French's Chesterwood

To create such magnificent works of art, Daniel Chester French needed a refuge--a summer home that could inspire him so that he could inspire America. French hired architect Henry Bacon, with whom he would later collaborate on the Lincoln Memorial, to transform an existing farm into a 17-room country estate.

Outside, the home's facade was an eclectic blend of Colonial Revival and Italian-villa styles. Inside, all the principal rooms were designed to face the best views.

French's love of Colonial America was elegantly displayed in the dining room (figure A). A mahogany Empire-Revival table was graced by a Neoclassical sideboard that dated to the late 18th century.

The studio (figure B), built in 1898 on the foundation of an old barn, was the place many of French's masterpieces were born. Like clockwork, French would begin his work in his studio each morning at 9, sculpting clay into models that would eventually become monumental works carved in stone or cast in bronze.