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Ten Chimneys
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Entrance to the Main House
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| Location: | S42 W31610 Depot Rd., Genesee, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates: | 42°57′51″N 88°22′38″W / 42.96417°N 88.37722°WCoordinates: 42°57′51″N 88°22′38″W / 42.96417°N 88.37722°W |
| Area: | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| Built: | 1915 |
| Architect: | Charles Dornbusch |
| Architectural style: | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 98000076 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | February 23, 1998[1] |
| Designated NHL: | July 31, 2003[2] |
Ten Chimneys is the well-preserved summer home of actors Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. Ten Chimneys is located in Genesee Depot, Town of Genesee, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States.[3]
Ten Chimneys was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003.[2][4]
During their careers, the Lunts retreated to Ten Chimneys every summer for personal and artistic rejuvenation. A host of stage and screen luminaries made pilgrimages to Genesee Depot as guests of the Lunts, including Noël Coward, Helen Hayes, Laurence Olivier, and Vivien Leigh. Carol Channing said, “If you get to go to Ten Chimneys, you must have done something right.”[5]
Upon retirement, the Lunts returned to Ten Chimneys and spent the rest of their lives at their beloved home in Genesee Depot.[citation needed]
The estate takes its name from the total of ten chimneys present on the grounds. [6] Buildings include a large main house, a cottage, a Swedish log cabin studio, an L-shaped pool, pool house, creamery, greenhouse, barns, stables, and other outbuildings. As an historic property the estate was exceptionally well preserved, since the Lunts' original furniture, decorations, and personal items were barely disturbed between Lynn Fontanne's death in 1983 and the beginning of preservation efforts by Ten Chimneys Foundation in 1998.[citation needed]
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Opening Ten Chimneys to the Public [link]
Arts advocate Joseph W. Garton, a restaurateur in Madison, Wisconsin, purchased Ten Chimneys in 1996 to prevent the site from being developed. In 1996, the Ten Chimneys Foundation was established to preserve and share the impressive estate, and the Foundation purchased the property from Mr. Garton in 1998.[7]
Ten Chimneys Foundation opened the estate to the public for the first time on May 26, 2003, which would have been the Lunts’ 81st wedding anniversary.[8] The estate remains open for public tours from May through mid-November. The Ten Chimneys Foundation also continues to fulfill the estate’s original role as a home for the arts by providing programming and resources for theater professionals.[citation needed]
Gallery [link]
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The Main House
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The Main House, back
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The Main House, back
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The Studio
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The poolhouse
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The greenhouse
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The greenhouse and chicken coop
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Outbuildings
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The Cottage
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The Cottage
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The Cottage
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The Visitor Center
References [link]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. https://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b "Ten Chimneys". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. https://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=-1453826337&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/hp/register/viewSummary.asp?refnum=98000076
- ^ Accompanying 14 photos, exterior and interior, from 1999, 2002 (that would accompany National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination for Ten Chimneys PDF (2.47 MiB)[dead link]
- ^ https://www.tenchimneys.org/tours/
- ^ https://www.tenchimneys.org/about-the-estate/
- ^ https://www.tenchimneys.org/foundation-history/
- ^ https://www.tenchimneys.org/foundation-history/
External links [link]
- Ten Chimneys
- NPR: "The 'Fabulous Lunts,' Alive at Ten Chimneys"
- New York Times: "Lunt and Fontanne's Most Lasting Production"
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