experience

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

In some parts of Boston, you don’t have to travel far to feel like you’re in Europe. A visit to Beacon Hill is an immersion into a 19th-century English-inspired neighborhood, while Back Bay’s brownstones have a 19th-century French design. And, then there’s an impressive Venetian-inspired palace in the Back Bay Fens area…the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The unconventional socialite and formidable diva, Isabella Stewart Gardner, traveled all over the world and amassed a huge, valuable art collection. She and her husband Jack decided to open a museum to display Isabella’s coveted treasures. Jack’s sudden death in 1898 left Isabella to carry on the project herself. The architect, William Sears, was exasperated by Isabella’s numerous demands to revise his design plans. And, “Mrs. Jack”, as she was called, kept a watchful eye over the laborers who seemed to be in constant rebuild mode until meticulous details were perfected to Isabella’s liking. The building was never Isabella’s house, although she did have a small apartment on the 4th floor. Isabella was determined to share her love of art with Bostonians in an ambiance reminiscent of Venice. Finally, on February 23, 1903, her dream became a reality. The grand Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opened to the public. The moment you step inside you’re embraced by its Venetian ambiance, three stories of galleries housing priceless works of art and carefully curated horticulture. The stunning interior courtyard’s pale pink stucco walls were inspired by exterior facades from buildings in Venice, giving it a quirky, yet elegant “inside out” look. For a brief moment in time, it’s easy to forget you’re actually in Boston… ￭ Visit the museum as soon as it opens @ 11 am to avoid crowds, especially on weekends. Or, plan to visit a few hours before closing time. As darkness descends upon the courtyard, the lights in the galleries add a beautiful glow behind the nasturtiums. The museum is closed on Tuesdays so the amazing horticulture staff can tend to the potted flowers and plants.