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MacDowell Colony
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Colony Hall and Sigma Alpha Iota Cottage
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Location	100 High Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.
Built	1907
NRHP reference No.	66000026
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHLD	December 29, 1962

42°53′24″N 71°57′18″W / 42.89000°N 71.95500°W / 42.89000; -71.95500 MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell Colony or "The Colony", but its board of directors shortened the name to remove "terminology with oppressive overtones".

After Edward MacDowell died in 1908, Marian MacDowell established the artists' residency program through a nonprofit association in honor of her husband, raising funds to transform her farm into a quiet retreat for creative artists to work. She led the organization for almost 25 years.

Over the years, an estimated 9,000 artists have been supported in residence with nearly 16,000 fellowships, including the winners of at least 102 Pulitzer Prizes, 33 National Book Awards, 31 Tony Awards, 34 MacArthur Fellowships, 18 Grammys, 9 Oscars, 969 Guggenheim Fellowships, and 122 Rome Prizes. The artists' residency program has accepted visual and interdisciplinary artists, architects, filmmakers, composers, playwrights, poets, and writers, both well-known and unknown. Since January 2020, Nell Painter has served as chair of MacDowell, the first woman to hold the position.

History

In 1896, pianist Marian MacDowell bought Hillcrest Farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as a summer residence for herself and her husband, composer Edward MacDowell. She had always been careful to give him a quiet room for his work. They found that the New Hampshire landscape enhanced his work of composing music.

The couple formulated a plan to provide an interdisciplinary experience in a nurturing landscape, by creating an institutionalized residential art colony in the area. In 1904, Edward MacDowell began to show signs of an illness that ended his composing and teaching career. He died in 1908.

In 1907, Marian MacDowell deeded their farm to the Edward MacDowell Association and founded the MacDowell Colony. The first guests arrived that year: sisters Helen Farnsworth Mears, a sculptor, and Mary Mears, a writer. Mears wrote about her time on site for The Craftsman in July 1909. MacDowell began by inviting applicants personally, but by the 1920s had consigned the admission process to a committee.

Marian and friends raised funds and found support from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, former U.S. President Grover Cleveland, financier J. P. Morgan, other prominent people, as well as many others across the country. MacDowell said the most consistent support came from women's clubs and professional music sororities (see, for example, the MacDowell Club of New York). At the age of 50, MacDowell began lecturing to women's groups to raise funds, resumed her performing career, and became a noted interpreter of her husband's work.

Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge organized an effort in 1916 to build and name a studio at MacDowell in memory of her teacher Regina Watson. It was renovated in 1993 and became McDowell's first barrier-free studio that was accessible to everyone.

By 1918, 31 of Isabelle Sprague Smith's students funded the creation of the Isabelle D. Sprague Smith studio. Through the years more separate studios were built. The program continues in 32 studios scattered over 450 acres (1.8 km) of land.

On March 13, 2020, MacDowell shut in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak and sent artists and fellows home. It was the first time the site had shut since the 1938 New England hurricane. MacDowell reopened its doors in October of 2020.

Medal Day

Every year, MacDowell presents the Edward MacDowell Medal to an artist who has made a significant cultural contribution. Residency at MacDowell is not a requirement. Medal Day is one of the rare occasions when the site is open to the public. The ceremony includes a keynote speech, after which the artists open their studios to visitors.

Property tax dispute

MacDowell, a non-profit organization, enjoys the status of a charity, entitling it to exemption from local property taxes, among other things. However, in 2005, the town of Peterborough's selectmen (local-government executives) decided to challenge MacDowell's charitable status and billed the organization for a "payment in lieu of taxes". A lawyer for the town argued that "the Colony certainly benefits its artists-in-residence, but that doesn't strike us as being the general public."

The then-Board of Directors paid the bill, then successfully challenged the charge. A 2007 Superior Court opinion found that the MacDowell Colony, by promoting the arts, was a charitable institution, a ruling that was upheld by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in a subsequent appeal. The appeal court found that "Contrary to the Town's assertions, MacDowell's articles of incorporation oblige it to use its property for its stated charitable purpose."

Awards

In 1962, the site and buildings were designated a National Historic Landmark District.

