Linda Manzo

Q: Please tell us about yourself and what you do. 

My name is Linda Manzo, and I am restoring the Cornell Manor. My husband and I bought the property in 1967. When we first stepped inside of the manor back then it had been vacant for a couple of years, was full of rodents, broken windows, and falling apart in many ways. The developer of Windmill Village at the time was preparing to tear it down. He let us take a look at it and when I stepped inside, I instantly knew that this was my forever home. We bought it that night for $24,000. The house had 8 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. From the day we first stepped into this home, it has been my passion project.

The house was originally owned by the Cornell family and was built with a watch tower so that in the early days the family could spy on their cousins and see whose crops would come in first. In 1848 the artist Quaker Edward Hicks was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Cornell farm. This painting is now in The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. When the Cornell’s youngest son Theodore inherited the farm, he tore down the original homestead in 1885 and built what is today called “The Cornell Manor”. This home is now part of the Bucks County Historic Conservancy. It is such a wonderful part of our history.

When we moved in, I wallpapered every room in the house myself. I worked on this house for 19 years. My 5 children, Michael, Mark, Molly, Matt, and Michele, all grew up in this home. We were the home that all of the kids came to hang out at because we had the sledding hill, tree forts, and a pool. Even now many of their friends come by to say hi and reminisce on memories of growing up in the neighborhood.

When my children all grew up and moved out, as an empty nester, I decided to pass along the Cornell Manor to someone who would love it and maintain it the way that I had for all of those years. I sold it to a newly married couple who were looking for a vacation home away from their busy lives in Manhattan. (no kids no pets) and they took beautiful care of this special home! They eventually sold the home in 2005 to a family with many kids and dogs. One night while they were living there my daughter’s best friend called me in the middle night And said, “Mrs. Manzo there is something wrong at your house!”. She told me there were fire engines all around the grounds. Eventually, the home went into foreclosure then the sheriff sale. After that I had my realtor take me through the house. I cried as I walked through because of all the damage that had been done. The beautiful home that I had worked on for nearly 20 years was now unlivable. I knew that I needed to take my home back. I naively thought that I could potentially buy the house back for a low price because of the damage, no A/C, and tiny closets. Unfortunately for me, someone else thought the same thing and was bidding against me. After a yearlong battle I won the bidding war in time for my 80th birthday in 2020 and with financial help from my children was able to buy it back.

When I acquired the house again it was in bad shape. Many of the windows had been broken, there was no functional kitchen and only one working bathroom. The whole house smelled of dogs and so much woodwork was ruined. The beautiful fireplace had been destroyed. I decided that I would restore the house back to its original Victorian style. I am the “general contractor” on the project and have been working on the rehab with subcontractors, friends, and family for the last 2 years. I have repainted every part of the inside. I used to paint for fun, but other than that I do not have any formal training. I have mostly learned as we went. My daughter Molly has been coming on most Saturdays to do the “heavy lifting” and the strenuous jobs I can no longer do. She and I have been furnishing the rooms with period pieces from Habitat Restore, thrift shops, internet giveaways, neighbors, family, and friends. Things have been really coming together beautifully. We had torn the carpets up and I subsequently needed 2 carpal tunnel surgeries from pulling up floor tacks. We have the walls back in their original location and refinished the beautiful floors. I am also planning to restore the barn behind the house and turn it into an art studio.

Q: What are your plans for the house?

My family will likely reside in the house most of the time. The opportunity to live in the house my family grew up in is highly sought after in our family. My kids debate off and on about who will get to live in the house when they retire. One thing is for certain though, this home will be staying in our family forever and ever. Whenever family comes into town, we stay at the house together and it is big enough for holidays. It is wonderful to see all of the generations love it as I have for all of these years. I want my kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren to feel comfortable here because it will be their house one day. In the meantime, I hope to soon be able to offer the manor as rented space for small wedding parties, showers, family reunions, and non-profit fundraisers. We are hoping to do an open house to share the property with the community in the Spring.

Q: Do you like to travel? 

Over the years I have participated in various mission trips. I was in Nicaragua in the 80s during the Contra wars with Witness for Peace. I also traveled to El Salvador in the 90s during their civil war. The last time I really traveled was a trip with some women from my church to work with immigrants in Arizona. I do adore getting to see my kids and grandkids though, so I do travel to see them and spend time with them. I am soon going down to Florida to visit my son Mark. Other than that trip and the house, I enjoy just spending time with my cat Mario. He is great companion for me!

Q: What advice would you give to people?

Follow your heart, trust your instincts, and love your kids and grandkids unconditionally.