Gari Melchers Home & Studio (Tour) - Clio

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When in the early 1920s Gari Melchers developed plans for the construction of a studio adjacent to the house, he instructed the architect to design a practical space that would function as both work space and storage, but he was “not to forget that it is meant to be a private gallery and must eventually do service.” Detroit architect, John Donaldson, a longtime friend of Melchers, designed the structure according to the artist’s specifications. Work was completed on the stone building in 1924. Today the building continues to serve as a Melchers showcase, housing the largest collection of his paintings and drawings anywhere—some 1600 items in all—and features rotating exhibitions spanning the whole of his career.

2. Gari and Corinne Melchers Interment Site

Gari Melchers was born in 1860, and Corinne Melchers died in 1955. The roses planted in front of their interment site in the Studio wall by museum staff represent almost one hundred years of rose breeding. It is interesting to see the difference in their habit, blooms, and presence, or lack of, scent, rose hips, etc. in the four roses planted there. They reflect the traits rose breeders thought would appeal to the public, and illustrate that what we find desirable in our roses has changed over the years. The roses in this bed range from a finicky, but deeply fragrant tea rose called Mme. Joseph Schwartz, released in 1880, the year of Corinne Melchers birth, to a sturdy, scentless, showy shrub called Dortmund, introduced in 1955. It was the decision of the University of Mary Washington to inter the Melcherses' ashes in the studio wall and create the brass plaque. The plaque incorrectly lists Corinne's birthday as February 11, 1880. Her correct date of birth is February 27, 1880. The Melchers left no instructions regarding their interment.

3. Studio Pavilion

Constructed in 2006, the Studio Pavilion is the museum's rental and program facility featuring a versatile event space and catering kitchen. Situated on a ridge overlooking the Rappahannock River, the intimate space offers floor to ceiling windows and opens onto a charming garden terrace. Adjoining the original 1924 studio galleries, the two combine to produce a seamless blend of historic charm and modern sophistication.

4. Summer House

In 1932, Corinne Melchers directed the construction of a charming summer house at the crest of the grove, where the Ficklen privies once stood. Inspired by a summer house she saw at Mt. Vernon. She noted in her diary, "I have seen the summer house at Mt. Vernon and I mean to have one.” It is quite roomy and would have been used for dinner parties in the summer. The ancient White Oak trees provide shade and the windows open up and allow for nice breezes to come through. In the winter the stone is warmed by the sun and with the doors closed it is quite comfortable even on the coldest day. The design for the stone structure may have been inspired by a building Mrs. Melchers saw when visiting Salzburg, Austria.

"Despite the cultural, social, and commercial opportunities New York offered, the city was not acceptable to Gari Melchers as a year-round place of residence. He needed a home and a studio in an undeveloped area to be close to the rural subject matter that he had always favored. Melchers was, no doubt, already looking for a country estate in 1916 when a Detroit architect, Frank Baldwin, who owned the Snowden estate in Fredericksburg, suggested that he consider Belmont. The artist must have been impressed by the picturesque site of this eighteenth-century Georgian home perched on a ridge overlooking the falls of the Rappahannock River in Falmouth, Virginia. Good rail service to New York satisfied an important practical consideration. Consequently, he purchased Belmont, acquiring the deed to the house and property in September 1916. Melchers was not the first owner to enlarge the house at Belmont, but his alteration was unique, for it expressed in architectural terms his long-standing fascination with light. The artist added the five-sided sun porch that now graces the southern side of the house. This luminous alcove boasts six expansive arched windows and a set of glass doors that open into a broad lawn."

6. Chicken Coop

Identifying with the current beautification movement of American farms and country homes, Gari and Corinne Melchers embarked upon a small farming endeavor that included dairy cattle, horses, turkeys, ducks and chickens. To support this husbandry enterprise, they adapted existing structures and added new buildings. A mid 19th century smoke house, probably the property's oldest agricultural structure, was converted to house chickens. Around 1917, the Melchers also enlarged a portion of the neighboring horse stable that dates from the Ficklen era. This structure was remodeled to serve as museum office space in 1976. Next, a large automobile garage, with a hayloft and side shed for wood, was constructed in 1920. Today it serves as the Marguerite Stroh Visitor Center. In 1921, a cow barn was erected. This barn, together with the smoke house, stable, shelter (rebuilt in 2019), and new stone walls and gates, formed an enclosure for the animal yard. A springhouse was also constructed in 1921. Located within Belmont's circular drive, it was the site of an old well house. The couple used the springhouse for general cold storage, as well as a cistern to store water drawn from a pump house at the western edge of the property. Lastly in 1931, a handsome stone and slate garage to house a wagon and farm truck was constructed.

7. Well House or Spring House

When Gari and Corinne Melchers bought Belmont in 1916, household water from forest springs was stored in this well house, built by Joseph B. Ficklin in 1860. The well began to leak and a new cistern was built underground near the house. By 1921, the original well was converted into a spring house by adding an access door and a cement trough at the bottom, which held cool water. The subterranean pool kept milk, cheese, and other perishables fresh during summer. In winter, it stayed relatively free of frost , so it might have been used to store potatoes, carrots, and other foods. The woodland springs were the only source of water until the 1950s, when Belmont was connected to the Stafford County water supply.

