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    Hermitage Museum and Gardens
    Hermitage Museum and Gardens
    Hermitage Museum and Gardens
    Ebook171 pages43 minutes

    Hermitage Museum and Gardens

    By Colin Brady

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    About this ebook

    In 1907, William and Florence Sloane began construction on a five-room summer cottage on the banks of the Lafayette River in Norfolk. Over the course of 30 years, they would expand their home from its origins as a summer retreat into a 42-room Arts and Crafts mansion nestled on 12 acres of gardens and grounds. As their home grew, so did their desire to bring an arts scene to southeastern Virginia. In 1937, the Sloanes turned their attention to repurposing their home as a museum. By opening the site to the public, the Sloane family created a new space for the arts and education in Norfolk. Today, visitors continue to enjoy their vision through an expansive art collection and acres of gardens and grounds.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateDec 9, 2013
    ISBN9781439644409
    Hermitage Museum and Gardens
    Author

    Colin Brady

    Author Colin Brady, curator of collections for the Hermitage Museum, has selected from the archives images that trace the Hermitage�s evolution from a personal residence to its current state as a museum. Through this visual narrative of the gardens, home, and collection, the museum hopes to convey the importance of the Sloane legacy in Norfolk.

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      Hermitage Museum and Gardens - Colin Brady

      book.

      INTRODUCTION

      In 1893, newlyweds William and Florence Sloane traveled from New York to Norfolk, Virginia. William had arrived several years earlier with his maternal uncle Foster Black. At the age of 19, the young college graduate and his uncle began the first of three knitting mills in Berkley, across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. William acquired the business in 1905, after his uncle passed away, and renamed it William Sloane & Co.

      The young couple built their first home, with the assistance of English master wood-carver Charles J. Woodsend, on the corner of Chesapeake Avenue and Ohio Street in South Norfolk. For the better part of a decade, the family lived in this neighborhood, which was in proximity to the mills operated by William. In 1907, the Sloanes acquired several acres of farmland on Tanners Creek in Norfolk County, with plans to build a summer retreat. A year later, in January 1908, they and Woodsend began work on the Hermitage, a five-room summer cottage. The original five rooms were typical of a Northern estate of the era, with heart-white cypress shingles and trim, brick, and half-timbering around the home. The foundation was irregular, with a second story above the main room (now the great hall), and a large tiled porch across the width of the hall. At the front of the house, a formal porte cochere led guests to the front entrance.

      The estate was alive with sheep, horses, cows, and chickens, which were housed in the stables that were constructed in 1910 at the front of the property. By this time, the Sloanes had two young sons, William Jr. and Edwin E.K., and they began preparations to expand the Hermitage so they could live there year-round. Oak paneling was added, hand-plastered walls were installed, and the formal dining room and master bedroom were added in 1912. In 1916, the Sloanes contracted W. and J. Sloane & Company of New York City to build an expansion to the eastern part of the home. A library and master suite with full his and hers bathrooms, a sleeping porch, and a formal dressing room for Florence Sloane were added. In addition to the suite, a morning room with linen-fold carving in the paneling was attached to the home. On the exterior, Karl von Rydingsvard attached hand-carved bargeboards on the eaves.

      With the onset of World War I in 1914, the Sloanes’ mills saw an increase in productivity. The financial gains from this era allowed the Sloanes to respond to the community with increased acts of altruism. Their new wealth also afforded the family the means to expand their home into a sprawling estate. It was during this time of home expansion that the grounds were opened as a retreat for the military. The Sloanes, in partnership with the YMCA, the YWCA, and the Red Cross, often entertained American, Australian, and English forces with tea, food, games, and music. Their charity extended into the purchasing of additional properties that were converted into hospitals and officers’ clubs. Through all of this, Mr. and Mrs. Sloane kept a tight relationship with many of the individuals who passed through their home and grounds. Hundreds of letters reveal the appreciation and gratitude felt by these men and women; many even came back years later to visit the place that held so many memories.

      In the early 1920s, both William Jr. and E.K. attended Oxford University. The Sloanes, particularly Florence, took advantage of this time to travel throughout Europe, collecting objects from England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. These formidable years would provide the foundation of the Sloane Collection that is housed in the museum today.

      The Sloanes never slowed making improvements to their home and estate. In 1922, physical construction began on the Gothic drawing room, designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Watson, and continued for three years. Also in 1922, a formal rose garden was begun on the east side of the property. At the time, it featured crushed bluestone paths, Italian marble seats, and stone vases and statues. During this period, the Sloanes altered their water tower by enclosing and expanding it to include a carpenter’s studio and a sunken garden. This space was used by both Charles Woodsend and M.F. McCarthy as the staging ground for multiple expansions to the Hermitage.

      The 1930s saw significant physical changes to the layout of the home. The dining room, Gothic drawing room, kitchen, and great hall were all physically moved to accommodate the addition of a south wing and a southwest second story between 1936 and 1938. It was also in this decade that the city of Norfolk saw the construction of the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. Mr. and Mrs. Sloane had been attached to the project from the mid-1920s and were the primary donors for the erection of the first wing of the museum. For Florence, this undertaking solidified her position as one of the most prominent spokespersons for the arts in Norfolk. Her philanthropic efforts were rewarded when she received Norfolk’s Distinguished Service Medal; she was the first female to receive the honor.

      Throughout all of the changes to the home and their lifestyle, the Sloanes continued to consciously add to their holdings of art and antiques. Florence spent the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s building her personal collection, as well as establishing the Norfolk Museums. With the assistance of dealers from across the United States and parts of Britain, she quietly amassed one of the most unique collections in the state. From

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