Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum To Receive 'Major Mechanical Upgrades'

NORWALK, CT — After several years of planning, design and fundraising efforts, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will remain closed until 2024 as the historic building receives "major mechanical upgrades."

In a news release provided by the museum, Executive Director Susan Gilgore said the upgrades will bring the building "another step forward in the implementation of its 2008 Master Mechanical Plan."

Located in Mathews Park on West Avenue in Norwalk, the museum's website currently indicates the building is closed to the public until further notice. It is scheduled to reopen for tours in the fall of 2024, Gilgore said.

A sign posted outside the mansion Thursday evening also indicated the museum was closed and encouraged visitors to check their website for information on tours, events and office hours.

Patsy Brescia, vice chairman of the museum's Board of Trustees and Building Committee chair, said expressed gratitude toward Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Mayor Harry Rilling, the city's Common Council and Historical Commission and the state Department of Economic and Community Development and Historic Preservation Office for their support of this major project.

"This funding will allow for the installation of a fire suppression system," Brescia said in a news release, "bring electricity to the second and third floors of the mansion and support a new heating system that will enable the museum to stay open during the winter months."

In an email to Patch, Rilling said the museum is one of Norwalk's historical treasures and the city is invested in making sure the National Historic Landmark receives necessary mechanical upgrades so generations of people can enjoy it.

"These renovations will enhance the visitor experience," Rilling said, "so that Norwalkers and those who visit from around the region and even the world, can experience what is considered one of the most remarkable Victorian-era mantlepieces in our country."

For the past 57 years, the museum's Board of Trustees has raised funds for several conservation and restoration projects to preserve the building, a National Historic Landmark, for generations to come.

Projects have included the restoration of the drawing room, the library, which has been the backdrop for several major movie productions, and the entrance's fireplace, considered one of the most outstanding Victorian-era mantlepieces in the United States, according to Gilgore.

"These mechanical upgrades mean an enhanced visitor experience," Chairman of the Board Doug Hempstead said in a news release, "expansion of community use, increased educational programs and, most importantly, ensuring the safety of visitors, volunteers and staff."

While the building is under construction, Gilgore said she plans to implement new and engaging programs and activities at off-site locations for adults, as well as students K-8, while conceptualizing several new exhibitions for an exciting reopening of the mansion.

The museum is currently offering an ongoing lecture series and several community events at Mathews Park including its cherished Old-Fashioned Flea Market scheduled for Aug. 27, 2023.

More information is available at www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.