8. Horse Stable

Identifying with the current beautification movement of American farms and country homes, Gari and Corinne Melchers embarked upon a small farming endeavor that included dairy cattle, horses, turkeys, ducks and chickens. To support this husbandry enterprise, they adapted existing structures and added new buildings. Originally built circa 1800 as a kitchen, this building was moved to this location around 1843 when owner Joseph Ficklen married, and he expanded the main house.When the Melcheres bought Belmont in 1916, the structure became a horse stable and was also enlarged. This structure was remodeled to serve as museum office space in 1976.In 2010, the building was stabilized and restored. The restoration of this building required foundation stabilization. Original structural material was retained where possible, and all replacements were of dimensional heart pine lumber. Nails, hardware, and building techniques were chosen to be appropriate for the construction period.The building was insulated to accommodate its current use as an office, while new siding mimics the original fabric. A second story window was returned to the south-end gable, and the cupola was replaced. Finally, it was roofed with cedar shingles laid in a traditional woven-edge pattern, while the extension of the stable received a replacement "5-V"-type metal roof as seen in Melchers-period photographs.

9. Cow Barn, 1921

Because Belmont operated as a small hobby farm during the Melchers time, it is not surprising the place was populated with a colorful assortment of animals, the prize stock of which were the couple’s dairy cattle. Calving was familiar event and clabber (clotted cream) and ice cream were the specialties of the house! Corinne, ever keeping track of things, recorded a few of the cows names: Cherry Blossom, Nancy Lee, Belle of Fairfax, Daisy, Peggy, Hebe, Lady Corinne, Sallie, and Francis.

10. Reconstructed Run-In Shed

In August 2018, museum staff took the first step in reconstructing a lost farm building at Belmont by pouring the foundation for a replicate of the run-in shed that served as a shelter for the Melcherses’ farm animals. The original structure was long gone, razed due to decay sometime in the early 1970s, not long before the property opened as a memorial to the career of Gari Melchers. Since then, staff have been committed to realizing the most complete restoration possible of the couple’s small farming enterprise. The recreated run-in shed stands in the exact location of the earlier building, directly adjoining the 1921 cow barn.

A large automobile garage, with a hayloft and side shed for wood, was constructed in 1920. "It must be as big as a country church," Gari Melchers described the structure to his wife in a letter. Today the building serves as the Marguerite Stroh Visitor Center and Stafford County Visitor Center. Staff office are on the second floor.

12. Main Entrance Gate, Piers, and Stone Walls

Stone walls, west entrance wooden gates, and flanking piers topped with lions were built ca 1923. In a letter from Corinne to her mother dated April 8, 1923, she mentioned the gate post with lions being installed at Belmont. The gates are hung on stone piers which bookend the stone walls fronting Washington Street. The origin of the lion statues on top of the piers is unknown, but they have been guarding the gates for close to one hundred years. Paint analysis revealed that this gate had the same off-white paint as the main house. Other gates on the property were either painted the green seen on the house shutters, or were simply whitewashed in areas of heavy use, such as the barn yard. This differentiation of color from other gates signal their importance; they secured what was then the only public entrance to Belmont. An earlier, Ficklen period entrance to the estate is thought to have been located just downhill from this location.

In 1931, a handsome stone and slate garage was constructed to house a wagon and farm truck.

14. Woodland Trails

Several trail heads lead from the garden or fields to the falls of the Rappahannock River or into the woods, following a small stream that runs through mature woodlands. Interpretive markers feature descriptions and photographs detailing historic resources along the trail. The trail is approximately 1 ½ miles long and passes remnants of an old ice pond, the canal that powered mills in Falmouth, a cemetery and a spring. At the Rappahannock River visitors can fish or observe the shad running in the spring. Bald eagles, herons and many other species of birds are observed on a regular basis. Volunteers from the local chapter of Master Naturalists conduct woodland tours the last Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. The trails are open 10 am – 5 pm. Bikes are not permitted on the woodland trails. A bike rack is available at the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail terminus.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Gari Melchers Home & Studio

Created by Michelle Crow-Dolby on April 18th 2020, 11:12:59 pm.

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Description

The early 19th-century Belmont estate was the country home and studio of prominent portraitist, muralist, and internationally renowned American Impressionist painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932). The house contains Gari and Corinne Melchers’ original furnishings and personal art collection. The studio houses over 1600 works by Melchers, and the 27-acre grounds feature restored formal gardens and miles of walking trails. Gari Melchers Home and Studio (GMHS) is a historic house and art museum which celebrates Gari Melchers' career. Melchers lived and worked at his late 18th-century estate, Belmont, in Falmouth, Virginia, the last sixteen years of his life. The artist’s widow, Corinne Lawton Melchers (1880-1955), deeded the property in its entirety to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1942, providing that it serve as a memorial to her husband’s life work and as an art center for the community. Following her death in 1955, the University of Mary Washington assumed management of the property and pursued designation as a National Historic Landmark, which it earned in 1962. In accordance with Mrs. Melchers’ will, GMHS opened to the public in October 1975. In 2000 GMHS became a founding member of the Historic Artists’ Home and Studios network, a coalition of 44 museums that were once the homes and working studios of American artists. Of those, GMHS is one of the best-preserved, owing to the largest collection of the Melchers’ anywhere, his fully furnished home and studio, the artist’s personal collection of art, and an extensive archives. In 1994, the Garden Club of Virginia restored the gardens and grounds according to the design plans laid out by the artist and his wife in the early 1920s.

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