Ventfort Hall Association

Ventfort Hall is an elegant Jacobean Revival mansion built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. The estate, located in the heart of Lenox Village, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ventfort Hall is now a museum dedicated to the history of the period between the Civil War and World War I, known as the Gilded Age, that was a time of transformational change in American social and economic life driven by industrialization, technological innovation, urbanization, the women’s and labor movements, and immigration.

THE GILDED AGE IN LENOX
Ventfort Hall was one of the many grand estates (called “Cottages”) built in Lenox in the late 19th century when the village was a popular resort for affluent urban families. Drawn by the region’s scenic beauty and its legacy as a home to artists and intellectuals, wealthy entrepreneurs and financiers built opulent summer homes in the Berkshires.

“ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN LENOX”
Ventfort Hall was designed by the prominent Boston architects Rotch & Tilden for Sarah, the sister of J. Pierpont Morgan, and her husband (and distant cousin) George Morgan. It was one of the most distinctive homes built in Lenox, the embodiment of Gilded Age prosperity and taste, characterized by innovative building technology and inspired by European art and craftmanship. The mansion has a red brick and brownstone exterior with slate roof, an elegant porte cochere entrance and a long wooden veranda across the back of the house. Inside, there are 28 rooms, a 3-story great hall and staircase with intricately carved woodwork, a billiard room, and bowling alley. The house was set on 26 acres (the museum now owns 11 acres) with landscaped gardens, arboretum, two gatehouses, a carriage house and stable, and six greenhouses. Ventfort Hall boasted the most modern amenities of its time with central heating (coal-fired boiler and hot air system), plumbing, electric and gas lighting, elevator, burglar alarm, and ventilated bathrooms.

Sarah Morgan died in 1896, only three years after building her beloved home. Following George’s death in 1911, the estate was used as a private home, hotel, and housing for a number of groups.

FESTIVAL HOUSE & THE ARTS
Beginning in the 1950s, Ventfort Hall became Festival House, an affordable hotel and art center that was the first in the region to welcome members of racial and religious minorities. Musicians, artists, dancers, and actors stayed and performed there including folk musician Pete Seeger, playwright Lorraine Hansberry, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and singer Odetta. When the hotel closed in the early 1960s, the property became the summer ballet camp of the Fokine Ballet where a generation of young people studied dance, music and drama in an idyllic Berkshire setting.

MUSEUM OF THE GILDED AGE
By 1991, Ventfort Hall had fallen into serious disrepair and was slated for demolition. A group of community members formed the Ventfort Hall Association in 1997, and raised funds to purchase and renovate the property which opened as a public museum in 2001.

Open year-round for tours, as well as lectures, theatrical and musical events, special exhibits, and educational programs, Ventfort Hall brings nearly 11,000 visitors each year to downtown Lenox.

The popular Tea & Talks lecture series features historians, journalists, and other experts on the multi-faceted history of Gilded Age. Topics have included women’s suffrage, the growth of the labor movement, the advance of American architecture and landscape design, the rise of the railroads, the Gilded Age in literature and film, and notable women artists and entrepreneurs.

The beautiful six-foot rosewood Steinway piano purchased for by the Morgans in 1895 was returned to Ventfort Hall in 2022 and is now used for concerts and special events.

HERITAGE TOURISM
Located in the downtown Lenox Historic District close to local inns, restaurants, stores, and theater, Ventfort Hall brings significant tourism business to the town. The property is also a desirable rental site for events and destination weddings, and has hosted major film shoots.

As a heritage tourism site, Ventfort Hall plays a key role in realizing the Town of Lenox’s 2021 Master Plan for economic and community development which cites tourism as its number one engine for growth:

The unique combination of Great Estates, cultural amenities, and the historical New England character of its villages distinguishes Lenox from other popular destination towns…Heritage tourism has helped distinguish Lenox as a destination and, in turn, serves to buoy the Town’s economy.

The top goals of the Town’s Historic Preservation Plan are: 1) Make historic preservation and community character central to Lenox's quality of life; and 2) Use Lenox's historical identity as a core element of the Town's economic development strategy.

VENTFORT HALL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Ventfort Hall is a significant cultural site that has welcomed thousands of visitors over more than 20 years. We need your help now to continue our restoration and educational mission:

Support our programs and tours so that we can bring the rich and complex history, arts, and culture of the Berkshires to a wide audience. We keep our admission fees reasonable, but they cover only part of the cost of maintaining the property and presenting programs.

Preservation is an ongoing process. A Master Plan, created by Spencer & Vogt Group in 2016, outlines a phased approach to the restoration of Ventfort Hall. Phase Two is currently underway, consisting of major repairs to the chimneys, roof, and tower. Future phases will address further interior restoration, building envelope, and site work.

To learn more about Ventfort Hall and our efforts to preserve and share this historic estate, please visit GildedAge.org or contact us:

Ventfort Hall
Mansion and Gilded Age Museum
104 Walker St
Lenox, MA 01240
413-637-3206
info@gildedage.org