Hillwood Museum, Washington DC

When Post cereal heiress, art collector, social figure, and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post left to the public her northwest Washington, D.C. estate, she endowed the country with the most comprehensive Russian collection of Imperial art outside of Russia, a notable 18th-century French decorative art collection, and 25 acres of serene landscaped gardens and natural woodlands for all to enjoy. Opened as a public institution in 1977, today, Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens offers a gracious and immersive experience unlike any other.

Highlights of the Hillwood Estate include a diamond crown worn by Empress Alexandra at her marriage to Nicholas II; Beauvais tapestries designed by François Boucher; two Imperial Easter eggs by Carl Fabergé; La Nuit by William-Adolphe Bouguereau; and a collection of costumes and accessories worn by Mrs. Post or her family. The Georgian-style mansion, designed by John Deibert in 1926, was originally built for Mrs. Henry  Parsons Erwin. In decorating Hillwood, Marjorie Merriweather Post hired the New York architect Alexander McIlvaine to redesign and expand the old mansion completely so that visitors could view her by-now extensive collection with greater ease.

In renovating the mansion and gardens in the 1950s, Mrs. Post was reviving a 40 year old practice of estate building now known as the American country house tradition. Architectural historian Richard Guy Wilson has described this tradition as one created between 1880 and 1930 by wealthy Americans who, during that period, commissioned large houses for escape and relaxation on relatively limited tracts of land near major urban centers. Such homes were in the country, but remained close enough to cities to afford an easy commute. Indeed, in the 1920s, the property would have been a rural suburb of Washington.

While no one style of building dominated, these ountry homes had several characteristics in common. The house at Hillwood, like many other examples of this tradition, includes many spacious areas such as a grand entrance, large libraries, and a pavilion in which guests could dance or watch movies. The estate also had to offer many outlets for outdoor pleasures and sport. So, such houses had to be surrounded by formal and informal gardens. At Hillwood, guests could wander among the azaleas or hone their golfing skills on the putting green. For the owner and visitors, the estate was to be a site where they could enjoy sophisticated urban pleasures within a peaceful and inviting setting.

In September 2000, Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens reopened to the public after a three-year closure for major renovations. The estate was brought up to modern museum standards, featuring state-of-the art lighting, HVAC and security systems, renewed plantings and restored sculptures throughout the gardens, and a new Visitor Center, with a theater for visitor
orientation and education programs, expanded museum shop, and enhanced visitor services.

Since its reopening, Hillwood has become a dynamic cultural presence in Washington, D.C. Its commitment to reaching diverse audiences is evidenced in the programs and partnerships it shares with the community. In March 2008, for example, Hillwood was honored by PEN, Metro DC’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, for the outreach it carries out in this community throughout the year. A lively array of programs, lectures, films, and workshops illustrates Hillwood’s dedication to engaging thousands of visitors with an experience inspired by Mrs. Post’s passion for excellence, gracious hospitality and intent to preserve and share the beauty and history of her collections, garden and estate.