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g Family, Food and Home
Set for a delightful summer meal, the wisteria covered bluestone patio, enveloped in a stone wall, is perfect for family meals or gatherings with friends. The outdoor kitchen offers a stone fireplace with a pizza oven, fireplace grill and stone sink embedded in a side wall.
Andrew and Mary Lou have built a wonderful life together. As a young married couple they started out in a little apartment in Bensalem Township. From there they bought a townhouse in Holland where they raised their two sons, Drew and Phillip. They had no thoughts of moving in their near future
and had completed renovations on their townhouse in 1979. The focus of that renovation was designing a new kitchen to satisfy Andrew’s passion for cooking. Fortuitously, it was around this same time that Andrew and Mary Lou heard about a property coming on the market. “We were not even thinking about moving,” he says. They did consider the possibilities.
Andrew confesses that he has carried with him a very personal dream of where he really would love to live one day. “I always knew I wanted a five-acre farmhouse on Jericho Mountain,” Andrew explains. Fate took its course and Andrew heard about this homestead on top of Jericho Mountain. Even though it was an inopportune time for the family to move, he was curious to see the property. “I called my realtor and Mary Lou and I went to see it,” adds Andrew. This property was not even officially on the market yet and the owner was actually thinking of renting it. For Andrew this property was what he had envisioned, with some land and privacy, as well
as the perfect location.
Sitting high above the landscape in Upper Makefield, on 13 acres, the home was a modest white stucco structure built in 1933. “It was the first cinder block house built in Bucks County,” Andrew adds. He explains that it was the home of Ralph Walker, son of Howard Walker, owner of Howard Walker and Son, an animal rendering plant established in the 1850s that removed dead animals. Ralph Walker built this house near the family business. With around 1700 square feet of living space, this home consisted of a living room, dining room, kitchen and powder room on the first floor and three second floor bedrooms. They made settlement in 1980 and moved into their new home. At the time
the house was a perfect fit for their little family. After living there for years, Andrew and Mary Lou decided to have an addition built. One factor that enticed them to expand their living space was Andrew’s passion for cooking. The tiny kitchen was not adequate. Andrew explains that they could have added much more but thought against it. “We wanted the house to be comfortable for us, “he says, “and we can always build other buildings for guests.”
Once the decision was made to build an addition, they knew immediately who was perfect for this project. Andrew and Mary Lou enlisted Andrew’s lifelong friend, Jim Hamilton, the former owner of the Hamilton Grille in Lambertville, to design the addition. Known as a visionary, and an expert in his design craft, Hamilton was well established in several other design-focused endeavors. In addition to being a restaurateur, Jim designed showrooms for several world-renowned
Opposite, for guests and family, the carriage house was constructed as a large stone and wood framed barnlike structure. Living space includes a great room, dining area, eat-in kitchen, private office, powder room and loft. There is also a one-story wing off the rear of the building with two more bedrooms. Above, a three-car garage also had a one-bedroom studio apartment. This space also doubles as an entertainment venue.
Top, the kitchen was designed like a commercial space with stations for prep, cooking and clean-up. The center island is topped with a 10” thick quarry cut black marble. Bottom left, dinner is almost ready. Bottom right, a view of the kitchen from the breakfast nook into the dining room on the left and the sun room on the right. Opposite, the dining room, in the original section of the house, flows from the new addition and the kitchen. Visually dividing the kitchen and the dining room is an antique buffet outfitted with a copper sink and six drawers.
fashion designers and window displays for Tiffany & Co. and Steuben Glass. As the owner and operator of Design Associates, he produced scenery for Broadway plays and built touring sets for David Bowie, Tina Turner, and the Rolling Stones. In the early 1980s, he opened Jim Hamilton & Company, an architectural design studio that designed restaurants, homes, and various commercial projects. Jim Hamilton’s visionary ideas began the blueprint for the addition to the Abruzzeses’ home. With the blueprints complete, they worked with local architect, Joe Belikiewicz, and Jim Mershon and Sons to build the addition.
In 1979 they started the project, with a plan to add a great room, kitchen, sun room and second floor bedroom. Several details were incorporated into the blueprint to orchestrate a blended transition from the original house’s footprint to the addition. The walls were built thicker to match those of the older part of the house. The floors in the great room and kitchen are oak hardwood to blend with the living room and dining room. One element that changed the feel of the home was the addition of many more windows in the blueprint of the newer rooms. With a more expansive feel, the addition was designed to add living space for greater comfort, accessibility and function. Most importantly, the kitchen was designed for optimum use.
oOpen and airy, the two-story great room is filled with natural light. This space showcases walls of Palladium windows. These towering windows were built by piecing together a series of windows from an old church that Jim found at Antique Artifacts. Andrew mentions that in one corner of this room they planned a floorto-ceiling library space. After adding an outdoor gathering and entertainment area, Jim persuaded them against creating the library wall. “He wanted us to look out onto the landscape and our patio and outdoor kitchen,” Andrew adds. This expansive space is filled with an interesting array of furniture and art pieces. Of note is the glass topped coffee table by Paul Evans, a mid century furniture designer. Covering most of the wall space, not only in the great room, is their extensive collection of local artists, another passion they share. Andrew and Mary Lou have covered the walls of all of their living space with landscapes, still lifes, portraits and some abstract pieces from local artists. Art pieces are on display from floor-to-ceiling in this two-story space.
