Edith Wharton bought 113 acres for $40,600 and designed every part of her Massachusetts estate; it is now a protected literary landmark

What began as Edith Wharton’s purchase of 113 acres in Lenox, Massachusetts, for $40,600 became far more than a country retreat. The celebrated American writer turned the property into The Mount, a carefully planned estate where architecture, gardens and landscape were one vision. Built with her husband, Teddy, the house reflected Wharton’s deep interest in design, drawing on French, Italian and English traditions while adapting them to the surrounding countryside. She also designed the gardens, creating a setting where she could write and live for a decade. Today, The Mount remains a protected landmark closely associated with Wharton’s life and work.How Edith Wharton designed her Massachusetts estateAccording to The Mount’s official website, the house was designed by Wharton with architects Ogden Codman Jr. and Francis L. V. Hoppin, while R. W. Curry served as the builder. Its design drew inspiration from Belton House in England and from classical Italian and French influences. The result was a substantial residence covering about 16,850 square feet, with its western entrance elevation rising four storeys and its garden-facing eastern side extending three storeys.Inside, the house was planned around the way Wharton and her household lived. The first floor included a gallery, dining room, drawing room, Wharton’s library and Teddy Wharton’s den, while the upper floor contained bedrooms and guest suites. A broad terrace stretched along the eastern façade, leading towards the gardens and giving the house a strong connection with the surrounding landscape.Edith Wharton designed every part of her 113-acre estateShe designed the gardens herself, creating a series of formal spaces that complemented the architecture. The restored estate now includes an Italian walled garden, formal flower garden, rock garden, lime walk and grass terraces, showing how closely the planting and landscape were connected to the house.The gardens also reflect Wharton’s belief that landscape should be carefully considered rather than treated as decoration added afterwards. Beatrix Farrand later contributed as an additional landscape architect, helping shape the grounds. Together, the buildings, paths, terraces and planted areas created the unified composition Wharton had imagined when she first developed the property.113-acre estate preserves Wharton’s legacyWharton lived and worked at The Mount for a decade, writing and gardening there before leaving the estate. Her own description captures the setting: “On a slope overlooking the dark waters and densely wooded shore of Laurel Lake we built a spacious and dignified house”. The property became closely tied to her life and work, making it more than an example of early twentieth-century architecture.Today, The Mount is recognised as a National Historic Landmark and stands among the small proportion of such landmarks dedicated to women. The estate’s official description calls it “an autobiographical house, one that embodies the spirit of its creator”. What began with Wharton’s purchase of 113 acres for $40,600 has therefore endured as a physical expression of her literary, architectural and gardening interests, preserving the world she created in Lenox for future generations.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.