Hillwood opens doors every Sunday

Hillwood Estate/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Beginning Sunday, Hillwood, "where fabulous lives," the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) in northwest Washington, will be open six days a week from 10 a.m. until 5 p. m., according to an announcement.

Lynn Rossotti, Hillwood's director of marketing and communications, said an "operational agreement" with Hillwood's neighbors, approved this month by D.C.'s Board of Zoning Adjustment, now permits the estate to be open every Sunday, rather than two Sundays a month, a policy set by a former agreement.

"Over the years, we've developed such a great relationship with the neighborhood, a feeling overall, that visitors and the neighbors want us to be open every Sunday," Ms. Rossotti said.  None of the neighbors expressed opposition to the expanded Sundays, she said.

"There's a great sense they do believe Hillwood is a benefit. They like to come over and enjoy it for the strolls and bring their visitors."

In the gardens at Hillwood Estate/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Hillwood "is a nice quiet place to enjoy your Sunday morning, and it's not as busy as Saturday" which is "really popular in the spring."

A memorial in the Hillwood gardens which reads:  "To Marjorie Merriweather Post May, In Deep and Everlasting Appreciation, Scouting's Golden Year, The National Capital Area Council and The Boy Scouts of America, April 11, 1960." In the center is a coin with two Boy Scouts and this wording: "Building Toward Unity, Youth of The Scouting World"/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Opening every Sunday will permit more time for guests to enjoy Hillwood's popular Sunday tea ("people love to come to that") for which reservations are highly recommended.  (202-243-3914.  According to the website, the price is $15 without wine; $20, with.  On weekdays the tea service is only available to groups of 10 or more.)

Settled in an established neighborhood of large homes and embassies, Hillwood is highly sensitive to those nearby and values its relationships with them, Ms. Ross0tti said. The ten-year operational agreement with the neighborhood came up for renewal last year, and changes were suggested.

Hillwood has seen a surge in visitors who have increased in number almost 60 percent since 2007, to last year's record 75,445, Ms. Rossotti said.

The merry month of May is one of Hillwood's most popular times since "everyone wants to come and enjoy the springtime, especially on Mother's Day.  We have 25 acres here," said Ms. Rossotti, with plenty of room for visitors to enjoy the grounds, the mansion, to see exhibits, and to have a spot of tea.

An exhibit now up through June 7, 2015, Splendor and Surprise,  displays secrets of 80 chests, boxes, jewelry safes, perfume bottles, and other containers, some which are 300 years old and come from different cultures.

Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973)

What:  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

When: Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

Where:  4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Suggested donation: $15 (adults), $12 (seniors), $10 (college students), $5 (children, ages 6 -18) and free for those under age 6.

Parking: Free, on-site

Biking and walking: Encouraged; bike racks, available.

For more information: 202-686-5807 or to make a reservation for Sunday tea: 202-243-3914

Metro station: Van Ness/UDC station on the Red Line, then walk a mile (mostly uphill;  taxis, available).

Metro bus stop: The L1 or L2 bus stops at the corner of Connecticut and Tilden streets, NW, about a half mile's walk to Hillwood (mostly uphill).

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Hillwood extends Post's diamonds and rubies through Jan. 11

Marjorie Merriweather Post and her daughter, Dina (Merrill) in 1929, by Giulio de Blaas (1888-1934). On her left shoulder, Post wears one of her favorite pieces, a Cartier emerald epaulette, shown below.  Dina Merrill Hartley, the actress who turned 91 yesterday, Post's only surviving child, is a sponsor of Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Dazzling Gems at the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens  rubies

A close up of the Cartier epaulette with seven emeralds, in the painting above.  The weight is?/Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

 

It's always fun to see how the rich live, the one percenters, to visit their homes, a rarity for most of us, but Hillwood in northwest Washington was the home of a billionaire, Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973), and it's open to the public.  There, visitors may see the special exhibition of "fabulous" jewelry Post commissioned and bought from Cartier, the French house, whose artistry is the subject of Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Dazzling Gems.

