The Baughmans ( 2023 onwards )
Caroline and Jack Baughmans have wasted no time in getting started on their project . Along with calling the estate “ Chesterfield ,” they also renamed some of the buildings on the property . Spalding ’ s music studio — which is to become the Baughmans ’ temporary home until the main house is finished — is informally referred to as “ Nelson ’ s Cottage ” after its long-term tenant from Elman ’ s time . Inside , a fresco of Madonna remains on the wall .
The guest cottage — Jack ’ s future office and poster collection room — is now called “ The Chestnut ” after the many chestnut trees on the property . The interior features an ornately carved Renaissance-era fireplace .
The caretaker ’ s cottage now has residents : estate manager Nancy Marshall , her husband Stan , and their two poodles . A frequent visitor is architect Michael Davis , who has worked with the Baughmans previously on their other homes and is working on designs for
Chesterfield as well . Davis , coincidentally , had worked on exhibitions for the Sackler Gallery , the other half of the National Museum of Asian Art .
Having spent weeks walking around Chesterfield , Davis describes how the building seemed to speak to him . “ It was like trying to talk to someone at a party who ' s painfully shy but has interesting things to say ,” he says . To him , it ’ s an unfinished piece . He hopes to bring the estate to life and achieve Charles Platt ’ s true vision under the guidance of the Baughmans .
The Baughmans have set $ 3 million as the budget for their improvements if everything goes according to plan . Design development , selective demolition , and pre-construction began in late-fall , and construction on the main house will start this spring . The first project was gutting and redoing the interiors of Nelson ’ s Cottage and The Chestnut , which were in bad condition , mostly thanks to mold . With Bill Stratton Building Company of Chatham , New York , heading the construction on both cottages , they are expected to
be completed by April . Many of the renovations to the main house will be done to modernize it while keeping with the spirit of the home . “ Everything about the estate is the views and the mountains ,” Caroline says . “ We want to embrace this house and bring it into the 21st century .”
Starting with adding an elevator where the vault originally stood to improve accessibility to the second floor , they also plan to convert the entire estate from oil heating to clean energy . They intend to develop more of the land behind the house as well , such as adding a pool , terrace , hot tub , and outdoor kitchen to enjoy and entertain .
The main house was originally designed to have servants , and many of the rooms are unnecessarily small . The kitchen is in a closed-off corner of the house , the upstairs bedrooms were servants ' quarters , and there are multiple fireplaces throughout the main floor . Davis plans to remove some of the many walls and a fireplace to open up the space , as well as raising the roof by three feet and converting the
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PITTSFIELD , MA | BERKSHIREMUSEUM . ORG
Painted Pages : Illuminated Manuscripts , 13th – 18th Centuries , is organized by the Reading Public Museum , Reading , Pennsylvania .
52 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Spring 2024