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About Chanticleer

A Garden Designed by Gardeners

Chanticleer is a 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, educational public garden, maintain the Chanticleer House as a museum, and educate amateur and professional gardeners.

The Chanticleer Team

Full-time Horticulture Staff

Tim Erdmann, Przemyslaw Walczak, Scott Steinfeldt (Grounds Superintendent), Joe Henderson, Leirion Sorensen (Horticulture Manager), Dan Benarcik, Lisa Roper (kneeling), Joe Hicks, Nate Pinelli, Grant Hughes, Carla Hetzel (seated), Bill Stuart, David Mattern, Eric Hsu

Seasonal Horticulture & Grounds Staff

Standing – Phoebe Mack, Michael McGowan, Tom Maczko, Darian Guenther, Joshua Wallace, Cynthia Mead, Nara Smith

Seated – Fanny D’Onofrio, Maria Nolan (Intern), Benin Marshall, Alex Melian, Tim Snyder, Chessa MacGregor (Intern), Trinity Tobe

Not Pictured – Tyler Brown, Jake Cammarota (Intern), Anna DelVacchio, Andrew Galante, Ava Knudsen (Intern)

Visitor Services Staff

Back Row – Val Boyko, Cindy Pierce, Presley Schwinn, Kathy Bright, Sandy Gargus, Sheila Rohrer, Louise Foster, Jeff Thomas

Middle Row – Anne Rhoads, Karen Peterson, Susan Brutico, Lia Calhoun, Carol Mayer, Kate Sevensky, Kristin Scott, Carol Beers, B.J. Johnson

Front Row – Pilar Yeakel (Visitor Services Supervisor), Erin Dougherty (Public Programs Manager), Bekka Schultz Thorpe (Assistant Public Programs Manager), Sydny Hansen

Not Pictured – Hazel Hannaway, Christie Kenney, Cindy Mead, Cybele Tsao, David Nelson Wren

Administration and Facilities Management

Bill Thomas (Executive Director), Nancy Harris (Executive Assistant), Bryan Christ (Facilities Manager)

Not Pictured – Kari Scott (Bookkeeper)

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.

Adolph Jr. and Emily at Chanticleer, 1913.

Interior view of Chanticleer foyer, 1916.

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.