Originally the private residence of a prominent Concord family, the elegant Kimball-Jenkins Estate is now home to the growing Kimball-Jenkins School Art.
John Kimball settled this property 10 years before the American Revolution. For the next six generations, the Kimballs built a series of homes and outbuildings as the family prospered. The oldest remaining structure, now known as the "Yellow House," was built by John's son, Samuel to serve as his home and law offices. In 1875, John Kimball's grandson, another Samuel, moved the original family house to make way for construction of a more stylish home. With its ornate woodwork, marble fireplaces, and frescoed ceilings, the magnificent Victorian mansion which now graces the property took eight years to complete. By comparison, the accompanying Carriage House was built in just two years and, along with the Mansion, was completed in 1883.
Over the next 40 years, the Kimballs adorned the property with extensive formal gardens and enlarged the Mansion. In 1929, Louise Kimball married Walter Jenkins and his name became associated with the property. In 1981, the last heir of the Kimball-Jenkins line, Carolyn Jenkins, left the Estate to a non-profit trust with directions that it "be used for cultural and educational purposes, including the encouragement of art." In keeping with her wishes we are now a thriving visual arts school, the Kimball-Jenkins School of Art. Today, all of the buildings have been refitted to provide galleries, private studios, and studio classrooms for drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, woodworking, glass, and sculpture.
The formal Mansion, graced with the original Victorian details, houses the Jill Coldren Wilson Gallery, exhibiting regional and national art of historical significance. The Carriage House Gallery exhibits contemporary work of regional and national artists. In addition, both Galleries and the gardens are available for private events, including wedding receptions, corporate meetings, and social gatherings. And yet, in the midst of all this activity, the historic buildings are carefully maintained and the gardens and grounds meticulously groomed to preserve the feel of an elegant and very private Victorian estate.
Please call 603-225-3932 to register for art classes or for an event reservation.
