Ventfort Hall Announces Events Through End Of 2009

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LENOX, Mass. - Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum announced today, plans for a jam-packed schedule of events right through the end of 2009. The 1893 mansion is open daily year-round (except for four major holidays) with tours, exhibits, lectures, concerts, theater, family programs, “Picnics on the Porch” and much more!

According to Executive Director Jeffrey Folmer, “We’re one-half about the historic mansion and one-half a performance venue, usually focused on the Gilded Age. Visitors from around the world enjoy our terrific programs, world-class exhibits, Picnics on the Porch, tours of the beautifully-restored areas and even enjoy seeing the restoration in progress.”

Leading the events this year is Ventfort Hall’s annual summer play. Opening June 26 with an Opening Night Reception is a world premiere of a work commissioned by Ventfort Hall and written by Pittsfield playwright, Juliane Hiam. Titled “ Paris 1890 – Unlaced!” the play will once again be produced by Ventfort Hall in cooperation with Shakespeare & Company.

The story is a lighthearted take on the gay and glamorous life in the French capital during one of its most brilliant eras. What the Gilded Age was to Ventfort Hall and the rest of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Belle Epoque was to France, give or take a few years. Anne Undeland returns to star under the direction of Sarah Taylor, who directed Ventfort Hall “Morgan O-Yuki, Geisha of the Gilded Age”.

Folmer says that, “In an effort to help in these difficult economic times, we’re actually lowering our play ticket price slightly this year. Every little bit helps and we hope it will allow even more folks to enjoy another of our fabulous productions.”

This year’s lectures in the newly-restored library range from life at Sagamore, the Vanderbilt Adirondack retreat; to Evelyn Nesbit and Stanford White, central figures in “The Crime of the Century”; to the social whirl at the grandly built mansions of the Gilded Age; to the special relationship between poetess Emily Dickinson and Boston Brahmin Thomas Wentworth Higginson; to the lecture reunion of Cornelia Brooke Gilder and Richard S. Jackson Jr., co-authors of the popular “Houses of The Berkshires 1870 – 1930” who will relay the exciting Berkshire connections in “The Race for the North Pole.”

Other highlights include special family events planned for Mothers Day and Fathers Day, a performance of “The Bremen Town Musicians”, American Girl Summer Sessions, and more. Ventfort Hall’s Annual Historic Houses Tour will be held the second Saturday in August.  Nonstop into the fall and holiday season are a “Weekend of the Gilded Age”, a Medieval Faire, Halloween events, and the annual “A Home for the Holidays.”

Ventfort Hall manages to make room on the busy roster for private rentals too. Events Coordinator Janice Robinson says, “As more people discover us, and see how far the restoration has come, we find we’re doing many more private parties, weddings, corporate meetings, and other events. We recently received an increase in our certificate of occupancy which allows for much greater flexibility in all our events.”

Folmer adds that “The exhibit of Les Petites Dames de Mode (The Little Ladies of Fashion) continues to be an enormous hit and has been extended with no closing date planned. We also have a couple of other exciting announcements that will be forthcoming within a few weeks. The successes and surprises will keep on coming.”

For more information, contact Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206.

Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum announced major restoration grants from the Manton Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund/MassDevelopment. In the restored library are left to right: Robert L. Culver of MassDevelopment, Senator Ben Downing, Executive Director Jeffrey Folmer of Ventfort Hall, Representative Smitty Pignatelli, Jay Paget of Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund.

UPCOMING EVENTS 2009 

Saturday, April 4 - 10 am – Slavic Easter Egg Decorating Workshop with Tjasa Sprague

Saturday, April 18 - 4 pm – Lecture by Beverly Bridger, “Sagamore: Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Fabled Adirondack Retreat” followed by Victorian Tea

Tuesday, April 21 - 2 pm – The Bremen Town Musicians Children’s show presented by Castle Hill Theatre Company’s Out-of-the-Box Productions followed by a Victorian Tea with the Actors

Wednesday, April 22 - 2 pm – The Bremen Town Musicians (see above)

Friday, April 24 - 2 pm – The Bremen Town Musicians (see above)

Saturday, May 9 - 3 pm to 5 pm – A “Fan”tastic Pre-Mothers’ Day Pink Tea – with Albany Berkshire Ballet Junior Company and the Academies of the Cantarella School of Dance

Saturday, June 6 - 4 pm – Lecture by Cornelia Brooke Gilder and Richard S. Jackson, “The Race for the North Pole: Jesup, Crane and The Money” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Saturday, June 20 - 3 pm to 5 pm – Pre-Father’s Day Pirate Party featuring Pirates! a children show presented by Nutshell Playhouse, followed by a Fathers’ Day Pirate Party with grub and grog (non-alcoholic of course!)

Friday, June 26 - Summer Play Opening: Paris 1890 - Unlaced! followed by a special Opening Night Reception

Saturday, June 27 - Paris 1890- Unlaced! Summer Play

Sunday, Sept 6 - runs Wed, Thurs, Fri 7:30pm , Sat 4:00pm , Sun 10am (No play Sat, Aug. 29)

July   -  American Girl® Summer Sessions (dates TBA)

Wednesday, July 1 - Wednesday 4 pm Summer Lecture Series begins

Wednesday, July 1 - 4 pm – Performance by Kandie Carle, “Dressing the Edwardian Lady” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, July 8 - 4 pm – Lecture by Paula Uruburu, “American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White and the Crime of the Century” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, July 15 - 4 pm – Lecture by Jeremy Yudkin, “The Lenox School of Jazz - A Hidden Secret” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Tuesday, July 21 - 4 pm – Lecture by Julie Agar, “Red Pressed Glass and the Gilded Age” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, July 22 - 4 pm – Lecture by Danielle Steinmann of the Clark , “Toulouse-Lautrec and the Celebrities of Montmartre” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, July 29 - 4 pm – Lecture by Donna Lucey, “Archie and Amelie: Love and Madness in the Gilded Age” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

August   - American Girl® Summer Sessions (dates TBA)

Wednesday, Aug 5 - 4 pm – Lecture and demonstration by Cile Bellefleur Burbidge, “The Fine Art of Cake Decorating” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Saturday, August 8 - Ventfort Hall’s Annual Historic Houses Tour

Wednesday, Aug 12 - 4 pm – Lecture by Wayne Craven, “Gilded Mansions: Grand Architecture and High Society” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, Aug 19 - 4 pm – Lecture by Pamela Hawkes of Ann Beha Architects, “A Home for Culture: Restoring Tanglewood’s Tappan House” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, Aug 26 - 4 pm – Lecture by Brenda Wineapple, “White Heat: Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson.” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Wednesday, Sept 2 - 4 pm – Lecture by William S. Patten, “My Three Fathers and My Mother Susan Mary Alsop” followed by a Victorian Tea and Meet the Speaker

Friday Sept 11 - Sun Sept 13    Weekend of the Gilded Age

Sunday, October 11 -  Medieval Faire - details TBA

Saturday, October 31 - Halloween Event- details TBA

Friday, November 27 - A Home for the Holidays Opens - holiday events and decorations - details TBA
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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