About Us – Bucks County Designer House & Gardens

CLICK HERE to watch our VIA President’s interview about the Designer House’s value to the community on 6ABC’s “Women to Watch.”

OUR CAUSE

Our cause is always the mission of the VIA: “to enhance the health and welfare of Central Bucks County and the surrounding communities.” We accomplish this through Doylestown Hospital (the hospital we founded in 1923 and still govern), the Doylestown Health System, and through our welfare, community recognition, veterans, scholarships, and other community support activities. To fund our work, the VIA held its first Bucks County Designer House & Gardens fundraiser in 1971. With community support and member dedication, this event is now the VIA’s largest annual fundraiser. It has allowed us to raise millions to benefit Doylestown Hospital, the Doylestown Health system, and our community activities.

The major beneficiary this year is the Interventional Radiology Center at Doylestown Hospital. Interventional Radiology (IR) uses medical imaging to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures that diagnose, treat, and cure conditions related to oncology, gastrointestinal issues, vascular interventions, pain management, and more. Medical imaging is a vital component in the diagnosis of many conditions, setting patients on the path to treatment, in many cases before any symptoms are detectable. Proceeds from the VIA’s 2022 House and your donations to ONE VISION: The Campaign for Doylestown Health will have an immediate and direct impact on the delivery of award-winning medical care in our community.

Click HERE to learn more about the relocation and renovation plans for the Center.

EVENTS

Oct16

Countdown to the 2023 Bucks County Designer House & Gardens!

The Village Improvement Association Of Doylestown

Since its founding in 1895, the VIA has been committed to enhancing the health and welfare of the community it serves. The VIA supports those in need, awards educational scholarships, provides community improvement grants, and much more. The VIA started a visiting nurse program for Doylestown and then founded Doylestown Hospital in 1923. For many years, the members did almost all of the non-medical work, including yelling up the stairs of the original 8-bed hospital to see if pork chops would be OK for dinner! The VIA still governs Doylestown Hospital and Doylestown Health as part of Doylestown Hospital and Doylestown Health Foundations: the chairman of the Boards is always an experienced, knowledgeable VIA member. But we are much more than that. Our mission-focused committees include Welfare, Women’s Scholarships, (adult scholarships), Education (high school scholarships), HOBY, Veterans, Community Response and Recognition, and Welfare. Click the link, below, to learn more about this active group of women.

LEARN MORE >

Doylestown Health

The VIA recognized the need for public health initiatives and community healthcare services and began with employment of a Visiting Nurse in 1916. The VIA, together with local medical professionals and the Doylestown community, opened the Doylestown Emergency Hospital, an eight-bed facility, at Pine and Oakland Streets in 1923. VIA members mopped floors, cleaned rooms, made beds, and cooked meals. In 1975 the hospital moved to its present location on West State Street, where it continues to grow to meet our communities’ many growing needs.

Under the continued governance and stewardship of the VIA and throughout its nearly 100-year history, Doylestown Hospital has maintained its patient-first philosophy. Their many local, state, and national awards show they are doing exactly the right things. Doylestown Hospital and the Doylestown Health System continue to be pioneers in innovation, advancing the delivery of quality healthcare.

The Doylestown Health System now includes Doylestown Hospital, new Urgent Care Facilities, the Pine Run Retirement Center, Pine Run Healthcare Center, and Pine Run Lakeview.

Learn more about Doylestown Health’s services, classes, doctors, and events at http://doylestownhealth.org/.

Learn more about the Doylestown Health Foundation at https://doylestownhealthfoundation.org/.

Past Houses

We started presenting the Bucks County Designer House & Gardens in 1971. We skipped a few years in the beginning, when we were still learning, but since 1978 we have run a Designer House every year, with only one year lost to the COVID pandemic. And it’s all run by volunteers! Here are some examples of our past houses.