A Stockbridge Artist Studio - Chesterwood

May 6

Daniel Chester French was one of the most successful artists of the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, producing more than 100 public sculptures. He is best known for his Minute Man in Concord, Massachusetts and the Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Chesterwood was his Berkshire summer estate and studio which he referred to as “heaven”. For third-five years the French family spent their winters in Gramercy Park and migrated to Chesterwood in early May. French was always about creating beauty in his sculptures, as well as his surroundings, and Chesterwood is proof. The estate is off a country road with a view of the Berkshire Hills, in the town of Stockbridge.

After Daniel’s death in 1931, his wife, Mary, enjoyed the property for eight years until her death in 1939. Margaret French Cresson, the sculptor’s daughter, maintained the property year-round after her mother’s death. She assembled her father’s works and established the estate as a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1968. She wanted the public to be able to admire and learn about her father’s legacy.

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

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French did his earlier work in the barn, before asking Henry Bacon to design a studio.

Original studio barn

Over the years, more structures were added to the property.

The fountain outside the studio is surrounded by lush green gardens also designed by French, a talented landscape designer.

In 1898, French commissioned Henry Bacon to design a studio that features a large skylit workroom.

“Death and the Scuptor”

This is a model of Abraham Lincoln created between 1911 and 1922, for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“Benediction”

“Knowledge & Wisdom”

The studio features a railroad track upon which French could push his monumental plaster molds on a flat bed car and roll it out, through these large doors, to work on the sculpture outdoors, in the natural daylight.

“Andromeda”

Wall shelving with plaster cast models and busts lining the walls of the studio.

After French’s death, his daughter worked tirelessly to preserve the studio.

This workspace was specifically designed to create monumental public sculptures.

“Spirit of the Waters”

The studio’s opulently furnished reception room, with fireplace, is where French would meet and entertain guests.

The studio had a south-facing piazza with a view of Monument Mountain and the rolling Berkshire hills.

A view of the Berkshire Hills in the distance

The garden and home in the distance

The nine-bedroom stucco-clad residence was designed by Henry Bacon, built on 150 acres and completed in 1901.

The house entrance

The dining room with glass doors leads to the outside dining area.

Dining room fireplace

The parlor

Looking up the staircase to the second floor

Second floor bedroom

Staircase looking down to the first floor

The rear facade of the house

The south-facing facade of the house, with the view of Monument Mountain

Side porch

This is the outside dining area off the formal dining room.

To Daniel Chester French, Chesterwood was a place to live and create. The Berkshires was also the summer retreat for Edith Wharton (see The Mount) in Lenox and Joseph Choate (Naumkeag) in Stockbridge.

What you should know:

There are walking trails.
Restrooms are available.
Tickets can be bought on-line or in person.
You could spend a couple of hours to the entire day.
One price includes parking, guided studio tour and self guided tours of the gardens and mansion.
Chesterwood is open seasonally; check the website for days and hours of operation.

Location:

4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, MA

For more information: Chesterwood