There will be something for everyone when Greenwich Historical Society unveils its dynamic new $12 million campus, featuring a nationally accredited museum, library and archives, café, store and restored Impressionist-era gardens.
On opening weekend, October 6-7, admission will be free, the site will be open 12:00-4:00pm, and all are welcome.
To help with planning, visitors are encouraged to register at greenwichhistory.org or call 203-869-6899.
Visitors will feel like they have stepped back in time in a landscape evocative of the turn of the 20th century when artists from one of America’s first Impressionist art colonies lived, studied and worked there.
It will provide a rare opportunity to appreciate how Greenwich was and continues to be entwined in America’s narrative while also offering an all-important view to the future.
United States Senator Richard Blumenthal will be joined by State Representative Scott Frantz and First Selectman Peter Tesei at the ceremony to begin at noon.
Following the Oct 6 ribbon cutting at 12:30, guests will enjoy:
• Live music by popular bluegrass-swing band Too Blue.
• Children’s activities including face painting and making scarecrows, corn husk dolls, and birdhouses.
• Family-friendly tours of Bush-Holley House every 30 minutes.
• Culinary treats: Dough Girls on the Go will be serving wood-fired pizzas; the Tiki Food Truck will be selling pulled pork, Hawaiian shave ice and other treats; Mike’s Organic Delivery will have a farm stand; and Randy’s Wines of Cos Cob will have beer and wine for sale.
The striking new Library and Archives, Museum Store and galleries featuring inaugural exhibitions will be open throughout the afternoon with Historical Society staff available to answer questions. The new museum also displays paintings from the artists of the Cos Cob art colony, a short orientation film, a timeline, and recent acquisitions and seldom-seen objects from the Greenwich Historical Society’s collections.
Greenwich Historical Society was founded in 1931 in Greenwich, Connecticut to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to our past, to each other and to our future.
The circa 1730 National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House, which was built as a home for prosperous merchants and later gained recognition as the site of the first American Impressionist art colony in Connecticut, is open to the public as a museum.
Greenwich Historical Society also operates museum galleries with rotating exhibitions, educates thousands of school children annually, and produces a full calendar of programs and events that connect people with the town’s history. The Historical Society’s $20 million capital campaign has exceeded the $13.5 million goal that was required for the campus transformation and programmatic and historic preservation initiatives. The balance still to be raised will fund the Historical Society’s endowment. This successful campaign will advance our mission and secure our future at the forefront of America’s historical institutions. The dynamic campus transformation will accommodate more visitors, allow the display of more of our collections, and enrich education and preservation programs to better share the fascinating stories and national significance of this pivotal New York City suburb.
Find out more at greenwichhistory.org.