beginning of the visitor’s journey, while elevating the historical significance of existing assets. Land Collective rewrote the physical narrative of the site so that invitation was the first thing visitors see.
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