edith wharton

Anonymous $300,000 Gift Helps Edith Wharton's Historic Home

We've been watching The Mount, the historic Massachusetts home of author Edith Wharton, for the last couple years as it has struggled to stay open amid deep debt. The historic home even faced foreclosure a few years back but it seems that each time the home ends up in trouble, donors and foundations step in to help out, a testament to the enduring fondness for both the writer and this beautiful home. The Mount recently received a $300,000 gift from an anonymous local donor recently after an article in the Berkshire Eagle mentioned that the Mount is facing a $1 million debt repayment deadline in May 2011. A blog post on The Mount website states that the donor regards The Mount as a national treasure and hopes others will also step up to help. The Mount's year-end appeal raised over $350,000.

The Mount is located in the Berkshires area of Massachusetts which relies on summer tourism for its local museums and estates. The Mount is part of the "American Icons" admission program which lets visitors purchase special package deal tickets to four cultural institutions: Chesterwood and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, The Mount and Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock. Chesterwood was the summer home of sculptor Daniel Chester French. The Berkshires area is also the home of Tanglewood, the summer venue for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Gallery: Edith Wharton's The Mount

Tags: berkshires, edith wharton, historic homes, the mount

The Classicist: Celebrating the Season in Style with Range Rover at Wheatleigh

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Click above for high-res image gallery. Photos exclusive to Luxist.

Winter can be a long, cold interlude verging on a test of endurance in the Northeast, and it's all too easy to get bogged down by the doldrums. Plenty of people either hibernate by their hearths or hit the beach until the mercury makes its ascent, but there are myriad ways to keep warm with style, verve and panache. We recently gathered some of our favorite accessories of the season at Wheatleigh, the majestic mansion-turned-luxury hotel in the heart of the Berkshires' winter wonderland. Getting us there in style and comfort through anything the weather cared to concoct was the 2011 Range Rover Sport, a luxurious way to see the landscape safe in the knowledge that the elements have met their match. The pedigreed SUV's smooth, refined, performance and rugged good looks mark it as a thoroughbred in all respects, a suitably stylish conveyance for arriving at a desirable destination like Wheatleigh. And we had the great new Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact, versatile digital camera on hand to record it all for your vicarious enjoyment.

Wheatleigh, located in Lenox, Mass. next door to Edith Wharton's famed country manor The Mount, is a grand estate based on a 16th century Florentine palazzo built in 1893 by New York financier Henry H. Cook for his daughter who married a Spanish count. Many of the materials and over 150 artisans were brought from Italy to produce intricate carvings and design flourishes for the grand interiors and facades. Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, was responsible for creating "Wheatleigh Park" on the land surrounding the palazzo. Following a four year multimillion dollar renovation it was transformed into one of the most unique luxurious small hotels in the world. The nineteen suites, guest rooms and baths artfully combine antiques and custom furnishings with original museum quality contemporary art. The baths are finished with English limestone, marble and hand-blown glass fixtures, and most rooms feature fireplaces and Bang & Olufsen TVs. Check out the gallery to see the perfect accoutrements for a stylish seasonal sojourn – from books to watches, champagne to cashmere sweaters, and boots to bags – no matter where your journey takes you.

Gallery: Range Rover at Wheatleigh Dec. 2010

Graf & Lantz wool felt Boat Bag, personalized Tumi Alpha wheeled case.

Tumi Alpha case; Dom Perignon Tribute to Andy Warhol edition; Private Stock jeans; Graf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier w/ Robert Mo

Tags: Bang Olufsen, Berkshires, Brooks Brothers, Central Park, champagne, Dom Perignon, Edith Wharton, estates, Frederick Law Olmsted, gardens, Holiday 2010, L.L. Bean, Lenox, luggage, luxury hote, mansion, Massachusetts, mens style, New England, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, palazzo, Persol, Ralph Lauren, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, spirits, stolichnaya, sunglasses, SUV, teNeues, The Mount, Tumi, vodka, Wheatleigh, winter

The Mount Receives $750,000 Gift, Restructures Debt

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Mount, the historic Massachusetts home of author Edith Wharton, is slowly struggling out from under a mountain of debt with the help of a new restructuring plan. The home received a $750,000 gift from The Alice M. Kaplan Memorial Reserve,. A new plan will cut the Mount's funded debt almost in half to $4.7 million. The estate is planning a summer festival as well as an expanded program of workshops and lectures.

The Mount is located in the Berkshires area of Massachusetts which relies on summer tourism for its local museums and estates. The Mount is part of the "American Icons" admission program which lets visitors purchase special package deal tickets to four cultural institutions: Chesterwood and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, The Mount and Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock. Chesterwood was the summer home of sculptor Daniel Chester French. The Berkshires area is also the home of Tanglewood, the summer venue for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The season starts July 3.

Gallery: Edith Wharton's The Mount

Source

Tags: berkshires, edith wharton, EdithWharton, the mount, TheMount

The Mount Staves Off Foreclosure

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Good news for friends of The Mount, Edith Wharton's Lenox, Massachusetts, house today. Bloomberg reports that the property, which was facing foreclosure, has been saved at least temporarily. The 97-year-old estate raised $800,000 before the foreclosure deadline. Susan Wissler, senior executive officer of Edith Wharton Restoration Inc. says that the situation is still very critical. There is still an outstanding balance of around $5.5 million in bank loans (a $1.3 million mortgage and an additional credit line of $3.2 million). The Wharton preservation group had missed a $30,000 payment to Berkshire Bank in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in February. Edith Wharton Restoration started a campaign to raise $3 million The $800,000 was raised from 1,300 donors including former Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner and his wife, Jane who gave $25,000. The Mount will be open for the season beginning May 9 but a new foreclosure date of May 31 still looms.

Gallery: Edith Wharton's The Mount

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Tags: edith wharton, foreclosure, massachusetts, the mount, TheMount