Introduction The Hill-Stead Museum, located at 35 Mountain Road in Farmington, Connecticut, is a Colonial Revival house and art museum that was built between 1898 and 1901. The property was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle, one of the United States' first female architects, and the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White. It was originally built as a country estate for wealthy industrialist Alfred Atmore Pope and his family.
The Hill-Stead Museum (United States)
Introduction
The Hill-Stead Museum, located at 35 Mountain Road in Farmington, Connecticut, is a Colonial Revival house and art museum that was built between 1898 and 1901. The property was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle, one of the United States' first female architects, and the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White. It was originally built as a country estate for wealthy industrialist Alfred Atmore Pope and his family.
The House and Museum
The Hill-Stead Museum comprises 152 acres (0.6 km2) of land, which includes the Pope-Riddle House, an 18th-century farm house, a carriage garage with an Arts and Crafts theater, a barn, and additional farm buildings. The Pope-Riddle House is a large mansion built in the Colonial Revival style and features 19 rooms that are open to visitors.
The museum's collection includes major paintings by Eugène Carrière, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and James McNeill Whistler; prints including three engravings by Albrecht Dürer (Melencolia I, 1514), 17 copper plate etchings and lithographs by James McNeill Whistler, and Japanese woodblock prints by artists Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Kitagawa Utamaro; eight bronze sculptures by Antoine-Louis Barye; about 13,000 letters and postcards including correspondence from Mary Cassatt, Henry James, and James McNeill Whistler; and about 2,500 photographs, including six of Gertrude Käsebier's art photographs.
The Grounds
The Hill-Stead Museum's grounds were originally designed in consultation with landscape architect Warren H. Manning and feature a broad lawn with ha-ha and slate walkway; artificial pond; and formal, octagonal flower garden. Around 1920, landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand redesigned the estate's Sunken Garden (1 acre) at Theodate's request.
National Historic Landmark
The Hill-Stead Museum was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991 and has been the venue of one of the longest running poetry festivals in the country, the Sunken Garden Festival.
Conclusion
The Hill-Stead Museum is a significant cultural institution that houses an impressive collection of art and historical objects. It is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in American history, architecture, or art.
Hill–Stead: An Illustrated Museum Guide. Farmington, CT: Hill–Stead Museum, 2003.Hill–Stead MuseumList of art museumsList of museums in Connecticut