Hillstead Museum

About Hillstead Museum

Hill-Stead was the first architectural project of founder Theodate Pope Riddle (1867–1946), one of the first licensed female architects in the U.S., and an early proponent of historic preservation. Designed as a country home for her parents, the Colonial Revival mansion has welcomed over a million visitors since opening to the public in 1947, and is one of the nation’s few remaining representations of early-20th-century country estates with 152 acres of gardens and grounds. More inviting and intimate than the typical museum, Hill-Stead gives its visitors a close-up, personal view of renowned masterpieces, textiles, and decorative arts in situ, creating the sense that a significant historical era has not been cleverly recreated, but rather carefully and creatively kept true and relevant. The museum’s collection of paintings by Monet, Degas, Whistler, Manet and Cassatt rival artwork found in major art museums around the world.