Director

The most notable item in his collection was Albert Bierstadt’s Domes of the Yosemite, which he reportedly commissioned for $25,000 of the day. After Lockwood’s death in 1872, the painting was purchased at auction by Horace Fairbanks on behalf of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum to add to their collection, where it remains to this day. The Rotunda originally contained four leather-upholstered, carved and inlaid walnut settees by the Herter Brothers. Each settee featured a different motif, illustrating the passions and interests of the Lockwoods. The settee also incorporated many of the decorative designs found throughout the Mansion, making them fully customized to the house. Of the four settees, two–representing Music and Art &amp; Architecture–returned to the Mansion through generous donations.Originally, the walls and cove ceiling were painted in a neutral tone with highlights of lavender, rose, and gold. When the Mathews purchased the property in the 1870s, they painted the room a deep red, which is similar to the shade seen today, bordered with a gold Greek key pattern. The ceiling has been returned to its original color, with the panel on the east wall restored to display Lockwood’s monogram entwined within an eight-pointed star. Originally, the monogram of Ann Louisa, LeGrand Lockwood’s wife, was displayed directly opposite.The Grand Staircase was also designed and furnished by the Herter Brothers and dominates the North side of the Rotunda. Rising from the first floor in a single flight to a landing, the imperial staircase divides and then continues as two stairways to the gallery above. Made primarily of Black walnut, the staircase is a tour de force of craftsmanship, from the carved and inlaid newel posts with lion heads and garlands to rails and balusters inlaid with boxwood in a Greek key and palmette pattern. This magnificent staircase was reputed originally to have cost $50,000 to construct. The light fixtures currently seen at the foot of the staircase date from the Mathews era and were originally gas before being converted to electric by the family.

A historic photo of the Mansion's Rotunda

A historic photo of the Rotunda's northwest face, featuring the Domes of Yosemite

The restored monogram of Legrand Lockwood

Website

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.

Rotunda and Grand Staircase

Admin

Born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1820, <a href="https://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com/history/lockwood-family/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(111, 128, 142);background-color:transparent;">LeGrand Lockwood </a>made his fortune in New York City. He started working at age 18 as a clerk for a brokerage firm on Wall Street, but by age 23 he had already become partner in the firm known as Genin and Lockwood, Brokers. He became a member of the New York Stock Exchange in 1851 and six years later, upon becoming a senior partner in his firm, Genin and Lockwood, he renamed the firm Lockwood and Co. The firm primarily dealt with the trading of leading railroad stocks of the day, including the Michigan Southern Railroad, later known as the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, in which Lockwood held a vice-presidency. Lockwood and his firm’s reputation on Wall Street were so well-regarded that in 1863 he was elected treasurer of the New York Stock Exchange. An 1868 newspaper was quoted: “[Lockwood and Co.]’s prominence and stability during the [Civil] War, and its large subscriptions to national loans established its position as THE LEADING STOCK HOUSE of the country.” Lockwood traveled to Europe in 1863 to sell war bonds that would help him raise money for the Union. He returned home an even wealthier man and began to build his palatial summer home in Norwalk, CT. However, the post-Civil War economic boom was coming to an end. Lockwood’s financial reversal in 1869 and his untimely death in 1872 resulted in the loss of the estate, then known as “Elm Park,” through foreclosure in 1874. The property was sold to <a href="https://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com/history/mathews-family/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(111, 128, 142);background-color:transparent;">Charles D. Mathews and his wife Rebecca</a> in 1876. Mathews, a prominent importer from New York, and his family, resided in the Mansion until 1938. In 1941 the estate was sold to the City of Norwalk and designated a public park. The Mansion was a technological marvel of its time: it had indoor hot and cold plumbing, gas lighting, ventilation, and a central heating system that burned a ton of coal a day. Indeed, there is no comparable mansion museum in our state. Built during the Civil War and still inhabited during the Great Depression, there is no institution in Connecticut that is better able to bring to life these significant events in American history. When the building was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, concerned citizens galvanized to save the Mansion in one the most important and hard-fought preservation battles in Connecticut’s history. These local preservationists succeeded in saving the Mansion in 1965 and later formed the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum of Norwalk, Inc., a 501(c)(3), which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

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.

LeGrand Lockwood’s bedroom walls are frescoed in colors of rose and green. The eight-pointed star motif appears again, most noticeably painted above his bed. The fireplace mantle is carved from Italian marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones. The turret opens just off the bedroom and contains a small Oratory, also designed by the Herter Brothers. The painted room features a blue domed ceiling decorated with gold stars and walls made to look like gathered silk. Lockwood originally furnished the room with a cross and a prie-dieu, a small ornamental wooden desk intended for private devotional use.Adjoining the bedroom is a full bathroom, designed by the Herter Brothers, with two sinks, water closet, and tub. The English ceramic sink basins are decorated in the same colors as the bedroom, thereby continuing the scheme from one room into the next. The double sinks are inset in Italian Brescia marble, the warm red tones of the marble complimenting the room’s colors.

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.

LeGrand Lockwood's Bedroom

The bedroom and dressing room with fireplace was designed by her relative, George Platt, who also planned the décor of the Dining and Moorish Rooms. The walls and ceiling are frescoed in neutral tones and lavender with traces of gold throughout, which are still visible today. Pocket doors conceal a dressing room with double sinks, a closet, and a fireplace. Two steps lead up to Ann Louisa Lockwood’s bathroom, which is located on the top level of the Servants’ Quarters. The large fashionable dresses of the era required the assistance of a ladies maid, making the proximity of the bath and dressing rooms convenient for this purpose.

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.

