Closed for the Season – Opening Day April 1, 2026

About Chanticleer

A Garden Designed by Gardeners

Chanticleer is a contemporary pleasure garden shaped by world-class horticulture and a deeply welcoming visitor experience, just outside Philadelphia and centered around the historic Chanticleer House. Each area of the garden is designed and cared for by a dedicated horticulturist, resulting in exceptional plant combinations, inventive designs, and a landscape that continually evolves.

Architectural elements, such as handcrafted benches, gates, and fountains, reinforce the garden’s artistry and sense of place, seamlessly blending horticulture, design, and craft throughout the property.

Sit and enjoy the views. Relax, read, converse, or meditate. Feel the sun on your back and the grass beneath your feet as you listen to the birds and take in the scents of the garden. We hope you feel like a special guest of the Rosengartens.

Mission

Chanticleer is guided by a mission to operate the property as a beautiful public garden, maintain the Chanticleer House as a museum, and educate gardeners at every stage of learning. We fulfill our mission through world-class horticultural practice, a culture of experimentation, and programs that support emerging and established professionals. In doing so, Chanticleer is both a place of joy and refuge for visitors and a living classroom for those shaping the future of horticulture.

The Chanticleer Team

Full-time Horticulture Staff

Bill Stuart, Grant Hughes, Scott Steinfeldt (Grounds Superintendent), Eric Hsu, Przemyslaw Walczak, Dan Benarcik, Leirion Sorensen (Horticulture Manager), Lisa Roper, Tim Erdmann, David Mattern
Not Pictured – Joe Henderson, Carla Hetzel, Joe Hicks, Nate Pinelli

Seasonal Horticulture & Grounds Staff

Phoebe Mack, Andrew Galante, Darian Guenther, Whitt Van Tassell (Intern), Trinity Tobe, Noah Meanix (Intern), Alex Melian, Adam Banks (Intern), Fanny D’Onofrio, Tim Snyder, Quinn Conroy, Ennis Sigler, Cynthia Mead
Not Pictured – Tom Maczko, Michael McGowan, Terry Struve, Joshua Wallace, Allie Wornell (Intern), Ernie Weller (Intern)

Visitor Services Staff

Pilar Yeakel (Visitor Services Supervisor), Louise Foster, Val Boyko, Sheila Rohrer, Carol Mayer, Hazel Hannaway, Cindy Pierce, Sandy Gargus, Christie Kenney, Susan Brutico, Presley Schwinn, Carol Beers, Lia Calhoun, Rebecca Drury, Jeff Thomas, Cybele Tsao, Kate Sevensky, Kathy Bright, B.J. Johnson, Karen Peterson, Erin Dougherty (Public Programs Manager)
Not Pictured – Cindy Mead, Anne Rhoads, Bekka Schultz Thorpe (Assistant Public Programs Manager)

Administration and Facilities Management

Bryan Christ (Facilities Manager), Kari Scott (Bookkeeper), Nancy Harris (Executive Assistant), Yvette Weaver (Planning & Engagement Manager), Bill Thomas (Executive Director)

History

Chanticleer began as the country home of Adolph Sr. and Christine Rosengarten, designed by architect Charles L. Borie with terraces by landscape architect Thomas Sears. Their son, Adolph Jr., and his wife, Janet Newlin, both avid gardeners, shaped the landscape through horticultural experimentation and a deep sense of place. Their vision combined artistry, craft, and careful stewardship, a tradition that continues to guide the garden today.

Adolph Jr. preserved the Chanticleer House as a record of family life while expanding and refining the garden. He established the Chanticleer Foundation and ensured that the estate would one day be shared, leaving the property to develop a garden for enjoyment and education. Chanticleer opened to the public in 1993 and continually evolves under the vision of its horticulturists and staff.

The Rosengartens believed that “to create a garden is to search for a better world,” a founding principle that inspires the garden’s evolution and its mission of beauty, education, and horticultural excellence.

Explore our Historical Timeline

Powers-Weightman-Rosengarten Co., East Schuylkill Falls, circa 1905.

The Rosengartens: Adolph Sr., Christine, Adolph Jr. and Emily, circa 1909.

Young Emily and Adolph Rosengarten Jr., 1910.

Christine Rosengarten and her two children, Emily and Adolph Jr., 1911.

View of Chanticleer House from Church Road, 1913.

Interior view of Chanticleer foyer, 1916.

Adolph Jr. and Emily at Chanticleer, 1913.

Adolph Sr. sitting on the Chanticleer covered porch, 1916.

A group enjoying the Chanticleer terrace, 1916.

Adolph Sr. and Jr. on the Chanticleer terrace with friends, 1916.

Emily and Adolph Jr. at Chanticleer House, circa 1920.

View from Chanticleer swimming pool, 1933.

Samuel Goodman (Emily’s husband) and daughter, circa 1939.

Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. and granddaughter, circa 1940.

Christine and grandson with homegrown apples, circa 1950.

Adolph G. Rosengarten Journal

The following are entries from a journal that Chanticleer founder, Adolph G. Rosengarten, Jr. kept from the years 1933-1988. He made daily notes about the property known as Minder House, now the site of the Ruin Garden. These journal entries include the accounts of plantings, building maintenance, and family events.