Historic houses, landmarks & museums of New England & the Mid-Atlantic

Magazine Antiques, April, 2004

MANCHESTER: Currier Museum of Art, 201 Myrtle Way, 03104. An internationally renowned art museum featuring European and American paintings and sculpture with works by Picasso, Matisse, Monet, O'Keeffe, Wyeth, Remington and Saint-Gaudens. Extensive collection of early American furniture, glass, silver and decorative arts. Cafe and Museum shop. Open: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun 11-5, Thurs 11-8, Sat 10-5 (free hours, Sat 10-1). Telephone: (603) 669-6144, fax (603) 626-4166, website www.currier.org

MANCHESTER: Zimmerman House by Frank Lloyd Wright, owned by the Currier Museum of Art, 201 Myrtle Way, 03104. Designed by Wright in 1950, the Zimmerman House is a classic "Usonian" and the only Wright-designed residence in New England open to the public. Wright also designed the landscaping, furnishings and textiles. Reservations required for all tours, which leave from the museum. For complete tour schedule and prices, call (603) 669-6144, ext. 108 or visit www.currier.org

PORTSMOUTH: Strawbery Banke Museum, Marcy Street. Experience how people lived throughout four centuries of New England history. The museum showcases American architecture and decorative arts in furnished period houses from the 1770s to the 1950s, many with period gardens. Renowned collections of Portsmouth made furniture, ceramics, glass and textiles are highlighted throughout the site. May-October, Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5. November-April, Mon-Sat 10-2, Sun 12-2, guided walking tours hourly. Closed January. (603) 433-1100. www.strawberybanke.org

NEW YORK

ALBANY: Albany Institute or History and Art, 125 Washington Avenue, 12210. The Albany Institute of History & Art offers visitors a unique museum experience that celebrates five centuries of the Upper Hudson Valley. Exhibitions from the permanent collection include fine and decorative arts, societal artifacts, and archival materials. The museum also presents an ongoing schedule of traveling exhibitions and public programs. Hours: Wed-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5, Tues--preregistered groups only, closed Mondays and major holidays. Telephone: (518) 463-4478, Fax: (518) 462-1522. www.albanyinstitute.org

BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE: The Adirondack Museum, P.O. Box 99, Route 30, 12812. The National Geographic Traveler calls the Adirondack Museum "TheSmithsonian of the Adirondacks." An average of 90,000 visitors each yearcome to this large indoor/outdoor museum which tells the stories of howpeople lived, worked, traveled, and played in the Adirondacks, and howartists have responded to the region. The Adirondack Museum's Rustic Fair is scheduled for September 11 with a Benefit Preview September 10, 2004. Open daily May 28-October 17, 2004, except September 10 to allow for Rustic Furniture Fair preparation and benefit. (518) 352-7311, fax: (518) 352-7653. www.adirondackmuseum.org

BOLTON LANDING: Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum, P.O. Box 417, 4800 Lake Shore Drive, 12814. The summer studio of the Metropolitan Opera's first diva, Marcella Sembrich, this intimate, lakeside museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places contains one of the finest collections of opera costumes in the nation, memorabilia from opera's golden age, paintings, decorative arts and changing exhibits of photographs of Sembrich, her contemporaries and students. Set on a beautiful forested point on Lake George traversed by paths leading to scenic outlooks, the museum houses a gift shop and hosts concerts and lectures throughout the summer. Open daily, June 15-Sept. 15, 10-12:30, 2-5:30. Telephone (518) 644-2492, www.operamuseum.org