In 1997, MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Notable works

Notable works written, in whole or in part, by their authors at MacDowell include:

• Leonard Bernstein completed his Mass.
• James Baldwin worked on Giovanni's Room and Another Country.
• Willa Cather wrote parts of Death Comes for the Archbishop.
• Michael Chabon wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a 2001 Pulitzer winner. Chabon served as chairman of the board from 2010 to 2020.
• Aaron Copland worked there on composing the orchestral suite Appalachian Spring (1944), a 1945 Pulitzer winner.
• Jonathan Franzen completed The Corrections.
• Spalding Gray worked on his novel The Impossible Vacation, and later chronicled his experiences in his extended monolog Monster in a Box.
• DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Heyward wrote Porgy and Bess.
• Helen Hooven Santmyer wrote Farewell, Summer in 1930 (published posthumously)
• Alice Sebold wrote The Lovely Bones.
• Virgil Thomson worked on The Mother of Us All.
• Alice Walker worked on her first novel and Meridian.
• Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 206: The MacDowell Graves

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. ^ "MacDowell Colony". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
3. NHPR: "MacDowell Colony drops colony from tis name 7 July 2020
4. MacDowell.org: "MacDowell Removes 'Colony' from Name" 7 July 2020
5. MacDowell Colony FAQ
6. Silverman, Art (March 6, 2007). "Artists Retreat into Solitude at MacDowell Colony". All Things Considered.
7. ^ "Best-selling Author and Visual Artist Nell Painter Appointed Chair of MacDowell Colony Board of Directors". MacDowell (Press release). January 22, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
8. Siller, Mabel Harriet; Armstrong, Florence A (1917). "XXII The MacDowell Colony Studio". The History of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity (1885-1916). Menasha, WI: George Banta Printing Co. pp. 270–275.
9. ^ Rausch, Robin. "The House That Marian Built: The MacDowell Colony of Peterborough, New Hampshire".
10. "Library Of Congress". Library Of Congress.
11. Parker, Gail Underwood (2009). More than Petticoats: Remarkable New Hampshire Women. Morris Book Publishing.
12. "Watson - Studios". MacDowell. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
13. "Studios". The Musical Monitor. Mrs. David Allen Campbell, Publisher. 1918. p. 357.
14. MacDowell Colony: Explore our studios
15. "MacDowell Announces Temporary COVID-19 Closure" 13 March, 2020
16. Gokee, Amanda (July 18, 2024). "This secluded property in rural N.H. has hosted some of the world's greatest artists". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
17. "Medal Day". The MacDowell Colony. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
18. Winkleman, E. (November 1, 2005). "Local Government: McDowell Not Advancing Spiritual or Intellectual Well-Being of General Public". EdwardWinkleman.com.
19. Brooks, Anthony; Inskeep, Steve (Host) (October 13, 2005). "Town Demands Taxes from Long-Exempt Artists' Colony". All Things Considered. NPR.
20. ^ "Town of Peterborough v. The MacDowell Colony, Inc" (PDF). The Supreme Court of New Hampshire. March 14, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
21. Bradford, S. Sydney; Rettig, Polly M. (January 6, 1976). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: MacDowell Colony. National Park Service.
22. Bradford, S. Sydney; Rettig, Polly (January 6, 1976). "Accompanying 5 photos, from 1907 and 1975". National Register of Historical Places Inventory-Nomination: MacDowell Colony. National Park Service.
23. National Medal of Arts (1997). "Lifetime Honors". NEA.gov. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013.
24. "Leonard Bernstein". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
25. "James Baldwin". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
26. "Willa Cather". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
27. Carolyn Kellog (December 7, 2010), "Michael Chabon named chairman of MacDowell Colony board", Los Angeles Times.
28. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
29. "Jonathan Franzen". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
30. "Spalding Gray". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
31. "DuBose Heyward". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
32. "Dorothy Heyward". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
33. Quay, Joyce Crosby (1995). Early Promise, Late Reward: A Biography of Helen Hooven Santmyer, author of "...And Ladies of the Club". Knowledge, Ideas and Trends.
34. "Alice Sebold". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
35. "Virgil Thomson". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
36. "Alice Walker". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
37. "Thornton Wilder". macdowell.org. Retrieved July 18, 2024.

