Overlooking the Delaware River in Historic New Castle, the 14,000-square-foot Read House is preserved as a National Historic Landmark and a beacon of design inspiration. It was completed in 1804 for George Read II, son of one of Delaware’s signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, with 2.5 acres of historic grounds developed between 1848 and the 1930s. Between 1920 and 1975, Philip and Lydia Laird’s colonial-revival vision for the Read House & Gardens became known across America through dozens of magazines from Town & Country to Mademoiselle. Visitors today find their own meaning in the space through indoor and outdoor tours, artistic collaborations, social events in the gardens, and a variety of programming.