A Berkshire Gilded Age Museum - Ventfort Hall

House Museum

Jul 1

Sara Spencer Morgan, sister of J.P. Morgan, and husband George Hill Morgan, commissioned Rotch & Tilden to build Ventfort Hall, and it was built between 1891 and 1893. They were 7th cousins so they both carried the Morgan name. The Morgan family summered together at their Lenox home until Sarah died in 1896. George died in 1911. Ventfort Hall was left to their three children, Junius Spencer, George Dennison and Caroline Lucy, who sold the house and all the contents, so there are no original furnishings in the house today.

The property was privately owned or rented until 1945. Between 1945 and the late 1980’s, the house was used by Tanglewood as a Festival talent dormitory / inn, filled by an all girls ballet camp and finally by a religious organization that eventually went bankrupt. The house was left empty for about 5 years. The Ventfort Hall Association was created and saved the building from the wrecking ball in 1991 and has been restoring the house since 1997.

Here is what caught my eye. I hope you enjoy!

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This image is of the Great Hall, with replacement fireplace, as the original one was not up to code. You can also notice the unstained woodwork, this was done to highlight the local craftsmanship.

The Great Hall has a back door that leads to the wide back veranda.

A view of the Great Hall from the grand staircase landing

This is the fireplace in the Salon, where guests visiting Ventfort Hall were recieved.

The elegant dining room

Another view of the dining room

The Library fireplace

The intricately carved Billiard Room fireplace

Billards Room beautiful stained glass window

Looking down the hall from the Billiard Room, to the Great Hall

One of the wood carvings on display in the hallway

The wood-carved Grand Staircase

The Grand Staircase landing with stained glass window

The informal sitting area on the second floor

Sarah Morgan’s Bedroom

Green rooom with chaise

The Blue Room

The Yellow room is set up as a Nursery

The travel trunk room

Mr. Morgan’s Louis Vuitton travel trunks

Beautiful stained glass windows

Scottish designed ceiling, with large plaster pendants, is all original.

Large plaster ceiling pendant detail

One of the unfinished room, to give the guest an idea of what the house looked at before restoration.

The front facade

The front entrance to the house

A side view

The rear entrance to the house

The rear facade with veranda

The wide rear veranda

In George’s bedroom, on loan from the Foster family there is a display of china, silver and crystal from another Berkshire cottage Bellefontaine, owned by Giraud Foster.