Artist Known for Grand Treehouses to Build Structure at The Ponds Community in Summerville
September 19, 2012
SUMMERVILLE, SC – September 19, 2012 – An artist known for his unusual and environmentally-friendly treehouses, located as far as Puerto Rico and as close as Palmetto Bluff and Daniel Island, is building a new treehouse at The Ponds – a 1,950-acre master-planned community in Summerville. Greenwood Communities and Resorts, who owns The Ponds, has commissioned artist Wayne Edwards of Okatie to build the structure to surround a beautiful grand live oak tree in an area behind its historic farmhouse.
The new Ponds treehouse, which should be completed by the end of October, will provide three levels of play features for kids, including slides, ladders, swings and a lookout tower. Edwards designs all of his treehouses to incur no harm to the tree and to be built around the tree, allowing room for movement and growth.
Palmetto Bluff Treehouse
Edwards, who has worked with companies around the world, has built more than 40 treehouses in his career, including several at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton and one at Daniel Island. He is primarily a sculptor and is widely recognized for his sculpture of Neptune at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head, an iconic marker on the island. He also built a shrimp boat play area for Disney at the company’s Hilton Head resort.
Greenwood selected Edwards for the project after reviewing the options for commercial play equipment and not finding anything they felt was worthy of the historic site. “Each one of his treehouses is a work of art but is also very functional,” says John Morgan, community manager for The Ponds. “People young and old love to use them and we’re proud to be able to bring this quality of artwork to the town of Summerville and such a unique amenity to the residents of The Ponds.”
“I don’t know anybody who’s not attracted to treehouses,” says Edwards, who built his first treehouse at the age of 12 and still maintains a personal one in the jungle of Central America. “It’s the adventure of it – the Swiss Family Robinson feel you get from a treehouse. One of the biggest compliments is when a parent says they had to drag their kids kicking and screaming away from something I built.”
Treehouse under construction
Edwards and his team recently began work on the structure, including surveying the root system of the tree to ensure pilings to support the treehouse do not do any harm, pouring concrete and installing the initial pilings. The community plans to dedicate the treehouse at their annual Harvest Fest Oct. 28.
About The Ponds
The Ponds is a 1,950-acre master-planned community set between the town of Summerville and the Ashley River Historic District. In addition to a 1,100-acre nature preserve, residents of The Ponds enjoy the benefits of an on-site Summerville Family YMCA, EMS/Fire Station and several community parks. Greenwood has also set aside land for a proposed K-8 public school.
The Ponds’ residential offering includes custom home sites priced from the $70s and single-family homes priced from the low $200s. Community amenities include a pool, outdoor pavilion, 11-acre multipurpose field and a restored historic farmhouse, along with a outdoor waterfront amphitheatre and several neighborhood parks. To date, more than 10 of the soon-to-be 21 miles of community and conservation trails throughout the property have already been refurbished at the Ponds. In addition to the trails, there will be 38 miles of sidewalks connecting all areas of the community. For more information, call 843-832-6100 or visit www.DiscoverThePonds.com.
About Greenwood Communities and Resorts
Based in Greenwood, S.C., Greenwood Communities & Resorts has been a leader in the creation and management of award-winning residential and resort communities in the southeastern United States since 1978. Beginning with the award-winning Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C., and now including communities like The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Big Canoe near Atlanta and The Ponds in Charleston, Greenwood’s mission has always been to create memorable places that foster meaningful and fulfilling lives. For more information, please call 843-785-1106 or visit www.greenwoodcr.com.
