Hill-Stead Museum
Hill-Stead Museum is a singular place, seamlessly blending the charm of a historic house with the allure of an art museum. This unique combination allows Hill-Stead to offer a more personal and enriching experience for visitors. Set within 152 acres of breathtaking natural beauty, the museum boasts an extraordinary collection of Impressionist and decorative art, meticulously displayed within its original, in-situ domestic interiors. The fusion of historical architecture and world-class artwork creates an immersive experience that distinguishes Hill-Stead from other institutions. Its founder, Theodate Pope Riddle (b.1867)—one of the first licensed female architects in the United States—designed Hill-Stead as her family home in 1901 and transformed it into a museum upon her death in 1946. Her creation and legacy represent a harmonious convergence of heritage, art, and nature.
The museum highlights the remarkable contributions of Cleveland residents Alfred and Ada Pope, and their daughter, Theodate. Alfred Pope (1842-1913), a self-made businessman and pioneering Impressionist art collector, played a crucial role in shaping the museum’s prestigious collection and supported Theodate in pursuing architecture rather than adhering to traditional gender roles. Ada Pope (1844-1920), Theodate’s mother, was a gracious and community-focused individual who helped establish Hill-Stead as a warm and welcoming home after relocating their family to Farmington. Theodate’s vision extended beyond architecture; she founded Avon Old Farms school for boys in honor of her father, championed historic preservation, and supported sustainable farming, creating a legacy that continues today.
Hill-Stead honors these contributions: Alfred’s collection and intellectual curiosity are showcased through the museum’s permanent installations and rotating exhibitions; Ada’s love for hosting and gardening is celebrated with an array of events, which include concerts, lectures, workshops, and family festivals, as well as with the preservation of the Sunken Garden; and Theodate’s architectural masterpiece and vision are maintained alongside Hill-Stead’s partnership with Clatter Ridge Farm to promote sustainable farming education.
Consider what it might be like to explore a living museum where history and art come to life. How does walking through a home designed by an early female architect deepen your understanding of early 20th-century American culture? Visit Hill-Stead and immerse yourself in the stories and art that continue to inspire and engage visitors from around the world.
Mission Statement
Hill-Stead Museum, a National Historic Landmark, serves diverse audiences in Connecticut and beyond as a welcoming place for learning, reflection and enjoyment. The museum develops, preserves, documents, displays and interprets its exceptional Impressionist paintings, 1901 historic house and 152-acre landscape for the benefit of present and future generations.
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Effie Brooks Pope is born on February 2, 1867. She adopts her paternal grandmother’s name in 1886 and thereafter she is known as Theodate Pope.
Alfred Pope takes his first trip to Europe on business, visits the Louvre and sees Old Masters.
Theodate starts finishing school at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT.
Alfred, Ada, and Theodate arrive in Paris and begin a ten-month long European tour. In November, Alfred views an Impressionist painting for the first time.
Alfred acquires his first Impressionist paintings: Claude Monet’s Grainstacks, White Frost Effect and View of Cap d’Antibes from the art gallery Boussod, Valadon et Cie., in Paris, France.
Theodate’s diary entry from May 9, 1889, during the family’s European Grand Tour in which she writes thoughts on Impressionism. Particularly striking is her statement: “Now the impressionists are interesting, but I doubt if any of the work they are now doing will last.”
Following her debutante party, Theodate returns to Farmington and moves into the “O’Rourkery”, on High Street.
Alfred acquires the second painting from Monet’s Grainstacks series, Grainstacks in Bright Sunlight, from Boussod, Valadon, et Cie., in Paris. During his collecting years, Alfred acquired three paintings from this series. He acquired Grainstacks, Snow Effect from the gallery Durand-Ruel in New York City in 1892. This painting left the collection in 1894, when Alfred sold it back to Durand-Ruel.
Alfred acquires Edgar Degas’s Jockeys from the art gallery Martin et Camentron in Paris This is one of the two Degas Jockey paintings that he acquired that year. The other one, an oil painting, left the collection after Alfred’s passing in 1936 when Theodate sold it to Durand-Ruel.
Alfred acquires Edgar Degas’s Dancers in Pink from art gallery Cottier and Co., in New York City in May of 1893.
Alfred travels to Europe, where he purchases Mary Cassatt’s print Gathering Fruit, Edouard Manet’s The Guitar Player, Claude Monet’s Fishing Boats at Sea, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’s Peace, and James McNeill Whistler’s Symphony in Violet and Blue and The Blue Wave, Biarritz.
A receipt for the purchase of The Blue Wave, Biarritz, (1862) in 1894. Alfred Pope frequently purchased works from Goupil, later known as Boussod Valadon.
