Wistariahurst facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wistariahurst Museum

Former name	Holyoke Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History
Established	1901 (original museum) 1959 (current site)
Location	Holyoke, Massachusetts
Type	Historic house museum
Owner	City of Holyoke
Public transit access	Bus: PVTA B23, R24 (all )
Wistariahurst
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Wistariahurst
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Location	238 Cabot St., Holyoke, Massachusetts
Area	2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Built	1868 (1868) 1874 (1874)
Architect	William Fenno Pratt Clarence Sumner Luce Wilson Eyre
Architectural style	Second Empire
NRHP reference No.	73000295
Added to NRHP	April 23, 1973

Wistariahurst is a cool historic house museum in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It used to be the home of the Skinner family. The house was built in 1868 for William Skinner. He owned a very successful silk business.

The name "Wistariahurst" comes from the many wisteria vines. These beautiful purple flowers grow all over the eastern side of the house. The house was first built in Williamsburg in 1868. But after a big flood in 1874, it was moved to Holyoke.

From 1930 to 1959, a special music room in the house was a private museum. It held the amazing Belle Skinner Collection of Old Musical Instruments. Belle Skinner was part of the family. Later, these instruments were given to Yale University. Since 1959, the house has been open to everyone as the Wistariahurst Museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Exploring Wistariahurst's Design

Top to bottom: Wistariahurst in Williamsburg after the Mill River Flood of 1874, and as it appeared in its current location in Holyoke in 1891

Wistariahurst takes up a whole city block in Holyoke. It has a low stone wall with iron fences around it. You can enter the main drive from Beech Street. The main walkway entrance is on Cabot Street. Two marble lions guard this entrance.

The main house is a three-story wooden building. It has been changed and added to over the years. The oldest part of the house is square. It has a special roof called a mansard roof. The wisteria vines were planted when the house moved. The name "Wistariahurst" first appeared in 1904.

A two-story hall was added in 1927. A music room and conservatory were added in 1913. The inside of the house is very fancy. It has original leather walls and old wallpaper. The mansion has 26 rooms and 16 fireplaces!

The oldest part of the house was built in Williamsburg. It moved to Holyoke in 1874 after a big flood. The Skinner family owned the house until 1959. Then, Katharine Skinner Kilborne gave it to the City of Holyoke. She wanted it to be used for cultural and educational things. At first, the city thought about tearing it down for a parking lot. But instead, it became a museum.

The Carriage House Story

The carriage house was built around 1880. It was designed by William Ferro Pratt. It was made bigger in 1913 for cars. After the house was given to the city, the carriage house became the Holyoke Youth Museum. It had a Native American exhibit and animal displays.

The building used to have a tall tower called a cupola. This tower was removed by the 1960s. Some windows were filled in, and the entrance was changed. For a while, the carriage house was not used much.

Around 2005, people decided to fix it up. They wanted to store the museum's old papers and items there. Even though the cupola was not replaced, the building was restored. It reopened in October 2009. It is now a place for research and archives.

The Museum's Journey

How the Museum Started

Before Wistariahurst became a museum, there was another museum. It was called the Holyoke Museum of Natural History. It started from a group called the Holyoke Scientific Club in 1886. This group talked about new technologies and science.

In 1888, the group got a formal charter. Their goal was to "awaken and maintain an active interest in the Practical Sciences." The museum found its first home in the city library in 1902. It had a collection of Native American stone tools.

In 1926, the museum hired Burlingham Schurr. He was a naturalist and taxidermist. He collected many plants, animals, and minerals from the area. He worked there until he passed away in 1951.

In 1928, the museum started its art collection. William Skinner II helped with this. By the 1950s, people wanted a permanent home for the museum. They held events to raise money. Finally, in June 1959, the Skinner-Kilborne family gave Wistariahurst to the city. It became the museum's new home. Over time, the museum focused more on the Skinner family's silk history. Most of the natural history items were later given to the University of Massachusetts.

