Visitors arriving through the double Black walnut front doors opening from the porte-cochere enter the Vestibule, just as the Lockwood and Mathews families and their guests would have entered the Mansion. The plaster walls and ceilings have been repaired and restored back to their original Lockwood colors in 1976.
The Library is one of the most magnificent rooms on the first floor. The mantel, door frames, and bookcases are of hand carved English and American Black walnut, embellished with polished steel and strapwork ornaments in the Early Renaissance style. The ceiling is coffered in Black walnut panels with blue, rose, and gold frescoed centers. Following the recent restoration by nationally recognized Canning Studios, the original wallpaper, embossed to look like Moroccan leather, was reproduced by renowned French fabric manufacturer Scalamandre.
The Music Room is an example of a conserved but not restored, period room. The original vine and rosette motifs decorating the walls and the frescoed, paneled ceiling are from 1868. The room’s name derives not only from its current contents, which includes a 19th century harp, but from the decorations of the room itself: the instruments painted on the ceiling, inlaid in the pocket doors, and carved into the room’s marble mantle.
The Rotunda features a cove ceiling topped by a double, 42 ft. skylight rising above the floor. The skylight not only acted as a natural light source but was essential in the original 19th century ventilation system. LeGrand Lockwood, a great patron of the arts, used the Rotunda to display his collection of paintings and statuary.
The Dining room is designed by George Platt, a New York interior designer, in the French Renaissance Revival style. Exaggerated picturesque elements such as pediments, columns, raised cartouches, and medallions define the style. The ceiling is paneled and frescoed with fruits and one can see garlands, figures, and clusters of grapes carved into the chimney breast that once housed a clock over the fireplace. Both the Lockwoods and the Mathews had a two table arrangement, with each table seating twelve. The carpet is a reproduction of the original, which was hand-woven in France. All of the original carpets were sold at the City of Norwalk’s 1944 auction.
Designed by the Herter Brothers, the Drawing Room features rosewood woodwork inlaid with boxwood, ebony, and cedar of Lebanon along with a ten piece set of furniture, bought by Charles D. Mathews, believing that it matched the set originally commissioned by LeGrand Lockwood which was never installed in the house.
Accessed via a passage from the Entrance Hall or the Rotunda, the Billiards Room was initially conceived as a gentleman’s domain. The room was initially painted in the masculine colors of Black with shades of gray and gold. In order to not disrupt other members of the household, doors to the Rotunda could be closed and the passage leading directly into the Billiards Room enabled players to come and go as they pleased. Adjoining the room is a washroom with a water-closet and double sinks. These sinks are painted to match the decoration of the walls of the Billiards Room. This is the only bathroom on the first floor.
Ann Louisa Lockwood’s bedroom is located on the east side of the Mansion above the Dining Room. Although, at first glance, one would assume this impressive room would belong to her husband, it is believed to have been hers, according to a newspaper account describing the room and its extraordinary size. The balcony off of her room has views of the Norwalk River and the windows have wooden shutters that fold back into the walls, like all others in the house. Those on the second floor, unlike the first, are louvered to take advantage of summer breezes while allowing for privacy.
LeGrand Lockwood’s suite occupies the southeast corner of the Mansion, above the Drawing room. This bedroom suite was later used by Charles D. Mathews and then his son, Charles T. Mathews. Designed by the Herter Brothers, the suite consists of a dressing room, bedroom, oratory, and master bath, capturing the latest technological advances of the Gilded Age. The Mansion was built between 1864-1868 and featured central heating, hot and cold running water including flushing toilets, and a battery-powered alarm system. Throughout the second floor, one can see the wires of the original burglar alarm, which Lockwood could control from a panel located outside his dressing room. A second alarm panel can be found in the Servants’ Quarters. The room also features three original call levers in addition to the upgraded electric buzzer system, installed by the Mathews family. Early forms of electricity can still be found on the bedroom’s east wall.
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The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is regarded as one of the earliest and most significant Second Empire Style country houses in the United States. Built by renowned financier and railroad tycoon LeGrand Lockwood from 1864-1868, the Mansion, with its unparalleled architecture and interiors, illustrates magnificently the beauty and splendor of the Victorian Era.
