Renovating the Four Mills Barn

Reimagining a Local Landmark

The Four Mills Barn, built in 1891, was designed by prominent Philadelphia architect of the Gilded Age, Horace Trumbauer, who is known for designing gentleman farms of the region and numerous iconic institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jefferson Medical College, Free Library of Philadelphia, Keswick Theatre and much of the campus of Duke University. The barn was part of a 93-acre estate called “Abendruh,” the mansion—which no longer stands—was built across Morris Road. The Barn has been Wissahickon Trails’ headquarters and community education space since 1976 when it was acquired from Natural Lands. No longer housing chickens, goats, pigeons and horses, the Barn is a regional landmark and treasured community space. The last update to the Barn was in 1982, when the second-floor loft was created as a community space and offices built on the first floor.  

Today, the Four Mills Barn is a great environmental education asset for the public hosting school and public programs throughout the year.  In addition, the Four Mills Barn is positioned as a gateway to the Green Ribbon Trail as it passes through Four Mills Nature Reserve, right along the Wissahickon Creek.  Visitors that come to hike on the Green Ribbon Trail can visit the Barn to get trail maps, water, and use the bathrooms. In 2020, on a weekend with beautiful weather, we counted more than 600 trail users at the Four Mills Nature Reserve alone. With parking availability at this location, visitors can hop on the trail with ease. The Barn is also a short 15-minute walk from downtown Ambler, which is accessible vis SEPTA bus routes 94 & 95 as well as the Ambler Regional Rail station.  

Flood Resiliency 

With the anticipated increase in the intensity and frequency of storms in the mid-Atlantic due to climate change, it is critical that the Barn be renovated for flood resiliency. In addition to the existing concrete floors and raised outlets that were implemented years ago, we will remove all drywall and insulation from the bottom 3 feet of all first-floor walls and install water-resistant insulation and cover it with removable, water-resistant wainscoting.  There will be no permanent furnishings on the first floor and storage spaces will utilize shelving no closer than 3 feet from the floor.   

Program Space & Accessibility 

By removing all offices from the first floor to the second floor, we have the opportunity to create a versatile and highly visible education and community programs space. This space will be seen by anyone entering the barn from the courtyard and will be used by thousands of people each year through programming, events, school groups, and other community organizations.  

The second floor will house additional gender inclusive bathrooms, which is a necessity for the number of visitors that attend the variety of events and education programs held at the Barn. The second floor will also have a conference/community room overlooking the Wissahickon Creek. This will provide a dedicated space for meetings and events for both internal and external partners. The creek side wall of the conference/community room will be made entirely of windows, offering guests a unique view connecting them with the Wissahickon Creek and Four Mills Nature Reserve.  

Overall, this renovation will improve accessibility of the Four Mills Barn with updated, wheelchair accessible entrances and bathrooms available on each floor.