After A 3-Year Restoration, Grace Opens New Historic Luxury Experiences

Grace Winery Opens New Vineyard Barn And Sweetwater House In Glen Mills

by Melissa Jacobs

Grace Winery, the award-winning winery and inn in Glen Mills, just opened two new historic luxury experiences: Vineyard Barn and Sweetwater House. The new barn and house are adjacent to the manor house, bank barn, private rental cottages, gardens and vineyard that form the 35-acre oasis created by the Le Vine family after they acquired the property in the 1990s.

Indeed, Vineyard Barn is an oasis within the oasis. Located, as its name implies, on the edge of the vineyard, the barn is reachable via a new road the Le Vines installed. Guests can drive through the vineyard to the barn, which will be used for parties and as a tasting room when the original, larger barn is booked for weddings and other special events.

At more than 1,200 square feet, Vineyard Barn can hold 90 people for a cocktail party and 60 people for seated events. “And in the warmer weather, we’ll have additional outdoor seating overlooking the vineyard,” said Christopher “Kiff” McNeil Le Vine.

Just steps from Vineyard Barn is Sweetwater House, a 3-bedroom house  with two wings – east and west – that can be rented separately. Or, the house can be taken as a whole. With living rooms, a dining room and full kitchen, Sweetwater House provides a different guest experience than Grace’s cottages and the inn rooms above its manor house. Sweetwater House is both more private and more of a gathering space, Kiff explained. “For a wedding, the bridal party may stay in this house while the other guests are on the main property,” Kiff said. “Similarly, for a corporate retreat, some guests may want more privacy, but they’ll have informal meeting space inside the house.” 

Sweetwater House and Vineyard Barn have the same magical feel as the rest of property, extending Grace Winery’s luxurious fairytale world. “But I always say that, at Grace, we are preserving history, and that’s a very important part of the story,” said Kiff’s father, Christopher Le Vine.

The history of the property dates to 1770, when Daniel Broomall purchased it from Simon and Sara Hampton, who bought it from Ephraim Jackson, the son of a British-born immigrant who arrived in the US in 1684 as an indentured servant.

Over the decades, other Broomalls inherited the property while making their mark on American history. In addition to serving in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, various Broomalls served as judges and other state and county officials.

The Broomall family held the property until 1915, after which it was bought and sold quite a few times until Walter and Jane Nason purchased it in 1956. Their daughter Deborah lived in the house until her death in 2020.  

Wanting the house and barn to be preserved, the Nason family approached the Le Vines about purchasing the property. While it made sense to take land that was adjacent to Grace, renovating the house and barn was a significant undertaking, Chris said. “It may have been more profitable to raze the structures and build new ones,” he said. “But that’s not in line with our commitment to this region and its history.”

Chris and Kiff worked with Peter Zimmerman Architects, the award-winning Berwyn firm, on what was an almost complete restoration of the barn. Renovations started in 2021, at which point the dilapidated barn consisted of mounds of dirt and wood beams aged by time and weather.

The Le Vines were able to keep the barn’s original timber framing; its stone and masonry are also original. But they dug about 8 feet down to add a ground floor and installed two bathrooms and a commercial kitchen. Topped with a new roof, Vineyard Barn also has new insulation and Hardie Board siding.  

Even more work was done on Sweetwater House. The floors are original, but the bathrooms are new, including floor tiling, walk-in showers and claw foot tubs. The kitchen is also new and features state-of-the art appliances and gorgeous cabinetry. Still, the house retains its historic feel, mostly thanks to the special touches – latches, cubbies, window seats and the like – that the Le Vines restored.

Chris and Kiff are also responsible for Sweetwater House’s décor. The father-and-son team selected the house’s furniture, linens, curtains, lamps and artwork – and a historic map of Scotland, a subtle nod to the McNeil-Le Vine family’s history. “We are honored to have our family be added to the long list of people who have cared for this historic property,” Kiff said. “We hope our guests love it as much as we do.”

For more information, visit Grace Winery’s website. Before you visit Vineyard Barn, check Grace Winery’s calendar for dates and times it is open.

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Where more of our region’s foodie news? Read about 9 Prime in West Chester, Life’s Patina Mercantile & Cafe in Chester Springs and Fiore Rosso in Bryn Mawr.

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