Benjamin Moore helps uncover The Mountâ€™s true colors

12:00AM / Monday, April 19, 2004Print Story | Email Story

Lenox - Benjamin Moore & Co., the national paint manufacturer, has continued its support of The Mount, Edith Whartonâ€™s estate and gardens, with a donation of $20,000. This grant money is earmarked for research and restoration of the original paint colors used in Whartonâ€™s 800-sq.-ft. bedroom suite at The Mount. Beginning this month, the new funding will be used to complete high-tech analysis of paint colors in Whartonâ€™s boudoir. Later this year, The Mount will launch a study of colors in her adjacent bedroom and bathroom. Based on results of the work, the rooms will be repainted in historically-accurate colors. â€œBenjamin Moore is committed to the preservation of Americaâ€™s architectural legacy,â€ noted Eileen McComb, director of corporate communications for Benjamin Moore & Co. â€œThe company began its financial and in-kind support of the restoration of The Mount in 2001. As the restoration work continues, so does Benjamin Mooreâ€™s commitment, ensuring historical accuracy of the paint colors selected.â€ â€œBecause of Edith Whartonâ€™s importance in the world of interior design, it is critical that we do everything possible to determine what colors she chose for the house,â€ explains Stephanie Copeland, president of Edith Wharton Restoration, the non-profit organization responsible for preserving and restoring The Mount. â€œWeâ€™re very grateful for Benjamin Moore & Co.â€™s continued support in this area.â€ Benjamin Moore provided valuable support in 2001, when it contributed materials, expertise and $25,000 to paint the seven principal rooms featured in The Mountâ€™s centennial exhibition of designer-decorated rooms, which continues through the end of the 2004 season. The colors proved so popular that Benjamin Moore features them, along with The Mount, on its website, www.benjaminmoore.com . Robert Furhoff, a leading historic paint analyst based in Chicago, will complete the new work. Furhoff first visited The Mount last summer, when he made significant breakthroughs in determining the boudoirâ€™s original colors. To finalize this research, laboratory testing will be used to confirm the original ingredients in the paint mix and from that, to gauge whether the colors faded over time. Furhoff will be returning to The Mount this summer to analyze the paint finishes in the bedroom and the bathroom. The Mount is focusing efforts on continued restoration of Whartonâ€™s private suite in anticipation of the upcoming 100th anniversary of her first bestselling novel, The House of Mirth. Written in 1905 in her bedroom at The Mount, the bookâ€™s critical and popular success gave Wharton the confidence to pursue her writing. The author of over 40 books in 40 years, she was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In addition, Wharton was an authority on architecture and interior and garden design. The Decoration of Houses, her 1897 book co-authored with Boston architect Ogden Codman, is credited with establishing interior design as a profession in this country. Benjamin Moore & Co., founded in 1883, is one of the nationâ€™s leading manufacturers and retailers of premium quality architectural, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings. A Berkshire Hathaway company, Benjamin Moore & Co. is headquartered in Montvale, N.J. The Mount will open for the 2004 season on May 1. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. A National Historic Landmark, the secluded Gilded Age estate includes a 42-room mansion, three acres of formal gardens and additional acres of scenic woodlands. For more information, visit www.EdithWharton.org or call (413) 637-1899.

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Stockbridge Grange Community Dinner

03:12PM / Tuesday, February 03, 2026

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The Stockbridge Grange is holding a community dinner on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, featuring spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and bread with dessert choices of chocolate cream or lemon meringue pie.

Dinner is $17.00 per person, take out only with 12-1:30 pm pick up at the Stockbridge Grange Hall at 51 Church Street, Stockbridge. Orders may be made by calling 413-243-1298 or 413-443-4352.

Inclement weather postpones the meal for a week.

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