Wistariahurst Museum
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About Us

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Mission
Wistariahurst Museum seeks to preserve the home, landscape and material culture of the Skinner family and promote an appreciation of history and culture through educational programs, exhibits and special events.

How the Museum Came into Existence
Holyoke's first museum was originally housed at the Holyoke Public Library. In 1953, the Library was running out of room and wanted a new building. However, it was not until the Wistariahurst Mansion was donated to the City of Holyoke in 1959 that the city had a new museum. This original museum housed art, paintings, sculptures, Native American artifacts and other natural history specimen. Throughout the 1960s, the museum served as both a Fine Arts Museum and a Natural History Museum. In the more recent decades, however, the house has acquired period furniture and decorative arts, and now serves as a historic house museum.

The Story We Weave
Wistariahurst Museum, originally the home of prominent silk manufacturer, William Skinner and his family, has stood as an example of elegance and fine architecture since 1874. The buildings and grounds were owned continually by the Skinner family until 1959, when Katharine Skinner Kilborne, the youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, and her heirs gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes.

During the Victorian Period, Wistariahurst was considered one of the finest houses in Holyoke and was the site of many important parties and affairs. The home which takes its name from wisteria vines planted in the 1880s, features parquet floors, vaulted ceilings and two marble lions that have guarded the entrance since the late nineteenth century.

In 1908, Belle Skinner and her brother, William, inherited the house from their mother. Soon after, Belle began an extensive remodeling of the interior and exterior changing the look of the house from a traditional American Victorian Second Empire to one with a more varied appearance encompassing several revival styles.

Her renovation plans included the construction of two significant additions. The first was a museum to house her famous collection of antique instruments and a breakfast room in 1913. The second was an impressive new front entrance and hall with a sweeping staircase in the Beaux Arts style in 1927.                                                             

The Great Hall addition of 1927 completely reoriented the facade of the house and included a porte cochere and a driveway paved with dinosaur tracks. The renovation heightened the roof line and was completed with a dramatic yellow exterior which made the house look more like a Colonial mansion than the Victorian Second Empire as it had begun.

As impressive as Wistariahurst had become physically, Belle and her brother, William, used the house more as a second home making their full time residence in New York City.

Today, Wistariahurst Museum reflects the lives and tastes of both generations of the Skinner family. The museum features original leather wall coverings, columns, elaborate woodwork and an interesting tale of how two generations perceived and used the house very differently. The museum's permanent collection includes decorative arts; paintings and prints, textiles and a rich manuscript collection of family and local papers. Wistariahurst Museum offers a wide variety of programs and events including: workshops, concerts, lectures and demonstrations. The museum is also available for private rental and group tours.

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