Wistariahurst

Wistariahurst is a historic house museum and the former estate of the Skinner family, located at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was built in 1868 for William Skinner, the owner of a successful silk spinning and textile business, and is named for the abundant wisteria vines which cascade across its eastern facade. The main house is a three-story wood-frame structure, to which a number of additions and alterations have been made over the years. The building originally was crowned with a large cupola and spire, however by the end of the 1960s this was removed, several windows were filled, and by 1980 the entrance was altered to its present appearance. After a period of disuse and deferred maintenance, it was decided around 2005 that it would be restored to house the archives of Wistariahurst's collections. In October 2009 the building was largely restored and reopened as a research center and research center for the Holyoke Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History. It is open to the public and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.