Gibson House Museum facts for kids
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Gibson House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Front of the Gibson House Museum on Beacon Street
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 Location in Boston
Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1859–60 |
| Part of | Back Bay Historic District (ID73001948) |
| NRHP reference No. | 01001048 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 07, 2001 |
| Designated NHL | August 7, 2001 |
| Designated CP | August 14, 1973 |
The Gibson House Museum is a special place in Boston, Massachusetts. It's a historic house museum located at 137 Beacon Street in the Back Bay neighborhood. This museum helps us see what life was like in the 1860s. It was home to three generations of the Gibson family.
This house was one of the first built in the Back Bay area. It's amazing because it still has its original wallpaper, fabrics, furniture, and family items. Both the public rooms and the areas where the staff worked are very well-preserved. You can see them on tours. The house became a Boston Landmark in 1992 and a National Historic Landmark in 2001.
A Look Back in Time
In 1859, Catherine Hammond Gibson bought the land for this house. She paid $3,696 for it. She wanted to move away from Beacon Hill. Edward Clarke Cabot designed the building. It was finished by 1860. The house was built in the Italian Renaissance style. It has an outside made of brownstone and red brick.
Catherine later passed the house to her son, Charles Hammond Gibson. Charles married Rosamond Warren in 1871. They lived together at 137 Beacon Street. Rosamond came from a well-known Boston family. After Catherine died in 1888, Rosamond redecorated the house. She used beautiful Japanese wallpapers.
Catherine Hammond Gibson's grandson, Charles Hammond Gibson Jr., lived in the house until he passed away in 1954. The house then became a museum in 1957. In 2001, it was named a National Historic Landmark. This is because it's one of the only Victorian-era houses in Boston's Back Bay that still looks the same inside and out. It has many original family furnishings.
Visiting the Museum
The Gibson House Museum offers public tours. They also have special events. These events include talks and gatherings.
In 2013, a theater group called Simple Machine Theatre put on a play. It was called The Turn of the Screw. They performed it on the museum's Grand Staircase and in the front hall. The audience sat in the entrance area.
Charles Hammond Gibson Jr. was known for hosting fun parties. To remember this, the museum holds an annual celebration. This event is a fundraiser for the museum.
The Museum on Screen
The Gibson House Museum has been featured in movies and ballets. It's a popular spot for filming historical scenes.
The 1984 film The Bostonians used the museum. Scenes were filmed in Rosamund Warren Gibson's bedroom. They also filmed in the red study. Another scene was shot on the landing at the top of the grand staircase.
In 2018, a video for the Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker was filmed here. It showed Clara in the museum's Music Room. She was also seen on the Grand Staircase.
Also in 2018, director Greta Gerwig filmed scenes for her movie Little Women. The museum was used as the boarding house where Jo March lived. The museum library became Jo March's publisher's office in the film.
See also
