Beginning October 1, National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House will be closed to the public to undergo environmental upgrades that will help preserve the collections and provide a more comfortable visitor experience. The House will reopen in April to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Historical Society’s programming in support of the Town’s America 250 Greenwich Commission.
The upgrades are enabled from a 2023 Good to Great Grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development in partnership with Connecticut Humanities, a Community Development Block Grant Program and through the generosity of donors.
“We are deeply grateful for the state and town funding that will enable us to achieve our long-term preservation and sustainability goals,” says Historical Society Executive Director and CEO Carol Cadou. “These upgrades will ensure continued stewardship of our historic collections for the thousands of visitors and school children who come to our campus each year for a greater appreciation of our shared past.”
New Holley Boarding House exhibition and programs offered during restoration
The temporary closure ushers in new opportunities for telling a fuller story of the home which was built in 1728 and stood as witness to key points in history, including the American Revolution, when Greenwich stood on the front lines between the British Loyalists and the Colonists, and the birth of the Cos Cob art colony, the first Impressionist art colony in Connecticut and one of the first in the nation.
A collection of treasured Impressionist paintings and artifacts will be moved through the duration of the closure to the Museum Gallery as part of a new exhibition: The Holley Boarding House: Inspiring American Impressionism (October 8 – March 8, 2026). The exhibition explores how the historic home flourished as a boarding house and became the home of the Cos Cob art colony due to the creativity and entrepreneurial talents of the Holley women who operated it from 1891 – 1920. Artists such as Childe Hassam, John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir were among the renowned Impressionist artists who frequented Holley House during the period when they were inspired to create some of their most famous works.
Featured alongside in the Permanent Collections Gallery will be an exhibition of works donated to the Historical Society by Susan Larkin, a leading scholar and collector of American Impressionism. The collection reflects the diversity of the artists that gathered at Holley House and contributed to the art colony’s experimental atmosphere where painters exchanged ideas with writers, political commentators, essayists and humorists.
A series of guided tours of the exhibitions in both galleries are planned each Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 12, 1:30 and 3pm starting October 8th. Docents will elaborate on how Holley House and the surrounding landscape became a place of inspiration for the art colony, journalists and literary types such as acclaimed author Willa Cather who frequented the home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
On Fridays and Saturdays, visitors will be able to view treasures from the archival collection through ‘behind the scenes’ tours of the library and archives. Primary sources such as maps and ephemera, which are not frequently displayed, will be showcased. Museum staff will be on hand to answer questions. Archive tours are at 12, 1:30 and 3pm. Interested visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets for both programs in advance: For tickets: www.greenwichhistory.org/book-a-tour.
Additionally, the entire campus will be free to the public from October 1 – October 5. Visitors are welcome to explore the historic gardens, view the Permanent Collections Gallery and shop at the Museum Store.
