randuwa: Hillwood Estate Museum $ Gardens

Showing posts with label Hillwood Estate Museum $ Gardens. Show all posts

Friday, April 10, 2015

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens: The Intro

Went to the Home of Marjorie Meriweather Post: Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens today.

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens: The Art

While the gardens and home are very impressive, the art is really the ultimate point. Marjorie Meriweather Post collected both French and Russian Decorative Arts and their presence here is ubiquitous to say the least. Here are some examples.

Catherine the Great's portrait graces the main staircase.

Russian Icons are found throughout the home.

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens: The Libraries and Marjorie's Suite

The first floor Library.

Here is her dog's bed. Scampy the scottie lived like a king!

Floor two library, a favorite place to watch a TV when her daughter Dina Merrill was on Bonanza, or Gunsmoke, or Batman....

Morjorie's bedroom above and bathroom below.

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens: The Kitchen, Pantry, Dining Room and Breakfast Nook

Inside the Mansion you are free to wander. On the ground floor your can wonder through the kitchen.

And to get there you have to pass through the Pantry.

The formal Dining Room.

The table is Italian and here is a leaf from it showing its intricate inlay work in marble, granite, and semi-precious stones.

And there is a cozy breakfast nook, too. But the chandelier is from a Russian palace in St. Petersburg! Why not? Right?

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens: The Growing Beds and Green House (Cafe)

The growing beds lay before other buildings, one of which houses the café. Can I say this? I had the best bowl of clam chowder in my life there today! It was so good and filling that I audaciously cancelled the Caesar Salad that I ordered with it. I just didn't want to mix the memory of it on my palate with something as common. And the staff was completely gracious to accommodate me. Kudos and another reason to visit.