Houzz Tours: Edith Wharton's The Mount

Becky Harris P.S. Here's an unrestored room on the first floor that will give you a good idea of the condition the house was in before restoration began.

bepsf Such a beautiful historic home...
...but what's a dishwasher doing in there???

jackcynredesign Love the angles and windows of the staircase. I had the same question about the dishwasher. What a beautiful restoration - what an undertaking - how long have they been restoring the home?

Becky Harris beps, several years ago The Mount was used as a showhouse in order to raise funds. The dishwasher and the animal print carpet on the stairs are a few of the historically inaccurate remains - it's a restoration in progress! It's funny, I almost didn't put that picture in for just that reason, but restorations are complicated and ongoing, so I think it's good to see it in process!

bepsf Thanks Becky - I saw the comment on the stairs, but didn't make the connection regarding the kitchen!

http://www.edithwharton.org/

Becky Harris jackcynredesign, I believe they came into possession of the estate in 1980, but the restoration efforts and funding are much more recent. My aunt remembered going to see Shakespeare on the grounds when the gardens were completely overgrown and basically non-existent (more on the gardens later this week - they are spectacular). There is more information at edithwharton.org, and as they ran into financial hurdles there were many articles written about it in newspapers and online in 2008, when The Mount's future was in peril.

newmouse Thanks, Becky. I have a friend who will be in the Berkshires in a few weeks. I'm going to encourage her to put The Mount on her itinerary.

jannie Wonderful news on the restoration of The Mount. It appears to be a meticulously and lovingly done task. The house had fallen off my radar, the last I read about it being an article about imperiled landmarks. Everyone should watch the films "The Age of Innocence" and "House of Mirth" in honor Wharton and the restoration of her home. Reading Wharton is not a walk in the park. Though she was a woman of independent means who realized enormous personal success in her lifetime, she retained a fine eye for the struggles of men and women, most particularly women, who ran afoul of the social conventions and class perceptions of her time. Library of America published a marvelous 2-volume collection of her works that is worth the investment of time.

Thanks so much for finding and posting The Mount restoration, Becky. How about a Houzz series on literary restorations? Gee, you could start with the Wren's Nest right there in Atlanta.

Becky Harris Jannie, it's definitely something I'd like to explore more in the future. I've always wanted to do one on Monticello as well, though I didn't have time to get up there when I was in Charlottesville last weekend ;). There is so much inspiration in these old homes,and they can use all the help raising funds as they can get.

Now I'm off to check out The Wren's Nest - I've never been there!

jannie Becky - Enjoy the Wren's Nest! I hope you get to hear Akbar Imhotep tell a story or two. Joel Chandler Harris' stories are misunderstood, and that his home has been restored, and now hosts a thriving literary program is nothing short of a miracle. It's worth reading executive director Lain Shakespeare's blog (http://www.wrensnestonline.com/visit_visit.php) and the article “Everything You’ve Heard About Uncle Remus Is Wrong.”

I took 5 (!) kids, ranging in age from 1 to 8, there back in 1988 BEFORE it was restored. The neighborhood was rough, and the condition of the house was such that I was hestitant to walk up the porch steps, and I've got the pictures that prove it. I'm so glad we did. That day at the Wren's Nest remains one of my best memories of living near Atlanta. Last year, I looked up the house out of curiosity, wondering if it survived, and when I saw the restoration, it warmed my heart. It is an example of how the preservation of a structure can give rise to wonderful new programs, and drive improvement of the surrounding community.

3464 Loved this article! Edith was a head of her time in her decorating style, It is timeless,and classical.
Pam

guycaron The scale of the stairs seems odd to me. For a house this grand, you would think the stairs would be more extravagant.

Jean Corey What a beautiful house!

Lee Design I'm so glad to see this. The upstairs was left in a really bad state when I saw it a couple of years ago. They had turned it into a boarding school in the 40's and was neglected for a long time. I wonder who funded the restoration.

Becky Harris guy, you bring up an interesting point. The 3rd hallway serves as just a route to other private rooms, not a place to lounge, and Wharton treated it as utilitarian. I think she approached the staircase in the same way, and also as a way to bring in natural light. Remember, this was the more "laid back" Berkshires, as opposed to the kind of home you'd see in Newport during the Gilded Age. Also, Wharton had a disdain for what she saw as the darkness and clutter in Victorian Homes, so she was (believe it or not) trying to "simplify" when it came to The Mount. I know this is hard to believe when you look at the more public rooms on the 2nd floor, especially the gallery, but the purpose of those rooms was for entertaining. There was also an elevator in the home.

Sadly, Wharton only owned The Mount for ten years, and yes, it went on to become a school from 1942-1976.

Laurie Mischel What a treat for a Sunday morning....a little old house indulgement. Thank You!

nancym Wharton's home: love it. Thank you. Old houses are such treasures when taken care of and appreciated. I remember Bunny Williams from a Bill Stubb's TV house tour; her home is gorgeous as well. Oh, to have loads of money...

Susie Q Design Studio Do you know how many sq/ft the home is? It looks extremely large.

Becky Harris Well, the footprint is 138 ft x 65 ft, times three floors - not sure what the attic has to offer - it was not open to the public, so perhaps times four!

patscats2 Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

interiors by loraine Loved seeing such a classic home. Such soft relaxing colors!

tmcguire1 I would have thought the colors in the original would have been much darker - both furnishings and paint. Are these the original colors ? The light colored wood flooring on the 3rd floor seems especially "modern" ?

katetherate I'm thrilled to see Wharton's home as I've just finished rereading The Age of Innocence. Thank you so much!

colonialgp I've always wanted to see this house, so thanks for the photos. The photo of Wharton does bring up one question: how did they hide the lamp cords when the desk is in the middle of the room? Today I know there are outlets in the floor, but did they do that back in the late 1890's?

Emery & Associates Interior Design Thank you SO much for these wonderful photos of Wharton's restored home. I'm a huge Edith Wharton fan, and this summer have been on a reading binge of her novels and short stories. Re-reading Ethan Frome (last read in 1962 when I it was required reading in high school), and then House of Mirth, The Reef, Summer . I have two copies of The Decoration of Houses. What impresses me the most about her was her ability to detach herself from her own moneyed background enough to write such penetrating stories about social class, while at the same time having a visual artist's sensibilities. Thanks for the work you're doing to educate people about this restoration project.

carol_klein Thank you so much for this wonderful tour of Edith Wharton's lovely and inspiring home. I have been longing to visit this house and you have taken me there virtually. Thank you, too, for links to the decorating books.

Philip Borgnes Thanks for sharing about the restoration. I'm glad to see her house looking so good. During the summer of 1976 I worked at The Center at Foxhollow and at that time The Mount was used by some of us as a dorm. My co-worker lived up on the 3rd floor and we'd hang out there after work. It was great fun to walk around and sit in the library with what I imagined were her books, though probably unlikely since the school that was there had just closed.