Inside Hillwood Estate, a 26,000-square-foot mansion and home of the millionaire businesswoman who built Mar-a-Lago
September 18, 20240
Hillwood Estate.
Erik Kvalsvik
Hillwood’s interiors and gardens first opened to the public in 1977, then reopened in 2000 after extensive renovations. One adult ticket can be purchased with a $15 suggested donation on weekdays and $18 on weekends through Hillwood’s official website.
Hillwood offers self-guided tours through its Hillwood app as well as guided tours throughout the day.
Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune and known as America’s richest woman, purchased Hillwood in 1955.
The entry hall and grand staircase at Hillwood.
Erik Kvalsvik
Portraits of the Romanovs, the Russian dynasty that ruled from 1613 to 1917, hung above the grand staircase, and a marble bust depicted the Duchesse de Châteauroux, one of King Louis XV’s mistresses.
Post devoted entire rooms to her collection of French and Russian porcelain.
The French Drawing Room.
Erik Kvalsvik
The room’s gilded wood paneling and fireplace mantle came from King Louis XVI-era homes in Paris.
Post used the French Drawing Room as a reception area to greet guests as they arrived for her dinners and garden parties.
A hallway led into the Pavilion, Post’s primary entertaining space where she hosted film screenings and square dances.
A seat in the Pavilion.
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Staff members served drinks in a wet bar located just outside the Pavilion.
The Pavilion also featured priceless works of art such as “A Boyar Wedding Feast” by Konstantin Makovsky.
The Icon Room.
Erik Kvalsvik
Post called the Icon Room her “treasury.”
The centerpieces of the Icon Room were two gold and diamond-encrusted eggs made by Fabergé, a jeweler catering to Russian imperial rulers.
A music box in the Icon Room.
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The Yusupov princes gifted the music box to their parents for their 25th anniversary. The building shown on the front is Moika Palace, best known as the site where Gregori Rasputin was killed in 1916.
The Library on the first floor evoked 18th-century England with pine paneling and a marble mantle.
The Dining Room.
Erik Kvalsvik
The oak paneling on the walls in the Dining Room came from an 18th-century home in Paris, and the walls featured Dutch paintings of hunting scenes.
The dining room table, handcrafted in Italy with 11 semiprecious stones, was originally designed for Mar-a-Lago.
Porcelain dishware in the Dining Room.
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The porcelain dishware was originally made in France for European aristocrats in the 1740s and later collected by wealthy art enthusiasts such as Post and the Rothschilds.
In a nook off the Dining Room, Post took meetings and business lunches as the majority shareholder of the General Foods Corporation.
The kitchen.
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The kitchen didn’t have a dishwasher because all of Post’s dishes had to be washed by hand.
The butler’s pantry was always stocked with General Foods brands such as Maxwell House coffee and Birds Eye frozen food.
A menu of food served at Hillwood Estate.
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Jell-O, a General Foods brand, made appearances at Post’s dinner parties in the form of aspic rings and gelatinous salads, a popular food trend in the 1950s.
On my way upstairs, I noticed that the railing was covered in velvet, a luxurious feature I also saw when I toured a Vanderbilt mansion in New York.
The Snooze Room.
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True to its name, the Snooze Room included a daybed for midday naps.
The Snooze Room connected to the English Bedroom Suite through a doorway.
The Adam Bedroom Suite.
Erik Kvalsvik
The Adam style, popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was coined by Robert and James Adam, who were architects and designers from Scotland.
The Adam Bedroom Suite also functioned as a guest bedroom.
The second floor featured a library smaller than the one on the first floor, but decorated in a similar style with wood paneling and portraits.
Marjorie Post’s bedroom.
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A display case held around 50 items made from bloodstone, Post’s birthstone.
In the adjoining dressing room, Post would often attend to paperwork related to her role on the General Foods board or philanthropy.
Marjorie Post’s bathroom.
Erik Kvalsvik
Call buttons by the bathtub allowed Post to summon a maid, social secretary, or seamstress.
The hallway leading to Post’s closet displayed pieces of her jewelry.
The diamond from Marjorie Post’s engagement ring.
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Diamond engagement rings were a relatively new phenomenon at the time — the De Beers advertising campaign that popularized diamonds in connection with engagements and weddings ran in the 1940s.
Post and May were married for six years, divorcing in 1964.
My final stop inside Hillwood was the Second Floor Gallery displaying particularly notable and valuable works from Post’s art collection.
Trees in bloom at Hillwood Estate.
Erik Kvalsvik
The Hillwood app featured a separate self-guided tour just for the gardens.
The side of the house featured a French parterre, a formal garden design dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Washington Monument viewed from Hillwood Estate.
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The Lunar Lawn, named for its half-moon shape, was dotted with elms, false cypresses, and various flowers.
The Japanese-style garden was designed by landscape architect Shogo Myaida in 1957.
The Greenhouse.
Erik Kvalsvik
The Greenhouse allowed Post to enjoy fresh flowers at Hillwood year-round. She even had fresh flowers shipped from Hillwood to Mar-a-Lago and Camp Topridge.
I noticed numerous butterflies as I walked around the grounds, likely attracted by the sweet floral smell of the property’s many blossoms.
The Rose Garden.
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Every year, on her birthday and death anniversary, Hillwood puts a bouquet of fresh flowers on the memorial in the Rose Garden. I visited on September 13, which happened to be the day after her death anniversary, so the flowers on the monument still appeared fresh.
Located just 5 miles from the heart of Washington, DC, Hillwood is an art museum and botanical garden wrapped up in one historic home.
Hillwood Estate.
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It’s not often that one gets to look inside the home of a modern businesswoman who was one America’s wealthiest figures, but Post always intended for Hillwood to welcome members of the public.
She often hosted school groups and educational events during her lifetime to allow people to view her art collections, and her legacy continues today through the museum and gardens at Hillwood Estate.
