{"nrhp_refnum":"73000295","name":"Wistariahurst","other_names":["Holyoke Museum of Natural History and Art"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"238 Cabot St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Holyoke","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.20490123400003,"lon":-72.61727737999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Wistariahurst is a mansion with lawns, gardens and a carriage house occupying a city block at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The original house dates from about 1848 and was moved to Holyoke in 1874, with additions in 1913 and 1927.","why_significant":"It was the estate of the Skinner family, leading silk and satin manufacturers in the United States, whose mills drove Holyoke's economic growth. The family were also philanthropists and patrons of art and music. The mansion has notable interiors, including a basilica-plan music room, and now serves as a museum.","narrative":"Wistariahurst is a clapboard mansion with lawns, rose beds, a sunken pool and an oriental teahouse, set on a full city block at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke. Its oldest section, built about 1848 in Williamsburg, was moved in sections to Holyoke in 1874 and given a Mansard roof. A music room and conservatory were added in 1913, and a two-story main hall with marble lobby and circular staircase followed in 1927, designed by Wilson Eyre. The house was home to the Skinner family, whose silk and satin mills were among the nation's leading producers and helped build Holyoke's economy. William Skinner moved his business to the city after a flood destroyed his Williamsburg mill. Family members supported churches, colleges and cultural causes, and Belle Skinner assembled a notable collection of antique musical instruments. Katherine Skinner deeded the property to the city in 1959. It now houses art, natural history and local history collections, with the carriage house serving as a youth museum.","period_of_significance":"19th and 20th centuries; specific dates 1848, 1874, 1913, 1927, 1959","architect_builder":"Wilson Eyre (Wilson, Eyre and McIllvaine) designed the 1927 main hall; Luce of Philadelphia designed the 1913 conservatory and music hall","architectural_style":"High Victorian style with a Mansard roof; music room based on a basilica plan","criteria":[],"status_note":"Mansion in good condition; grounds need considerable restoration work because of lack of funds. Used as a museum, with the carriage house serving as a youth museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.476561-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7951/63795177/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000295.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000295/2f8ab5a64b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000295/2f8ab5a64b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wistariahurst,_Holyoke_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wistariahurst,_Holyoke_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795177","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wistariahurst","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8027742"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/wistariahurst-73000295/"}