Fonthill Reflections

This weekend my wife and I toured Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with another couple. Although we have lived near this National Historic Landmark for more than 23 years we had never ventured onto the 60 acre property or inside the thick walls of this 44 room mansion. Construction began in 1908 by Henry Chapman Mercer when he was 52 years of age and concluded four years later. It is made entirely of poured reinforced concrete, including the roof, and presented many challenging construction obstacles for an era that did not have the benefit of CAD drawings or machines to assist with the work. While touring the building I reflected on a few lessons that I will share in the remaining paragraphs.

First, Mercer obsessively supervised construction of the project. While employing a small group of unskilled laborers to assist him, it was Mercer’s vision and knowledge that produced floor plans for each day’s work. He oversaw building forms, inserting steel reinforcements, designing the tiles that decorate vast portions of the interior walls and ceilings, mixing and pouring concrete, and many other activities. As a leader he maintained complete control and thus could take credit for the finished product. His employees became faceless recruits whose job was to do their boss’s bidding. One has to wonder what may have transpired if Mercer had collaborated with others to achieve his dream home. While his genius may be on display in each room of the mansion, so are his obvious eccentricities.

As the tour progressed I came to appreciate Mercer’s willingness to recycle and reuse what others were discarding as trash. Many of his bookcases and furniture are produced from former shipping crates. Some of the interior doors were adapted from other homes. While I disagree with many of the basic tenets of today’s modern environmental movement, I do believe in recycling and practice it in my own home. What is trash to one person looks beautiful and practical to someone else. In spite of his wealthy status, Mercer voluntarily chose to preserve and reclaim.

Not unexpectedly the mansion’s concrete walls often create a cold and dark environment. Mercer does make use of many large windows and outfitted his home with electric lights but the result is still less than inviting. The many tile mosaics covering walls and ceilings offer a plethora of visual stimulation to capture one’s imagination but are also distracting. Workplace environments matter and too often company leaders ignore this fact when designing their office and factory layouts. I can’t imagine living and working in Fonthill, although Mercer and his housekeeper spent many years there.

We often ignore the hometown treasures that dot our nation’s landscape. Sometimes these assets are buildings and open space; other times they are the special talents and culture of the people. Business leaders should do more to create and preserve a unique and distinctive environment so employees can prosper. They should reject Mercer’s need for control and invite collaboration from staff, customers, and vendors. Finally, they should protect and recover resources the business needs to be successful. You may not be building a Fonthill mansion but your efforts do impact the lives of those you encounter. Make that work a treasure too!