Press Room

Updated November 1, 2001

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C.  Hillwood Museum and Gardens, the former estate of collector, philanthropist, and businesswoman Marjorie Merriweather Post, will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary as a museum open to the public in 2002. A series of programs planned throughout the year will celebrate its founder, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood’s outstanding collection, and its magnificent gardens. Highlights of upcoming programs include the January program, "Marjorie Merriweather Post: An Extraordinary American Life" - a series of special events that weave together the many facets of the life of Mrs. Post; the reopening of the newly restored Japanese-style Garden in April; a French Festival in July; a symposium on Marjorie Merriweather Post as a collector in October; and the publication of French Furniture at Hillwood in November.

Frederick J. Fisher, Executive Director at Hillwood Museum & Gardens said, “Going forward, the staff and board are exploring new ways to serve its regional community as well as visitors all over the nation and world. This is in keeping with Mrs. Post’s wishes in creating Hillwood.”

One of the premier house museums in this country, Hillwood is the legacy of Postum Cereal Company heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887–1973). The museum opened in 1977 and features an internationally renowned personal collection of fine- and decorative arts. Hillwood includes the most comprehensive collections of 18th- and 19th-century Russian imperial art outside of Russia, as well as one of the world’s most important collections of 18th-century French decorative arts. The museum is set in twenty-five acres of natural woodlands with twelve acres of formal gardens including a French parterre and a Japanese-style Garden.

In September of 2000, Hillwood reopened to the public after an extensive three-year renovation to the museum. Hillwood has a visitor capacity of 250 people per day, and set a record in attendance in 2001 with a total of 54,000 visitors. Due to such high attendance, 30,000 visitors who had hoped to visit Hillwood were not able to gain admittance to the museum at that time. Noted visitors to Hillwood in 2001 were first lady Laura Bush, former president of France Valéry Giscard D’Estang, and Mrs. Janet Howard, wife of the Australian Prime Minister.