The Rural Voice, 2001-03, Page 35Home Decorating
Edison's estate a showplace of history, architecture, gardening
By Patti Robertson
By now my regular readers know
how much I truly love historic
homes. There is so very much to
learn from how people thought, lived
their lives, where and how they chose
to abide, what attracted them to the
area they settled in and how they
progressed throughout their life. Such
was the case in discovering the
Winter Estate of Thomas Edison in
Fort Myers, Florida.
While Ward and I were
vacationing we once again went in
search of another man's dreams
seeking out interesting architectural
settings where often the rich and
famous lived and played. (These
explorations have brought great value
to my knowledge of interior design.)
As a designer it is of utmost
importance to understand the lineage
of architectural accomplishments and
detailing, and history of furnishings,
accessories and household stylings.
How can anyone know how to
decipher today's home fashion
features, and create a suitable
room/home decor, with everything
being made available to us so rapidly
from all over the world, if one has no
sense of the history of housing and
furnishings? Therefore, I'm
continually studying the past.
The Edison Estate, Seminole
Lodge, is open to the general public
(and right next door is the Henry
Ford Winter Estate). The tour is a
mere $15 U.S. And gals, this is a
great excursion for both you and
hubby. With Edison's chemical
laboratory preserved and open to the
public just as he left it — test tubes,
bottles and apparatus remain set out
at tables awaiting the Genius' return
— in combination with a complete
museum of his inventions — light
bulbs, curling irons, the phonograph,
talking dollars, the kinetoscope,
rubber, etc. There's something of
interest to any family.
And for the avid gardeners, this
estate is a must see. There are 14
acres of many of the most unusual
species from the world over, plus
tropical and sub -tropical plantings, all
growing vigorously. There are trees
and plants here that I personally had
never even heard of before ...
fascinating and beautiful ...
producing wonderfully exotic florals
and fruits. Their botanical gardens
like everything that Edison did,
served several purposes ... fruit and
veggies provided
a bountiful
harvest to
entertain family
and guests and
the blooming
plants coloured
and perfumed the
air and most
importantly the
variety of
plantings
provided Edison
with material for
his extensive
botanical
experimentation.
Outside his lab, one is awe struck by
Edisons' Banyan tree, given to him
by Harvey Firestone, the tire/rubber
connection in 1925, the tree was four
feet high and six inches round. Today
the tree boasts a circumference of
390'. Wow!
My favourite feature of the
gardens is "Friendship Walk", which
is comprised of stepping stones
which lead from the modest front
gates of the estate up to the front door
of the home. Many of the stepping
stones were given to the Edisons and
bear the names of the donors and the
dates they were guests of the Edisons
– names such as Harvey Firestone,
Henry Ford and John Burroughs. This
is a unique idea any one of us could
incorporate into our own gardens
with great fun and meaning. So,
meandering up "Friendship Walk"
one arrives at the front door of Mina
and Thomas Edison's home.
Rambling and gracious, the house
has many innovations which are still
not common in most homes today.
The inventive genius of Edison is
evident throughout, and the grace,
charm, and patience of Mina abound
within.
Spacious rooms, generous porches
and the Edisons' much -loved wicker
furnishings are just as the Edisons left
them. The home boasts 10 handmade,
beautifully detailed brass chandeliers
and electreliers, no two alike. The
dining room features Early
American -styled furnishings and
handpainted china along with a silver
tea service. There is a beautiful
platter on display featuring a "turkey"
motif created by artist and
correspondent for Harper's weekly
Theodore Davis. Davis also created
matching platters which can be seen
at the White House and the
Smithsonian. How I would have
loved to have been invited to dine
with these incredibly knowledgeable
and talented people. Dinner
conversation no doubt would have
been premium.
Edisons' airy bedchamber features
a wonderful lattice, floral and ivy
motif in delicate pinks, blues and
greens on an off-white background,
very reminiscent of the times. There
is a stately red brick fireplace to keep
the chill at bay. Guests, family
members and the Edisons' much -
loved grandchildren had
accommodations in the guest house,
which attached to the main home via
a spacious verandah which by its
design assisted in providing cooling
ventilation. Although the stylings are
of the 1800s period, every detail
within the home is tasteful, subtly
colourful, cheery in presentation and
richly stated.
Mina adored birds, keeping cages
of canaries, parakeets and parrots
outdoors year round. She was known
to nurse sick feathered friends,
lovingly nurturing them back to
health.
The estate features one of
Florida's first modern swimming
pools ... constructed of course. from
Edison's Portland Cement. It is seven
feet deep and was built to entertain
his kids and grandkids and of course
the ever popular guests. Edison
himself felt that for himself "mental
exercise" was all that he required.
Needless to say there is more to
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