Direct from a Cartier exhibition in Paris at the Grand Palais on Champs Elysees, the Hillwood show is fitted in a small gallery with rings, necklaces, earrings, evening gowns, purses, and a dressing set, among other items, at the estate's Adirondack Building.

Also on display are jeweled boxes and elaborate enameled, painted picture frames, including a set of Russian Tsar Nicolas II's daughters, Grand Duchess Tatiana and Grand Duchess Olga, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Russia in 1918.

One of Post's four marriages was to Joseph E. Davies, appointed U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1936. While living in Russia in 1937 and 1938, Post and her husband bought many art works from the Stalinist government which needed money to build the regime. Post developed an affinity for Russian decorative arts and her collection evolved into the world's greatest collection of Russian imperial arts, outside the homeland.

She was also an admirer of French art, bequeathing many pieces of her jewelry to the Smithsonian, including a diamond tiara Napoleon I gave to Empress Marie-Louise, on view at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History in the Hall of Gems.  The Smithsonian loaned several gems to Hillwood for Cartier.

Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1952 by Frank O. Salisbury (1874-1962) wearing the necklace below/Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

A close up of the Cartier emerald and diamond necklace worn by Marjorie Merriweather Post in the portrait above/Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

Another Cartier necklace owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post/Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

A diamond necklace owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, designed by Cartier/Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

Hillwood's Adirondack building where Post's Cartier pieces are displayed/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The south portico of Hillwood, the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post in Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie 

The dining room at Hillwood/Photo by Patricia Leslie 

 

The breakfast room at Hillwood/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Marjorie Merriweather Post/Hillwood Estate, Museum  & Gardens

Other items in the Cartier presentation include a cigarette box of gold, silver, enamel, agate, and diamonds with ashtrays of gold, rubies, jade and sapphires, made in "the heyday of cigarette smoking," de rigueur elements to accommodate smokers found in elegant homes of the 1920s and 1930s.

Post began her Cartier collection in the 1920s and added to it throughout most of her life. 

The Cartier firm opened its doors in Paris in 1899, and its New York shop in 1909 where Post became Cartier's best client, Hillwood says. 

For presentation in 1929 at the Court of St. James, Post wore a 21-carat Columbian emerald reportedly offered to her by Cartier and formerly worn by Austrian Archduke Maximilian (1832-1867) who crowned himself emperor of Mexico where he was executed.

The Maximilian emerald ring which Marjorie Merriweather Post gave to the Smithsonian where it is displayed in the Hall of Gems at the National Museum of Natural History/Smithsonian

Many rooms at the Hillwood mansion are open to the public, including the upstairs with bedrooms and dressing rooms (no sitting, please). While on the grounds, enjoy the peace of its 25 acres, nicely designed with tranquil gardens where visitors may sit on benches and dream.

What:  Cartier:  Marjorie Merriweather Post's Dazzling Gems

When:  Now through January 11, 2015, including New Year's Day, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 - 5 p.m.  Closed on Mondays. Beginning January 12, Hillwood will closed for the month.

Where:  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens "Where Fabulous Lives," 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Suggested donation:  $15 (adults), $12 (seniors), $10 (students), $5 (child, ages 6 -18) and free for those under age 6.

Parking:  Free, on-site

Biking and walking:  Encouraged; bike racks available.

For more information:  202-686-5807

Metro station: Van Ness/UDC station on the Red Line, then walk a (mostly uphill) mile and burn off Christmas calories.  (Taxis, available.)

Metro bus stop: The L1 or L2 bus stops at the corner of Connecticut and Tilden streets, NW, about a half mile's (mostly uphill) walk from Hillwood.

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Wedding dresses extended at Hillwood through January 15, 2012

Have you seen that dumb show on cable (thank goodness I cannot identify the station or the night) about women selecting wedding gowns?
In fancy bridal shops the women come and go, talking with mothers and close friends who tell the brides-to-be how ravishing they look in wedding apparel.

The 60-year-old with the wrinkly arms?

"Darling, sleeveless is perfect for you!"

Who in their right mind would spend time watching such a show?

