Nemours Estate facts for kids
The Nemours Estate is a huge country estate in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. It has beautiful French-style gardens and a large mansion. The mansion looks like a French castle, with 105 rooms spread across four floors. It's about 47,000 square feet! The estate shares its land with the Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware. Both are owned by the Nemours Foundation.
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Why Was Nemours Estate Built?
The Nemours Estate was built by a man named Alfred I. du Pont. He created it between 1909 and 1910 as a special gift for his second wife, Alicia.
Where Did the Name "Nemours" Come From?
The estate is named after a town in France called Nemours. This town was connected to Alfred du Pont's great-great-grandfather, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours. The mansion itself was designed by a company called Carrère and Hastings. It was built in the Louis XVI style, which is a type of French architecture.
What's Inside the Nemours Mansion?
The mansion is filled with amazing things! You can find rare French furniture from the 1700s. There are also many old and interesting antiques, artworks, and tapestries. The art includes pieces from the 1500s, paintings by famous European artists, and early works by American artists like Frederic Remington.
Special Clocks and Furniture
One very special item is a rare musical clock from around 1785. It was made by David Roentgen and Peter Kinzing. This clock can play four different tunes using a dulcimer and a pipe organ. Another clock in the mansion was made for the French queen Marie Antoinette, but she never received it.
You can also see a chair from the 1937 coronation of King George VI. Alfred du Pont's third wife, Jessie, attended this event. There's even a chair from Independence Hall in the mansion. You can also find a portrait of Alfred I. du Pont himself.
Exploring the Nemours Gardens
The Nemours Estate has the largest and most developed French formal gardens in North America. These gardens are designed like the famous gardens of Versailles in France. A long path stretches out from the mansion for about a third of a mile. The grounds are full of beautiful plants, fountains, pools, statues, and a carillon tower.
Different Garden Areas
- The Boxwood Garden: This is a French-style garden with neat boxwood hedges. It has a fountain in the middle.
- The Colonnade: Built in 1926, this area remembers Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours and his son. It was designed by Thomas Hastings.
- The Maze Garden: This garden has a fun maze made of tall hedges. In the center, there's a statue called "Achievement."
- The Reflecting Pool: This large pool is about 40 feet across and has 157 water jets! It's surrounded by Japanese cryptomeria trees and pink flowering horse chestnuts.
- The Sunken Gardens: These gardens were designed by Alfred Victor du Pont and Gabriel Masséna. They feature a large lake, grottoes, and a statue from 1930. Alfred V. du Pont was Alfred I. du Pont's son and an architect.
- The Temple of Love: This classical-style temple holds a life-sized statue of Diana from 1780.
Restoring the Estate
The Nemours Estate closed in 2005 for a big renovation project. It reopened on May 1, 2008, after three years of work. The project cost $39 million!
What Was Restored?
Skilled conservators and craftspeople worked on the estate. They fixed furniture, fabrics, tapestries, paintings, and sculptures. They also replaced the entire electrical system. The huge 800,000-gallon reflecting pool was drained and repaired. The beautiful formal gardens were also restored, including the plants, design elements, and statues.
Legal Questions About the Estate
In June 2012, the state of Delaware raised some questions about how the Nemours Estate was being managed. They felt that the people in charge were not following Alfred du Pont's original wishes.
Access for Visitors
Delaware's Attorney General, Beau Biden, also had concerns about how many people could visit. At the time, the Nemours Estate only allowed 48 people per tour. Also, only visitors aged 13 and older were allowed to take the tours.
See also
In Spanish: Nemours (mansión) para niños
- Buildings inspired by Versailles
- Hagley Museum and Library
- Longwood Gardens
- Winterthur Museum and Gardens
- Landscape design history
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- List of museums in Delaware