Ann Louisa Lockwood's Bedroom

Originally, the Billiards Room contained two tables with a revolving cue rack between them. The room held a billiards table and a ping pong table during the Mathews era and this room along with the two-lane bowling alley in the basement provided entertainment for the family and their guests. The eight-pointed star ceilings are paneled patterns in decorative plaster. The woodwork was done in oak with ash panels. The mantle is made of wood, both carved and molded, which currently features a bust of Charles D. Mathews. Five different woods were used to create the parquet floor. Both the ceiling and floor were cleaned and restored in the early 2000s. Currently the Billiards Room is used for contemporary art exhibits, meeting space, and as a venue available to host a private event.

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.

Billiards Room

The decoration of the room is centered on the Roman gods and emperors, from the doors bronze medallions to the painted portraits above, which match the Herter Brothers set. Pierre-Victor Galland’s Venus at Play with Her Cupids nearly covers the entire span of the ceiling. This magnificent painting was commissioned in 1869 by LeGrand Lockwood and remains a highlight of the room.Adjoining the Drawing Room is a small turreted Card Room. Designed by the Herter Brothers, with delicate inlaid woods such as bird’s eyes maple, boxwood, and ebony, the room reveals three of LeGrand Lockwood’s great interests: music, art, and poetry.Like the Drawing Room it features Galland’s masterful hand. The arched ceiling, paneled and frescoed with birds and vases of flowers, gives the diminutive room a feeling of Victorian romanticism. The room’s fireplace was never meant to hold a fire, but rather was a means to disguise a heating duct.

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.

Drawing Room and Card Room

On the opposite wall from the bay window, housing one of the Mathews’ tables, are two doors. The one closest to the drawing room is the silver vault with shelves and a sink. It has a double door, one of wood and one of iron. The iron door served to protect the contents from both fire and burglary. Today you can see pieces of both the Lockwoods’ and Mathews’ dinnerware on display. On the other side of the room, the wood door originally led to the butler’s pantry, kitchen, laundry, and other servants’ areas. The area now serves as a location for the elevator to allow ADA accessibility.

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.

The Dining Room

The most notable item in his collection was Albert Bierstadt’s Domes of the Yosemite, which he reportedly commissioned for $25,000 of the day. After Lockwood’s death in 1872, the painting was purchased at auction by Horace Fairbanks on behalf of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum to add to their collection, where it remains to this day. The Rotunda originally contained four leather-upholstered, carved and inlaid walnut settees by the Herter Brothers. Each settee featured a different motif, illustrating the passions and interests of the Lockwoods. The settee also incorporated many of the decorative designs found throughout the Mansion, making them fully customized to the house. Of the four settees, two–representing Music and Art &amp; Architecture–returned to the Mansion through generous donations. Originally, the walls and cove ceiling were painted in a neutral tone with highlights of lavender, rose, and gold. When the Mathews purchased the property in the 1870s, they painted the room a deep red, which is similar to the shade seen today, bordered with a gold Greek key pattern. The ceiling has been returned to its original color, with the panel on the east wall restored to display Lockwood’s monogram entwined within an eight-pointed star. Originally, the monogram of Ann Louisa, LeGrand Lockwood’s wife, was displayed directly opposite. The Grand Staircase was also designed and furnished by the Herter Brothers and dominates the North side of the Rotunda. Rising from the first floor in a single flight to a landing, the imperial staircase divides and then continues as two stairways to the gallery above. Made primarily of Black walnut, the staircase is a tour de force of craftsmanship, from the carved and inlaid newel posts with lion heads and garlands to rails and balusters inlaid with boxwood in a Greek key and palmette pattern. This magnificent staircase was reputed originally to have cost $50,000 to construct. The light fixtures currently seen at the foot of the staircase date from the Mathews era and were originally gas before being converted to electric by the family.

The furniture and woodwork in the Music Room has been primarily attributed to the Herter Brothers, Christian and Gustav, the preeminent Victorian era cabinet makers. While the Lockwood family had purchased carpets in France that were woven specifically for the space, the current carpet was installed by Paramount Studios for the major motion picture The Stepford Wives (2004) starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, and Bette Midler.The fireplace is of Italian marble, over which a magnificent etched glass panel depicts the Roman goddess Pomona. The illustration was drawn by Pierre-Victor Galland, the same artist who painted the mural on the Drawing Room’s ceiling.The fireplace is constructed with the flues on either side of the fireplace so as to not obstruct the view of the etched glass from the Music Room or the Rotunda.

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.

Music Room

The Library's parquet floor is made of five different woods in an eight-pointed star pattern, which is repeated throughout the house. The room was designed and furnished by Leon Marcotte to hold 3,000 volumes, with bookcases, a rare-book vault, and drawers for manuscripts and maps. Magnificent double doors of etched glass open to the Conservatory. <h3>The Conservatory</h3>This Gilded Age Conservatory, with its ribbed half glass dome and Minton tiles, is an excellent example of early domestic conservatory architecture in the United States. Accessed directly from the Library, this small yet distinctive room has been brought to life with a rich installation of silk plants, pots and furnishings of the era. The Conservatory provides a glimpse into the Victorians’ passion for the beauty and diversity of the plant world as seen through the vision of the original owners of the Mansion.

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. 

Library and Conservatory

A variety of colored marbles are found within the floor, complimented by eight-pointed star motifs. The same marble is used in a similar pattern for the Entrance Hall.On either side of the Vestibule doors are etched glass panels that pivot open and are part of the original ventilation system for the house. Four columns of polished Florentine marble dominate the Entrance Hall. Visitors can see two Herter Brothers chairs which are of the Lockwood era. Also original to the room are two statues by the American sculptor Joseph Mozier, Pocahontas and The Wept of Wist-Ton-Wish, which were part of LeGrand Lockwood’s impressive art collection.

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 Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

Rotunda and Grand Staircase

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information