Velma and I love it.

If you haven't been out to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens to see Marjorie Merriweather Post's four wedding dresses, you have until January 15, 2012 to see them. The show has been extended to satisfy the crowds bombarding the mansion for this very special exhibition. (Through last month Hillwood's attendance exceeded all of 2010 admittances which had already set a record.)

Wedding Dress, 1905  Worn by Marjorie Merriweather Post for wedding to Edward Bennett Close, December 5, 1905  Hitchins& Balcom, New York  Silk satin, silk organza, open cut lace, rhinestones

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973

The show includes not only Mrs. Post's four wedding dresses (none alike), but those of her three daughters, her mother, bridesmaids, mother of the bride, and Dina Merrill's dress she wore as a flower girl (piped in white fox?) in her sister's 1927 wedding.  Ms. Merrill (b. 1925) was the youngest of Mrs. Post's three daughters and the only one extant. Like mother, like daughters: Adelaide, the oldest, was married three times; Eleanor, the middle daughter, six times, and Dina Merrill, three times. It might take an airport hangar to show all of the wedding dresses which may explain why they are not all in the show. Nevertheless...) A 2.5 minute film of scenes from Adelaide's 1927 wedding is included.

Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid Dress, 1935

Worn by Marjorie Merriweather Post and bridesmaid dress worn by Dina Merrill for Post’s 1935 wedding to Joseph E. Davies, photographed in the pavilion at Hillwood. Photo by Ed Owen

Wedding Dress, 1946
Worn by Dina Merrill for her wedding to Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr., March 23, 1946
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York
Satin, tulle, pearls
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Gift of Dina Hartley; photo by Ed Owen

The dresses are in superb condition. And accompanying them are hats, shoes, purses, jewelry. (Do not dare miss, as I almost did on first go-round, Dina Merrill's wedding bag with diamonds and pearls.) Without a doubt, Mrs. Post's most elegant dress was her first one.

The costumes are all quite complete and originate from Hillwood's collection of 175 gowns Mrs. Post (1887-1973) left to her estate.

The Adirondack at Hillwood, home of "Wedding Belles"/Patricia Leslie

The exhibition is in a small gallery, the Adirondack, a few steps from the mansion which is also included in the admission price. Hillwood is stunning with holiday decorations up and docents galore to happily answer questions.

Hillwood Estate/Patricia Leslie

If you should wonder why Hillwood is not open every Sunday, it's because the neighbors prohibit it via zoning, a docent told me. Likely, they abhor the traffic which reminds me...

Parking is available on-site, however, the Sunday I went, the only parking was in an employees lot, but, not to worry, friendly parking lot attendants will take care of you.

The $15 admission is well worth it, and do take advantage of the beautiful grounds. I didn't believe the website which advised planning a stay of three hours, but it is true. The café offerings were magnificent and reasonably priced.  An attendant told me large brunch crowds come on Sundays (when open).

What: "Wedding Belles: Bridal Fashions From the Marjorie Merriweather Post Family 1874-1958"

When: Now through January 15, 2012, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and two Sundays, January 1 and January 15, 2012, 1 - 5 p.m.

Where: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW

"Suggested donation": $15 (adults), $12 (age 65 +), $10 (college students), $5 (6-18 years), no suggested donations for younger than 6 or members

Metro station: Van Ness-UDC and walk a short mile up a hill through a pretty neighborhood (or take a taxi). To shorten your walk or skip the taxi, ride the L1 or L2 bus and walk a half mile from Connecticut and Tilden.

For more information: 202-686-5807

A portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post at Hillwood

Dina Merrill's bedroom at Hillwood/Patricia Leslie

      The Breakfast Room at Hillwood/Patricia Leslie

A portrait of Catherine the Great of Russia hangs on the stairway at the mansion.  Mrs Post's marriage to Joseph E. Davies took them to Russia in 1937 and 1938 when he was U.S. Ambassador, and there Mrs. Post developed a love of Russian decorative arts.  A docent said Hillwood owns the largest collection of Russian decorative arts in the U.S.