Further reading

• Siegel J. (March 18, 2008). "The blood sucking vampires are circling: a victory for charity that should make all charities nervous". Charity Governance Consulting LLC. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011.
• New England Historical Society, "Marian MacDowell Founds the MacDowell Colony"

External links

• MacDowell
• Records of the MacDowell Colony, Library of Congress
• "Exhibits: The MacDowell Colony 1907–2007". Library of Congress. 2007.
• Hagedorn, Hermann (December 28, 1921). "The Peterborough Colony: "A Workshop, With A Wonderland Thrown In," For Creative Workers In The Seven Arts". The Outlook. 129. Outlook Publishing Company, Inc.: 686–688. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
• Robin Rausch, "The House That Marian Built: The MacDowell Colony of Peterborough, New Hampshire," American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States. December 2001. Last updated May 29, 2019.

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Landmarks	Franklin Pierce Homestead MacDowell Colony
Districts	Amherst Village Historic District Bennington Village Historic District Contoocook Mills Industrial District District A District B District C District D District E The Flint Estate Francestown Town Hall and Academy and Town Common Historic District Goffstown Main Street Historic District Hancock Village Historic District Hollis Village Historic District Lyndeborough Center Historic District Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic District Nashua Manufacturing Company Historic District Nashville Historic District New Ipswich Center Village Historic District Old County Road South Historic District Sainte Marie Roman Catholic Church Parish Historic District Victory Park Historic District
Buildings	Commercial Athens Building Birchwood Inn Dunlap Building Harrington-Smith Block Old Post Office Block Parker's Store T. L. Thorpe Building † Education Ash Street School Brick Schoolhouse Building at 418–420 Notre Dame Ave. Currier Gallery of Art Goffstown High School Goffstown Public Library Grasmere Schoolhouse No. 9 and Town Hall Hills Memorial Library Hunt Memorial Library North Weare Schoolhouse Pelham Library and Memorial Building St. George's School and Convent Varney School Weston Observatory Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library Government Bedford Town Hall Citizens' Hall Hillsborough County Courthouse Manchester City Hall Milford Town House and Library Annex New Hampshire State Union Armory New Ipswich Town Hall Peterborough Town House Temple Town Hall US Post Office-Peterborough Main Weare Town House Wilton Town Hall Industrial Daniel Cragin Mill Hillsborough Mills Hoyt Shoe Factory Kimball Brothers Shoe Factory Milford Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company Mine Falls Gatehouse Religious All Saints Church Bedford Presbyterian Church Francestown Meetinghouse Goffstown Congregational Church Greenfield Meeting House Peterborough Unitarian Church Union Chapel Residential/ Agriculture Abbot House Jonathan Barnes House Barrett House Carpenter and Bean Block Frank Pierce Carpenter House Amos Chase House and Mill Alpheus Gay House Hamblet-Putnam-Frye House Kennedy Hill Farm Hill–Lassonde House Hills House Thomas Russell Hubbard House Killicut-Way House Lamson Farm McClure-Hilton House The Meetinghouse Marion Nichols Summer Home William Peabody House G.O. Sanders House Signer's House and Matthew Thornton Cemetery Gov. John Butler Smith House Smith and Dow Block Smyth Tower Stonyfield Farm Gen. George Stark House Gen. John Stark House William Parker Straw House Sullivan House Roger Sullivan House Oliver Whiting Homestead Caleb Whittaker Place Levi Woodbury Homestead Zimmerman House
Sites	New England Glassworks Site Stark Park Valley Cemetery
Structures	County Farm Bridge Goffstown Covered Railroad Bridge Hancock–Greenfield Bridge Hillsborough Railroad Bridge Milford Suspension Bridge
Footnotes	† This entry has been removed from the registry.
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire

• Artist residencies
• Artist colonies
• Peterborough, New Hampshire
• Buildings and structures in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
• United States National Medal of Arts recipients
• American art
• 1907 establishments in New Hampshire
• National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
• Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
• MacDowell Colony fellows
• Houses in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
• National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire