Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...

(1850–1931) located at 4 Williamsville Road in

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridg ...

. Most of French's originally estate is now owned by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

, which operates the property as a museum and sculpture garden. The property was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1965 in recognition of French's importance in American sculpture.

History

In 1896

purchased the farm of Marshall Warner in

, to house a summer estate and studio space. At this time, French had already achieved national notice, primarily for his bronze ''

The Minute Man ''The Minute Man'' is an 1874 sculpture by Daniel Chester French in Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts. It was created between 1871 and 1874 after extensive research, and was originally intended to be made of stone sculp ...

'' statue, commissioned in 1873 and placed at the Old North Bridge in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...

, in 1875. Following his purchase of the farm, French had a studio built on the property, to a design by his friend

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who oversaw the engineering and design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., built between 1915 and 1922, which was his final project before his 1924 ...

, near the c. 1820 farmhouse. This space would become French's primary studio space for the rest of his working career, even though he divided his time between Stockbridge and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1901 French hired Bacon to design a replacement for the farmhouse, the Georgian Revival structure now standing on the estate. His fame as a sculptor was cemented when he was chosen to provide the massive statue of Abraham Lincoln which stands in the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. Although the final carving of this massive work was not done at Chesterwood, French did his preliminary design work here, which included the construction of a scale model. After French's death in 1931, Chesterwood passed to his daughter, Margaret French Cresson. She formed the Daniel Chester French Foundation to manage of the property, including the main house and studio, while retaining the rest of the property for herself. Following a brief period of ownership by

The Trustees of Reservations ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, the 79-acre parcel was acquired by the

. The National Trust was bequested another of the estate by Cresson. It was declared a

in 1965, and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

the following year. and It is open for tours from late May through mid-October; admission is charged.

Description

The estate covers of forest and field in the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains () are a 150-mile-long sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains lying on the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England. The range, which played a role in the history of geological science, is separated from th ...

, in the heart of the cultural region of the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...

. Most of the estate's buildings are clustered on the north side of Williamsville Road, including the house, studio, a 19th-century barn which has been adapted as a museum gallery and visitor center, and other small outbuildings. On the south side of the road are a c. 1860 farmhouse, adapted for use as a caretaker's residence, and a smaller studio space built by French to escape the sometimes busy atmosphere in the main studio. A path meanders through the woods to the north, which was supposedly used by French, and which is now seasonally decorated with sculpture by currently-active artists. The main block of the studio is essentially a cube on each side, and enormous doors high on the west side. It has a peaked ceiling, with a skylight on the north-facing roof section. A terraced area to the south includes a porch covered by a flat roof supported by Doric columns, and there is a large reception room on the north side where French would entertain clients and friends. This room opens to the east onto a garden with a fountain designed by Henry Bacon. To the west of the studio block is a small chamber from which waste materials from the studio can be dumped to the basement via a chute. The house is -story Georgian Revival structure. Like the studio, it is finished in a stucco that has been mixed with marble chips to give it texture. It has a hip roof which is topped by a low balustrade, and which is pierced by gable dormers on the front and rear elevations. Open porches are found on both side elevations, and the south-facing front has a broad terrace, providing fine views of the Taconic Mountains. The most notable interior room is French's study, which includes woodwork taken from the Warner farmhouse, and replicating the "best" parlor of his family's homestead in Chester, New Hampshire. The studio, barn and other gallery spaces include sculptural studies for a number of his works, most notably: * ''

'' (1875), Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts * ''

Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...

'' (1906), United States Customs House,

* '' Samuel F. Dupont Memorial'' (1921), the fountain at

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th St ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

* ''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

'' (1922) in the

Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA) - studio and garden.JPG, Studio and garden Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA) - studio interior.JPG, Studio interior Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA) - studio detail 1.JPG, Studio detail Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA) - studio detail 2.JPG, Studio detail Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA) - view from house.JPG, View from house

References

External links

Chesterwood

{{authority control Stockbridge, Massachusetts Historic house museums in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Houses completed in 1901 Artists' studios in the United States Biographical museums in Massachusetts Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts Museums in Stockbridge, Massachusetts National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts 1896 establishments in Massachusetts Museums devoted to one artist

History

Description

See also

References

External links