The Music Room and Its Instruments

Left to right: Bruce Simonds, Professor of Music and former Dean of the Yale School of Music, plays the clavichord in 1955, during the first public recording of the Belle Skinner Collection; the Wistariahurst Music Room in 1933, with several of the collection's instruments shown

Belle Skinner loved music and collected rare instruments. After she passed away in 1928, her brothers wanted to share her collection. In 1930, the Music Room became a museum open to the public. It held the famous Belle Skinner Collection of Old Instruments.

The museum was open on Fridays or by appointment. A curator named Nils J. Ericsson helped restore many instruments. He also created a catalog of the collection. After he passed away, Fanny Reed Hammond became the curator.

Many famous musicians visited the music room. Serge Koussevitzky, a conductor, called it "a collection of superlatives." The collection included a spinet made for Marie Antoinette. It also had a virginal made for Nell Gwyn. There was even a Yuan dynasty era guqin signed by a famous Chinese poet.

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Kilborne Hudnut, a Skinner family member, wanted more people to see the instruments. In 1955, she invited musicians to record the collection. This led to an album called Spotlight on Keyboard. It showed how musical instruments changed over time.

By 1959, the family decided to donate the instruments. They went to Yale University. This made Yale's instrument collection very famous. The Wistariahurst estate was then given to the City of Holyoke. This marked the end of the Skinner family's long history in Holyoke.

The Library Era and What Happened Next

Mayor William Taupier presenting Mary E. Preiss a certificate of commendation for her work in getting Wistariahurst on the National Register of Historic Places, 1973

When Wistariahurst first opened as a public museum in 1959, it was run by the Holyoke Public Library Corporation. This was a private group. They helped get Wistariahurst on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. During this time, the museum showed natural history items, art, and other artifacts.

In 1968, they even had a painting by Claude Monet on loan! But in 1975, the city took over the museum. The Library Corporation removed its collections. Later, in the early 1990s, the Library Corporation sold many paintings. These included works by famous artists like William Merritt Chase and Thomas Gainsborough.

For a short time, the museum even had a volleyball exhibit! In 1982, the museum almost closed. But people in the community fought to keep it open. Luckily, the museum stayed open.

Visiting Wistariahurst Today

Today, Wistariahurst Museum lets you see how the Skinner family lived. You can see the original leather walls and fancy woodwork. The museum's collection includes art, textiles, and old family papers.

The museum offers many activities. These include workshops, concerts, and lectures. You can also rent the museum for private events. The gardens are popular for weddings.

Wistariahurst hosts yearly events like its Plant Sale. This helps raise money for the gardens. They also have workshops for students, like "Immigration Experience." Students learn about immigrants coming to the United States. They learn about millworkers and even the Skinner family, as William Skinner came from England.

The museum also works with universities. They help teachers learn about women's history in the city. They also help collect stories and photos from different communities. This includes the history of Puerto Ricans and the Black community in Holyoke.

Wistariahurst's Archives

The museum has many items in its permanent collections. These include things donated by the Skinner family. Over the years, the museum has received many items about Holyoke's culture and industries.

Gallery

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  The estate and gardens of Wistariahurst, with the carriage house visible at the left

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  The easterly facade of the house, with its eponymous wisteria hanging gardens

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  The Sleeping Lion, one of two marble lions by Cabot Street, purchased in Rome by Sarah Skinner, they are based on the lions of the Tomb of Pope Clement XIII.

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  The Alert Lion

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  Remnants of the Tea Garden, a garden which previously contained a Japanese pavilion in the early 20th century

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  View of Oyster Bay (1908), by Louis Tiffany; named for Tiffany's locale, the piece actually evokes wisteria of the estate. Commissioned by William Skinner, and overseen by Belle, it was for the family's townhouse at 36 E. 38th Street, New York City. Today on display at The Met.

See also

• Belle Skinner
• Joseph Allen Skinner Museum
• William Skinner and Sons
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampden County, Massachusetts