Another eye-opening feature of this space is the new loft bedroom that floats over the kitchen area and overlooks the great room. Andrew notes that they enjoy the heat and aroma of the fireplace from above. This was another architectural design added in vision of the use of space.
Just beyond the great room is the new kitchen, clearly a chef’s delight, conceptualized and designed like a commercial space. “Jim created stations with one for prep, one for cooking and one for cleanup,” Andrew explains. Another feature of this space is accessibility of all cooking apparatus, supplies and ingredients. With few cabinets, an intentional design element, all that is needed to prepare a meal is at your fingertips. A cluster of well-used
Open and airy, the two-story great room is filled with natural light. Above is the new loft bedroom that floats over the kitchen area and overlooks the great room. The loft wall showcases many pieces form their collection of local artists.
pots and pans hang above the center island. In place of closed cabinets, a wall of open shelves displays all their spices, cooking ingredients, dishes and other necessary utensils. A focal point of the space is a massive 10-inch-thick black marble topped center island functioning mainly as a prep area with a few seats for gathering. Squaring off the kitchen’s design is another work island established as the clean-up area. This utilitarian space is topped with seamless stainless steel. A must for their new kitchen is the huge commercial oven with a charcoal broiler and six burners. Another added feature is a huge walkin refrigerator, in addition to the traditional one. The new kitchen is designed and built to meet the needs and vision of the Abruzzese’s love of cooking and gathering.
Gatherings large and small are focused in the dining room, in the original section of the house. This space flows from the new addition and the kitchen. Several details were added to the dining room to enhance this area of their home and blend the addition with the original living space. Visually dividing the kitchen and the dining room is an antique buffet. This piece is outfitted with a copper sink and six drawers to accommodate the necessary items needed to serve gatherings large or small. Again, the concept of functionality and ease is incorporated into this space. This original dining room now has additional elements allowing small family gatherings and entertaining on a grander scale.
Opposite, filled with natural light from the walls of windows, the sun room’s inviting setting is accented with brick radiant heat floors and a variety of plants. Top, a cozy corner of the great room is accented with floor-to-ceiling art and comfy seating areas. Bottom, in the home office, which was the original living room with a fireplace, there are a few notable pieces of furniture purchased from Nelson Zayes’ Blue Racoon in Lambertville. The desk is an all-glass mid-century modern piece.
In the primary loft bedroom, the expansive space is accented with an open beam ceiling. A cozy sitting area is perched in the left corner.
wWith the addition complete, they set as their next goal to add space for guests and family to stay. In 2005 they decided to tear down a chicken coup that was original to the property, and build a guest house. This large stone and wood framed carriage house, a barn-like structure, features a large living space including a great room, dining area, eat in kitchen, private office, powder room and loft. There is also a one story wing off the rear of the building with two bedroom suites, separated by a full sized laundry room. Years ago this carriage house was home to Mary Lou’s parents. Another structure is a three-car garage they had built in late 2000, which also had a one bedroom studio apartment. In 2020 they added a bluestone patio, surrounded by a stone wall and beautifully landscaped grounds. Perfect for family meals or gatherings with friends, the outdoor kitchen was designed with a stone fireplace that has a pizza oven, fireplace grill and stone sink embedded in a side wall. This addition created a perfect venue for outdoor cooking, gathering and entertaining. Cooking their signature meals and gathering with family and friends is at the core of their lives together. With food, cooking and entertaining in their blood, Andrew and Mary Lou had another life changing event in 1989. Andrew had an opportunity to enter into a partnership to purchase a local tavern. Owning a restaurant was something that he had envisioned in his future. Andrew talks about how both his grandfathers were chefs. “My family cooked everywhere,” he adds, “and I grew up cooking so I always wanted to own a restaurant.”He and his partner purchased the Pineville Tavern and have been going strong ever since. They have made many changes over the years, with expansions, new chefs and new menu items. They recently built a greenhouse to be their new garden dining area. Designed by Jim Hamilton, and filled with flowers and foliage designed by their friend and local renowned garden designer, Renny Reynolds, this newest addition to the restaurant has been a welcome addition to a local eatery and gathering spot.
Whether indoors, or on their patio, Mary Lou and Andrew are enjoying their tiny slice of Bucks County. They have established deep roots and longlasting relationships. With their sons and their families close by, their lives are full. And the restaurant maintains and nurtures their connections to family, friends and the community. v
Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.
