Return to Eustis Estate

For the third time, I went to Eustis Estate, a property owned by Historic New England. I had previously taken a self-guided tour during the holiday season in December 2022 and attended a quartet concert in 2023. This time, I took both the Design Tour and the Servants Tour, along with seeing the current exhibit The Importance of Being Furnished, which previously appeared on the blog during Day 1 of Historic New England Summit 2023 and a sneak preview webinar.

The Design Tour and Servants Tour turned out to be about ninety percent of the same material, the main difference being that the Servants Tour included a handful of brief anecdotes about people who worked for the Eustis family, along with allow guests to go up the servants’ staircase. I was expecting a Servants Tour similar to the one at Codman Estate, a Historic New England property that I visited in June 2022, as it was held in an entirely different part of the building than the regular House Tour. One reason given for this similarity was the aim of Eustis Estate to be fully ADA compliant. All parts of the tour must be accessible to people of all abilities. In fact, people with limited mobility were on both tours that I took, and they appreciated the lift, a tiny elevator moving between the two floor available to the public.

Both tours told the history of the Eustis family along with highlighting unique architectural features of the house. Built by William Ralph Emerson, distant cousin to the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Boston-based architect constructed mansions for the elite. This particular house was considered a starter home for the young Emersons, and a gift from her mother. Interestingly, the building looks more like a Henry Hobson Richardson design. Emerson typically designed stick-style homes, while Richardson preferred Romanesque buildings with red brick and stone. The front porch was decorated with colorful tile, including the Latin word “salve”, a fancy way to say hello. The stone on the house came from several quarries, including one in nearby Quincy, MA.

Unique design features were found inside the Living Hall. An ornately carved table with matching chairs allowed for many guests at parties. The double doors separating the entry from the hall contained stained glass that looked more art deco than late 19^th century, showing that the Eustis family had taste ahead of their time. To the right of the entrance coming in was a grand fireplace. The mantel was made of terracotta rather than wood, a precaution against fires. The brass hinges on the cabinet doors above the fireplace were inspired by Asian designs.

The first floor also contained a pair of Parlors, one with a stuffed peacock on the fireplace mantel, the other with a round fireplace. Across the Living Hall was the Dining Room, where the tour guide loved the beautiful chandelier. Stained glass on the built-in cabinets matched the aesthetic of the stained glass embedded into the doors between the entryway and the Living Hall. Also on the first floor were the China Closet with a Kitchenaid dishwasher and a kitchen with its original cast iron stove.

From the second floor, visitors could see the parquet floor in the Living Hall and the stained glass windows on the third story. The hallway on this floor contained the adorable “twin chair”, where Augustus and Frederic Eustis could sit on either side of their grandmother, at least when they were little. In the Library, a stuffed sailfish caught by father W.E.C. Eustis was mounted above the bookshelves. Many rooms contained decorative tile around the fireplaces, including nature scenes and nursery rhymes.

This floor held the temporary exhibit. As described in previous posts, the exhibit featured four high society bachelors who lived in the Greater Boston area during the late 19^th and 20^th, enjoyed interior decorating, and were considered homosexual by their contemporaries. Each man received his own room with artwork, furniture, and blueprints of his home. After attending two events focused on the exhibit, I can say it did live up to the hype. I had at least one favorite object for each room. For Ogden Codman, Jr. of Codman Estate, I liked his French armchair with white and blue upholstery. For Charles Pendleton of Pendleton House, I took a museum selfie in the “Shipwreck Mirror” created by Beth Katleman in 2019. For Henry Davis Sleeper of Beauport Sleeper-McCann House, I loved the wooden witch figurine. Finally, for Charles Gibson, Jr. of Gibson House, his family coats of arms matched my interest in heraldry.

Eustis Estate is definitely making a mark as the fairly new flagship property of Historic New England. While the lack of differentiation between the Design Tour and the Servants Tour was a disappointment, the tours themselves were well-written and perfectly paced. The temporary exhibit was a unique take on New England history and interior design, appropriate for their ongoing Recovering New England Voices program. The house was significantly more accessible than most historic homes; however, even with the focus with ADA compliance, parts of the building were dimly lit because of the rainy day. I am sure the museum will continue to find new ways to make their space accessible for all.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 6/10

Accessibility: 8/10