It’s been moved. It’s been split into two. Now, this historic house in the Ford Field and River Club has been reimagined in a manner worthy of its unique American legacy.
Written by KATHRYN DRURY WAGNER
Photography by ANDREW FRAZIER
INDUSTRIALIST HENRY FORD AND HIS WIFE, CLARA, first started buying land and property in Southeast Georgia in the 1920s, including the stately Cherry Hill House. The circa-1870s home served as their Lowcountry retreat for 12 years while they oversaw construction on their nearby 7,000-square-foot Greek revival mansion. Now called The Main House, that grande dame was completed in 1937 and today serves as the Ford Field and River Club community’s main gathering space. But what became of Cherry Hill House?
Rest assured, the home is getting its next chapter.
Trip and Ashley Addison had been eying Cherry Hill House for some time. “It wasn’t an eyesore, but it just wasn’t the beauty it deserved to be,” says Ashley. The home had been turned into a duplex and had then fallen into disuse. “We’d go by it and say, ‘If we could just get our hands on it,’ or, ‘What if the club bought it and did this or that?’ It was the potential of it that attracted us.”
The Addisons were already living in the Ford Field and River Club in Richmond Hill, where they had built two homes. They love the area’s outdoor recreation opportunities and sense of community. It’s a place where their two elementary-school-age children can come home, fling off their backpacks, and go have adventures with friends until supper time.
The couple first met as students at Georgia Southern University, where Trip now serves as vice president of university advancement. Trip has a degree in construction management and a master’s degree in business administration; Ashley is a CPA and the owner of her financial services company, Abbott Lane, as well as her design firm, Abbott Lane Interiors.
The Addisons put out some feelers, indicating that if the Cherry Hill House were to ever come to market, they’d be interested. And in 2022, the call came.
“When I received the call to list the property, which had unfortunately fallen into disrepair, I immediately knew Trip and Ashley were the perfect fit for the project,” says Kacey Howard, a realtor with Seabolt Real Estate/Christie’s International Real Estate. “They enthusiastically embraced the challenge of restoring this historic property, seamlessly blending modern elegance with its rich heritage. The renovation was a time-consuming and thoughtful endeavor, and the results speak for themselves.”
As the new stewards of the home, the Addisons sought to restore it back to a single-family home. “When we bought it, there were two kitchens, two stairwells — the house was completely divided in half,” explains Trip. So not only was the structure old, but they’d also have to move every single interior wall. Adding to the home’s unusual history, it had been moved around the Ford’s property twice; the Addisons believe the last time was in the late 1980s.
The couple set forth on their project with Erik Puljung, principal at Hansen Architects, with whom they previously worked on their new-build projects.
“I’d always seen this home as a sleeping beauty,” Puljung says, noting that he was familiar with it from having worked with other homes in the area. “It had a rental house feel; it didn’t feel like it had life in it.” In addition to his architecture degree, Puljung has a degree in historic preservation, giving him a special sense of appreciation for this older structure.
“The division into a duplex had been done in such a way that you couldn’t quite figure out the original floorplan,” Puljung says. “We took that as an opportunity to start from scratch.” He prioritized views from the home, which include lush, coastal scenes overlooking Lake Clara and the well-manicured greens of the Ford Field and River Club golf course, and moved the living spaces around accordingly.
To create additional living space, the center three bays of the back porch were enclosed. And a big “bump out” on the back added room for a gourmet kitchen.
Still, Puljung notes, the renovation continued in the character of the original home, keeping the significant components and authentic elements on the exterior, which allows it to feel integrated with the neighborhood.
Ashley and Trip’s past experience with building and renovation definitely helped. With a project like this, Ashley says, “It’s very easy to get in over your head. Whether it’s not realizing how big the project is or how much it will cost or the sheer number of decisions that have to be made.” She recommends reaching out to people in the trades to understand what you’re getting into before you dive in. But, she advises, “Don’t wait to renovate until you’re thinking of putting your home on the market. If you’re thinking of a renovation, even if it’s a small one, do it, so you can live with it and enjoy it. Do it for you.”
At the same time, Trip says, once you make the decision to do a renovation, time is of the essence. “We tried to really be on top of decision making to keep things on target,” he says. For example, they took delivery of their appliance package far in advance and stored it.
The renovations, which were completed in 2024, balanced the needs of a busy modern family with the home’s historical roots. The home is getting ready for another new chapter, too, as the Addisons have put it on the market. As much as they love Cherry Hill House, they love embarking on a new project even more.
DETAILS
- Homeowners: Trip and Ashley Addison
- Neighborhood: The Ford Field and River Club
- Year built: circa 1870
- Year purchased: 2022
- Timeline of renovation/construction: architectural work, 6 months; construction, 14 months
- Number of bedrooms: 4
- Number of bathrooms: 4.5
- Square footage: 4,215
- Architect: Erik Puljung, Hansen Architects
- Interior designer: Ashley Addison, Abbott Lane Interiors
- Builder/contractor: Brian Grant, Grant Homes
- Landscape architect: Wallace Milling, Milling Land Design
- Kitchen design: Ashley Addison, Abbott Lane Interiors
- Cabinets: Robin and Chris Brinkley, Brinkley Cabinets
- Countertops: Counter Fitters
- Appliances: Wolf and Sub-Zero sourced from Ferguson Enterprises
- Lighting: Visual Comfort & Co.
- Paint: Benjamin Moore
- Tile: Garden State Tile
- Hardwood floors: installed by Roma Hardwood Floors
- Drapery and roller shades: Lori Jacobs, Laurel Home Furnishings
- Fabric: sourced from Schumacher
- Windows/doors: Marvin Windows and Doors from Coastal Sash and Door
