Cheekwood: Good To The Last Drop

A general view of Cheekwood.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

On a recent brief visit to Nashville, Tennessee, The Devoted Classicist made a very quick, impromptu return to Cheekwood, a lovely estate completed in January, 1933 and now open to the public.  It was built on 100 acres in the Harpeth Hills west of the city, at the edge of the community of Belle Meade. 

An ariel view of Cheekwood, circa 1934.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

 The house and grounds were designed by Bryant Fleming, 1877-1946, a landscape architect whose work is much appreciated by The Devoted Classicist.  Relatively little has been written by this great talent, but Bryant Fleming was much-admired in his day.  Born in Buffalo, New York, he studied horticulture, architecture, architecture history, and art at Cornell, graduating in 1901.  He became the first lecturer in landscape art at Cornell and held the title of head of the Department of Landscape Art in the College of Agriculture from 1906 to 1915.  His brief bio from The Cultural Landscape Foundation states he was a teacher and mentor until his death in addition to the work on stately homes and gardens across the country.  In addition to this and several other remarkable houses in Belle Meade, Fleming also designed several notable homes in Memphis.

Bryant Fleming.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

 The name of the estate Cheekwood was derived from the two names of the owners, Leslie Cheek and his wife, the former Mabel Wood of Clarksville, Tennessee.  Leslie had moved with his family from Kentucky in 1890 to join his father's grocery business in Cummins Station, Tennessee, and met Mabel soon afterwards, with them marrying in 1896.  Their son, Leslie Cheek, Jr. was born in 1908 and their daughter, Huldah Warfield Cheek, in 1915.  Cousin Joel Cheek developed a superior blend of coffee with Leslie and other family members investing in the company, Cheek-Neal Coffee.  Eventually Joel convinced the best hotel in Nashville, the Maxwell House, to serve his coffee exclusively and the Maxwell House brand was born.

A vintage ad for Maxwell House Coffee.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The Maxwell House Hotel was built by Colonel John Overton and named for his wife, Harriet Maxwell.  In its day, it was one of the country's best-known hotels, a political, civic, business, and social mecca for almost 100 years.  President Theodore Roosevelt stayed at the hotel while visiting Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage, and reportedly proclaimed that the coffee was "good to the last drop!"  Maxwell House coffee adopted the remark as their slogan and the phrase became an advertising legend.  When the brand was sold to Postum (now General Foods) for $40 million in 1928, Leslie Cheek traded his shares for IBM stock and began planning his dream house.

The main entrance gates to Cheekwood with the gatehouse to the right.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A detail of the main entrance gates to Cheekwood.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The gatehouse at the entrance to the Cheekwood estate.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

Fleming designed the house to be sited at the edge of the summit of a hill to provide a broad garden at the rear, surrounded by a series of other gardens as well.  The formality of the Georgian Revival style house of 30,000 square feet is somewhat lessened by the use of rough-hewn limestone quarried on the grounds.  Construction started in 1929 and continued through 1932, with the estate being one of the area's largest employers during the Depression.

The main entrance to Cheekwood mansion.  The original wood doors are open and still in place behind the new glass doors.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

Guests enter a two-story Foyer (Entrance Level on the floor plan) and climb an elegant sweeping staircase to the main floor (Loggia Level on the floor plan).  Sadly, interior photography is not allowed and this writer did not think ahead to ask for special permission;  but hopefully that will be accomplished in a future post.  The Cheeks travelled with Fleming to England to buy architectural elements and furnishings for the house, returning with four railroad cars of treasure for the house. 

A schematic floor plan of Cheekwood mansion.  A 1970s service addition in the upper right hand corner provides fire stairs, a loading dock, etc., for the museum.
Image:  Cheekwood.

The gallery (labelled Hallway on the plan) is one of the most admired spaces in the house.  Lining the walls are a set of tromp l'oeil murals bought abroad with complimentary panels painted to complete the set.  The new panels were painted before the originals were cleaned of the old varnish, however, and they have a yellowish undertone with the older ones having a grayish tone.

The gallery Hallway in a circa 1934 view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The magnificent mahogany and ebony panelled doors inspired a John Tackett Design project in Nashville that may be the subject of a future post.

The Vestibule outside the Drawing Room and Library with the gallery and the staircase to the second floor bedrooms beyond, circa 1934.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

To coordinate with the slope of the site, there is a transitional space from the gallery Hallway with steps down to the Drawing Room and Library.

The Drawing Room as it appeared circa 1934.  The step down to accomodate the site also allows for a higher ceiling.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

There have been many proposals over the years to refurnish the Drawing Room which is now essentially empty except for the new cabinets built to display the donation of the Ewers-Tyne Collection of Worcester Porcelain.  Fearing that even an evocative furnishing scheme could not be successfully realized after considering all the factors involved, this writer does not support the concept.  However, the relocation of the porcelain display to another space would provide a much more effective presentation.

The Drawing Room as it appears in a recent postcard view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The Library shelves now display more than 600 pieces of American and English silver.  This collection, too, would benefit from a different presentation.  But the room, like the others in the house, remains essentially intact architecturally.

