About Victoria Mansion

Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse-Libby House, is a historic house museum that was erected between 1858 and 1860 in Portland, Maine. A premier example of the Italian villa style in American architecture, the imposing brownstone residence was built as a summer home for Ruggles Sylvester Morse (1814-1893) and his wife, Olive Merrill Morse (1820-1903). The Morses were Maine natives but lived in New Orleans, where Ruggles managed luxury hotels. After Morse’s death, his widow sold the mansion with most of its contents to Joseph Ralph Libby (1845-1917), a local merchant, and the Libby family maintained it as their primary residence into the 1920s. Retired educator William H. Holmes saved the mansion from destruction when he bought it in 1940. Recognizing its importance as a unique expression of mid-19th-century design and craftsmanship, Holmes opened the house as a museum in 1941 and named it Victoria Mansion in honor of the British queen. Victoria Mansion has been open to the public ever since.

Ruggles Morse hired New Haven architect Henry Austin (1804-1891) to design his Portland retreat. For interior work, he employed Gustave Herter (1830-1898), the founder of New York’s Herter Brothers, which became the most prestigious interior design firm of the Gilded Age. As the earliest known, and only intact, Herter commission, the mansion was featured in the landmark Herter Brothers exhibition jointly organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1994-1995.

With its colorful wall and ceiling paintings, brilliant stained glass, spectacular gas lighting fixtures, and original furnishings, the interiors of Victoria Mansion are remarkable survivals of antebellum splendor.  Herter was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the design scheme, from the sumptuous fabrics and trims to the painted décor.  Over 90% of the original furnishings remain in the house, including exquisite examples of carved and inlaid furniture from the Herter workshop, carpets woven by James Templeton & Co. of Glasgow, Tiffany silver, and French porcelain.

Restoration Projects

The restoration of Victoria Mansion has been ongoing since the 1970s. In 2002-2004 major work was done on the brownstone of the tower, funded in part by a Save America’s Treasures grant and a grant from the Getty. In 1999-2001 the large stained glass skylight above the stair hall was restored by conservator Robin Neely of Westbrook, Maine. Hubbard Mills of Auburn, Maine, in 2006 created a stunning hooked rug for the stair hall that is a close interpretation of the original carpet. The Turkish Smoking Room, the earliest known extant interior of Islamic-inspired decoration in the United States, was fully restored to its 1860 appearance in 2007-2009. Not only were the striking wall and ceiling paintings cleaned by Gianfranco Pocobene Studio of Malden, Mass., but the original fabric and silk trims for the window treatments and upholstery were also meticulously replicated by Prelle in Lyon, France.

Hours
May 1 through October 31: open daily except for Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.  Hours are 10 to 4, Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 on Sunday.  Tours are given at quarter to and quarter past the hour and last approximately 45 minutes.  
See below for information about our Christmas holiday tours. 

Admission
$15 for adults, with discounts offered to senior citizens and AAA members; $5 for students age 6 to 17; family rate available.  Admission is free to members of the organization.  

Membership
Victoria Mansion welcomes all who have an interest in preserving American’s architectural heritage and the finest of 19th-century decorative arts.  A basic membership costs $35 annually.  Benefits of membership include reduced prices to special events and a discount in the gift shop.

Carriage House Gift Shop
Victoria Mansion operates an extensive  museum shop in its carriage house that offers a range of Victorian-style gifts and books. 

Upcoming Special Events
October 16, 2010:  Our popular Halloween event, “Tales of Terror,” featuring storyteller Lynne Cullen

November 26, 2010-January 2, 2011. Holiday Tours.  Daily except  Christmas and New Year’s Day.   Each year the mansion rooms are gloriously decorated for the holidays.  This year’s theme is The Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Location
Victoria Mansion is located at 109 Danforth Street, Portland Maine, 04101. 
Wheelchair accessible. 
Visit our website www.victoriamansion.org or visit us on Facebook.   
For more information call 207-772-4841 or email information@victoriamansion.org