Alfred Pope purchases 250 acres in Farmington, CT; instructs Theodate to contact architectural firm McKim, Mead & White to help develop her plans for the house and grounds. McKim, Mead & White is known for their iconic projects, mostly in New York City, such as Columbia University, the Brooklyn Museum, the Morgan Library, and more.
On April 26, 1898, Alfred Pope meets one-on-one with Mary Cassatt in New York City, NY.
Hill-Stead is designed and constructed under Theodate’s direction from 1899-1901
Undated note from Theodate Pope to the McKim, Mead & White architectural firm regarding the planning process before construction commenced on Hill-Stead.
Undated memo with architectural notes written by Theodate Pope for the McKim, Mead & White firm.
On June 16, 1901, the Popes spend their first night at Hill-Stead, making it their primary residence.
On February 15, 1904, Theodate and friend Mary Hillard have first “sitting” with medium Leonora Piper in Boston. This marks the beginning of documentation of Theodate’s interest in psychical research.
Alfred & Ada Pope in their first automobile, a 1904 Model D White Steamer. Note the chauffeur and the right-hand drive, with the steering wheel on what is now the passenger side.
The Popes purchase their first automobile, a White Steamer. The 1904 model sold for $2,500.
In August of 1905, Theodate is introduced to John Wallace Riddle, who became her husband 11 years later.
From 1907-1909, Theodate plans and builds Westover School in Middlebury, CT.
Alfred acquires Edgar Degas’s The Tub from Durand-Ruel in Paris, France on August 7, 1907. This is his last Impressionist purchase.
Fire destroys carriage barn and stable, laundry and butler’s quarters at Hill-Stead. The Popes rebuild immediately.
Then recently former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt visits Hill-Stead on June 11, 1911.
Frederick B. Cook, the 12 year-old son of Hill-Stead farm manager, Allen B. Cook, holding a bone “representing the first bone discovered” when the mastodon remains were unearthed at Hill-Stead in August 1913.
On August 13, 1913 the remains of a mastodon, the “most complete skeleton ever found east of the Hudson River” discovered on Hill-Stead property.
Alfred Pope passes away at his home of Hill-Stead on August 5, 1913.
In April of 1914, Theodate becomes a guardian to a 2-year-old Gordon Brockway.
On March 3, 1915, Theodate attends a hearing about the Suffrage bill at the Connecticut State capitol.
On May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania is torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat during World War I. Theodate was on-board during this tragedy, and survived.
Theodate becomes one of the first licensed female architects in the state of New York.
On May 6, 1916, Theodate and John Wallace Riddle marry. Their honeymoon is an automobile trip through New England.
Theodate designs and builds the Makeshift Theater. She shows films on a silver screen and sponsors community events and “all forms of worthy amusements”.
Theodate takes in two more wards, Paul Martin (age 10, in 1917) and Donald Carson (age 11, in 1918).
Theodate becomes a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Theodate and John Riddle travel through China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines from April through September of 1919.
Theodate, John, and” godsons”, as she called them, Donald Carson and Paul Martin go on a “Grand Tour” of Europe in June of 1920.
John Riddle is appointed the Ambassador to Argentina, his final posting.
Avon Old Farms School, an all-boys boarding school, opens. Theodate designed and built the school from 1918 to 1926 in honor of her father, Alfred.
Theodate becomes the 5th female licensed architect in CT, when the state first initiates a licensing requirement.
Through the Winter and Summer of 1935, Theodate and John tour through Europe and Egypt, where they visit the pyramids.
On June 8, 1945, Theodate leases use of Avon Old Farms School to the U.S. Army for a convalescent hospital for soldiers blinded during WWII.
On August 30, 1946, Theodate Pope Riddle passes away at Hill-Stead. Her last will and testament establishes Hill-Stead as a museum.
Hill-Stead Museum’s historic house is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Dearest of Geniuses published, the first biography about Theodate Pope Riddle.
Hill-Stead: The Country Place of Theodate Pope Riddle (Princeton Architectural Press), the museum’s first major publication.
Hill-Stead Museum welcomes its 1 millionth visitor since opening as a museum in 1947.
On January 13, 2021, Hill-Stead Museum’s National Historic Landmark status is expanded to include its entire 152-acre campus, encompassing eight additional built structures and landscape features.
The renovated Carriage Barn opens to the public in June of 2021, with a new state-of-the-art exhibition gallery.
Hill-Stead is awarded the Elizabeth Mills Brown Excellence Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the Carriage Barns renovation in October of 2021.
To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Hill-Stead opening as a museum, the museum held the first major exhibition in the new gallery, “Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity”, reuniting works purchased when Alfred was living in Cleveland, Ohio.