The Library in a circa 1934 view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

Unfortunately, the Loggia interior is not pictured, but it is another great space.  Parallel to the gallery, it was originally a two-story porch which was later enclosed with enormous hinged louvered shutters between the columns.  Now it is enclosed with tall French doors so it can be used for functions year around.

The Dining Room in a circa 1934 view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The Dining Room is the only space that still has original Cheek furniture on display.

The staircase to the second floor bedrooms in a circa 1934 view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

At the end of the gallery, another gracious sweeping stair leads up to the bedroom level, now used for both the changing display of the permanent collection of art and for travelling exhibitions. 

The Ephraim Hubbard Foster Family, c 1825, by Ralph E.W. Earl (American 1785-1838), oil on mattress ticking, in the permanent collection.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection of 57 pieces of Fabrege is on exhibition as a long-term loan to Cheekwood, arranged by great-nephew of Ms. Gray, long-time Nashvillian Harold H. "Spook" Stream.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

Currently there is an exhibition "Visions of the American West, Masterworks from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center" from the museum in Cody, Wyoming.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

The only departure from the Late Georgian architecture with the interior detailing is the second floor Reading Room, a cozy private space with decorated wood beams and a baronial fireplace.

The second floor Reading Room in a circa 1934 view.
Photo:  Cheekwood.

Back outside, some exterior views will give a better idea of the house and property.

One of a series of great light standards.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

An oblique view of the manison with the main entrance in the center.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The main entrance to the mansion is on the level below the main floor.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The Palladian window is at the end of the Drawing Room, steps down from the main level.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A terrace to the west of the Drawing Room is defined by a limestone wall.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A great fountain with water spilling out of the urn to two basins, this one below.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The same fountain with the upper level basin, under the Wisteria Arbor accessed from the Drawing Room.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A view out the end of the Wisteria Arbor with the reflecting pool below.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

Another view from the Wisteria Arbor.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A view of the Loggia, now enclosed but originally open.  Previously, it was enclosed by enormous hinged louvered shutters, as referenced by the upper panels now.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The brick terrace outside the Loggia with the Breakfast Room beyond.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The north (rear) elevation of the mansion and the Swan Lawn.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

Another fantastic fountain with the water coming from a bronze spigot, down to a dish in a block, then to a half-round shell, before spilling into another half-round basin.  Perhaps for dogs?
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A service court consisting of a rectangular garage and a U-shaped stables is located to the east out of the sight-lines of the house, both downhill and down-wind.  In 1998, the complex opened as the Frist Learning Center, thanks to a generous donation from the Frist family foundation, to serve as an educational area to introduce children to the arts.  A contemporary structure now links the garage and the stables which were rehabilitated but otherwise kept architecturally intact.

The Frist Learning Center with the original garage to the left and the stables to the right.  The 1998 addition in the center provides services as well as exhibition space.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The garage.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The stables.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

The stalls of the stables.  At present, plastic curtains control the light as each stall has a video presentation in conjunction with the current Buffalo Bill exhibition.
Photo:  John J. Tackett for The Devoted Classicist.

A plan of the auxiliary service complex with the original garage at the top of the plan, and the stables at the bottom.  The addition is at the center to the right.  The circle is a temporary structure in association with the current exhibition.
Image:  Cheekwood.

Leslie Cheek, Sr., died in 1935, and Mabel Cheek deeded the estate to her daughter and son-in-law Walter Sharp in 1944.  In 1957, the Sharps gave the estate to become a fine arts center and garden.  Cheekwood opened to the public with a ceremony on May 22, 1960 with a dedication by Senator Albert Gore, Sr., "To the perpetual enjoyment, education, recreation and cultural enlightenment of the people of the entire state of Tennessee."

Opening Day at Cheekwood in 1960.  Clearly, hats, gloves and heels were the norm for lady visitors.
Photo:  Cheekwood

A contemporary building, Botanic Hall, was added near the entrance to the estate in 1970 to serve various public functions and now operates as a visitor center.  Another contemporary building was added, presumably in the 1980s, to provide restaurant services and a gift shop.  While not in keeping with the character of the original design concept of the estate, these buildings have absorbed the strain that would have otherwise been put on the historic fabric.

Image:  Cheekwood.

Although the estate is now reduced to 55 acres, it abuts the Edwin and Percy Warner Parks, known as The Warner Parks, that together span 2,684 acres of forest and field beautifully laid out by Bryant Fleming as well.  The gardens at Cheekwood are spectacular and deserve an in-season post of their own.  The original garden scheme has been supplemented with additional spaces developed, mostly under the direction of Nashville landscape architect Ben Page of Page-Duke Landscape Architects.  The Carell Woodland Sculpture Trail, created with a generous gift from Ann and Monroe Carell, Jr., is a unique mile-long path that includes works by 15 internationally acclaimed artists.  Other gardens include the Martin Boxwood Gardens, Willis Perennial Garden, Robinson Family Water Garden, and the Japanese Garden.  For more information, visit the Cheekwood website.