Panorama of front of house
Bayou Bend is a mansion in the River Oaks area of Houston turned into a museum. It is part of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and houses the American Decorative Arts collections. The mansion and gardens are beautiful, especially around March when the Azaleas are in full bloom. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, furniture, antiques, and/or landscaped gardens.
Bayou Bend was built in 1927-1928 for Ima Hogg and her brothers. Miss Hogg’s brothers were in real estate and urban planning. Their father was the first native born governor of Texas. As Houston started to grow more rapidly in the 1920’s the Hogg brothers began to plan an upscale community to the west of Houston called River Oaks to allow people to escape the noise and congestion of the city. Within the River Oaks community, the Hogg brothers set aside an 80-acre subdivision, called Homewoods, for 14 lots. They built Bayou Bend on the biggest lot, which was 12 acres. Miss Hogg and her brothers designed Bayou Bend with the help of accomplished architect John F. Staub. Being well traveled with refined tastes in the fine arts, Miss Hogg also modeled the gardens on the gardens of Versailles in France.
Miss Hogg was an avid art collector and amassed an excellent collection of antique American furniture and paintings that date from the 1620 to 1870. Since America was a fledgling nation for many of those years, it makes sense that many of the objects were from New England and the Mid-Atlantic, as the 13 colonies was where Europeans settled and built cities first. In the 1960’s Miss Hogg donated her house and collections to MFAH and personally oversaw the transformation of her house into a museum. Miss Hogg also collected other types of artwork besides American furniture, which she donated to MFAH as well.
The furniture in each room represents a different time period and different furniture style in America. The tour starts in the Murphy Room, with furniture from 1600’s America. The furniture here is simple, understated, utilitarian, and functional. It reflects the resourcefulness of the early settlers and the difficulties and hardships of the lives of early settlers. As you progress through the tour the furniture becomes increasingly fancy and decorative, serving more specific functions. As the nation developed, people became wealthier and could afford more luxurious furniture and home décor. It was very interesting to get a glimpse of how people lived in the past: their daily lives, and their pastimes through their furniture. I liked the furniture in the Drawing Room- some very unique pieces here. I liked the plush red velvet sofas and chairs in the Belter Parlor, so luxurious and ornate. I really liked the painted wallpaper in the Dining Room. Miss Hogg had an artist paint Houston flora and fauna on canvas on the walls and the background is coated in gold leaf. Beautiful painting. The bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, including Miss Hogg’s bedroom as well as several other rooms and parlors. The 2nd floor rooms are not included on the tour on free family days. They are included in regular tours with paid admission.
The gardens are also very beautiful. They are neat and orderly, with a lot of landscaping and design. Each of the gardens has a name. The Clio Garden, with its maze of azaleas, is very pretty. Azaleas are the feature here, and the grounds are awash in color in March when they are in bloom. The hydrangeas and magnolias are also very beautiful. It is a relaxing place to walk around and a great photo op, especially when the flowers are in full bloom.
Bayou Bend 是一間豪華私宅變成博物館。屬於休士頓美術館的美國裝飾藝術分支。博物館位於休士頓最高上的區: River Oaks。別墅和花園很美麗,尤其是三月杜鵑開花的季節。花園充滿生氣和漂亮的顔色。如果你喜歡美國古董,家具,歷史,或賞花, 你張會對這博物館有興趣。
伊瑪霍格和她兄弟在1927-1928 年建了Bayou Bend 給自己居住。霍格兄弟做房地產和城市規劃工作。他們的父親Jim Hogg 是德州第一個在本州出生的州長。20 年代,休士頓發展得很快,霍格兄弟在休士頓西部設計一個高上的社區,讓富貴的市民離開城市的污染和擁擠。這社區叫River Oaks。在這社區裏,霍格兄弟設計了一個80 英畝的區叫Homewoods。他們就在Homewoods 最大塊地 (12英畝) 建了Bayou Bend。 他們請建築師John F. Staub 幫他們設計他們的別墅。霍格小姐很懂得藝術, 她模仿法國的凡爾賽宮來設計花園。
霍格小姐好喜歡收集藝術品。她收集了很多從1620至1870製作的美國古董家具和油畫。 很多這些古董都來自美國東北,因爲那時候美國才初初成立國家,洋人是先來到美國東岸建立城市和文化。60 年代,霍格小姐把她的別墅和自己收藏的古董捐給休士頓美術館。她親自監管把自己的別墅改造成博物館。她收藏的其它藝術品也捐給美術館。
在別墅裏,每一間房的家具都屬於一個時代和風格的。例如,參觀別墅第一間房間, 墨菲房, 你會看到1600 年代美國的家具。 這些家具簡單,低調,和多功能的。反映先驅者的艱苦生活和創新能力。你繼續參觀的房間,家具和裝飾品越來越多花巧,華麗,和有更具體的功能。反映到美國開始有多點錢,人民過得更舒服,有錢和時間來欣賞更精美的東西。在這博物館,可以從家具看到人民和社會的變化和繁盛。我好喜歡客廳的家具,有幾件很特別,真是股東,現在都不用了。我也喜歡貝爾特客廳的沙發和椅子, 很豪華,很漂亮。 我覺得最特別的是餐廳的壁紙。霍格小姐叫畫家畫上休士頓的植物和動物,背景凃上金色油漆, 讓整個餐廳都更美麗,優雅。二樓還有房間,包括霍格小姐的臥室。免費參觀優惠的時間,二樓不開放。平時收門票參觀,二樓就開放。
Bayou Bend 的花園也很美麗。每一個有個名字。花園很整齊,有很多景觀設計。花園到處種很多杜鵑,三月開花的時節花園充滿顔色。克利歐花園的杜鵑迷宮很美麗,不開花的時候都很有藝術性。花園也種了綉球花和木蘭花, 大大朵,粉紅色,白色,好漂亮。在這裏散步怡情養性, 讓人放鬆, 而且是一個拍攝美景的好地方。
If you go/旅遊資料:
Address/地址:1 Westcott @ Memorial Dr., Houston TX 77007
Parking/ 停車: free parking lot adjoins museum/ 免費停車
Hours/開放時間: Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5
Admission/門票: $10 mansion and gardens/別墅和花園, or $3 gardens only/只是花園
Free Times/免費時間: free family days third Sunday of each month from Sept to May- includes 1st floor and gardens, but not 2nd floor/ 從九月到五月每個月第三個星期日免門票,但只可參觀一樓和花園,二樓那時候不開放。
Website for most current info/網站– 最新資料: mfah.org/bayoubend
Check out my Houston Museum Guide for reviews of more museums.
看看我的休士頓博物館指南來了解休士頓更多博物館。