Historic Artists' Homes and Studios (HAHS) is a program of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

established in 1999. It is the only national organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting site-specific aspects of American art history through artists' workspaces and residences. Encompassing 80 historic member sites, HAHS maintains a network of preserved studio spaces, homes, and artistic environments where influential American artists created their work. The program's member sites range from individual artists' studios and house museums to historic art colonies, each offering unique insights into the creative processes and living conditions of their former occupants. HAHS is distinguished by its focus on the intersection of artistic creation and place, preserving not only the physical spaces but also the environmental contexts that influenced notable American artworks. These sites provide rare opportunities for public access to authentic creative spaces, including preserved studios, domestic settings, and landscapes that played crucial roles in American art history.

History

The initiative for the HAHS program originated in 1993. The program was conceived by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a way to support organizations preserving historic sites that were not directly under the Trust's portfolio, with the goal of creating thematic connections between sites and fostering collaborative preservation efforts. Following a feasibility study completed in 1997, HAHS entered its pilot phase in 1999 with significant funding from the

Jessie Ball DuPont Fund The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, "Florida's leading national foundation", is a charitable foundation that issues grants to organizations that received support from Jessie Ball duPont between 1960 and 1964. When she died on September 26, 1970, the b ...

and the

Henry Luce Foundation Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

. The Luce Foundation grant specifically enabled the establishment of a test group focused on

American art Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization, there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial arc ...

-related historic sites. Drawing from the Trust's experience with Chesterwood, the home and studio of sculptor

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...

in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, HAHS formally launched in 2000 with an initial coalition of twenty sites. The program was structured as a membership-based organization requiring

peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (:wiktionary:peer#Etymology 2, peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the ...

for acceptance. In 1999, a 15-member advisory committee made up of scholars from

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, Columbia, and the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

evaluated 48 applications for the "historical significance of the artist, site and/or collections; the educational value of the site" and more. Its founding objectives centered on three main areas: facilitating peer collaboration and professional development, enhancing visibility through joint marketing efforts, and providing access to technical resources and professional dialogue. Operating as an ongoing program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, HAHS has broadened its scope to include grant-making, professional development workshops, public programming, and international partnerships. Each member site is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the working environment of either individual artists or artist communities.

Expansion

Since its establishment, HAHS has experienced significant growth, expanding from its original twenty in 1999. The program expanded to 36 members by 2017, and by 2020, included 44 sites, which were featured in the publication ''Guide to Historic Artists' Homes and Studios.''In 2021, HAHS added four new sites as part of the "Where Women Made History" initiative, followed by seven additional sites in 2022, bringing the total to 55.The program introduced an affiliate membership category in 2023, expanding to "61 historic sites across 25 states."In a significant development in January 2025, HAHS announced a major expansion that welcomed 19 new affiliate sites, bringing the total membership to 80 sites across 31 states.

Sites

* 101 Spring Street,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, home and studio of artist

Donald Judd Donald Clarence Judd (June 3, 1928February 12, 1994) was an American artist associated with minimalism.Tate Modern websit"Tate Modern Past Exhibitions Donald Judd" Retrieved on February 19, 2009. In his work, Judd sought autonomy and clarity for ...

(1928–1994). *

Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens The Albin Polasek House and Studio, also known as the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, or The Polasek, is a historic site located at 633 Osceola Avenue in Winter Park, Florida, United States. It is a former house-turned-museum on three ...

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...

, home and studio of sculptor

Albin Polasek Albin Polasek (; February 14, 1879 – May 19, 1965) was a Austria-Hungarian–born American sculptor and educator. A practicing artist, he also headed the sculpture department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He created more th ...

(1879–1965) *

Alice Austen House The Alice Austen House, also known as Clear Comfort, is located at 2 Hylan Boulevard in the Rosebank, Staten Island, Rosebank section of Staten Island, New York City, New York (state), New York. It was home of Alice Austen, a photographer, for ...

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, home of

Alice Austen Elizabeth Alice Austen (March 17, 1866 – June 9, 1952) was an American photographer working in Staten Island. She is best known for her street photography and her intimate depictions of women's lives and relationships in the Victorian era ...

(1866–1952) * Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens,

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, home of sculptor Ann Weaver Norton (1905–1982) * Burchfield Homestead Museum, home of Charles Ephraim Burchfield *

Thomas Cole National Historic Site The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes the home and the studio of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of American painting. It is located at 218 Spring ...

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

, home of

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for hi ...

(1801–1848) *

Demuth Museum Demuth Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, is a museum dedicated to the paintings of Charles Demuth (1883–1935) located in his former studio and home at 120 East King Street. The museum offers a rotating view of a permanent collec ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

, primary residence of the artist

Charles Demuth Charles Henry Buckius Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American painter who specialized in watercolors and turned to oils late in his career, developing a style of painting known as Precisionism. "Search the history of Amer ...

(1883–1935) *

studio, Chesterwood, in

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridg ...

Eanger Irving Couse Eanger Irving Couse (September 3, 1866 – April 26, 1936) was an American artist and a founding member and first president of the Taos Society of Artists. Born and reared in Saginaw, Michigan, he went to New York City and Paris to study art. Wh ...

Taos, New Mexico Taos () is a town in Taos County, New Mexico, Taos County, in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Santa Fe ...

, historic home and studio of

(1866–1936) * Edward Virginius Valentine,

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, sculpture studio of Edward V. Valentine (1838–1930) *

Elisabet Ney Museum The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. It is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of her portrait busts and ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

studio of

Elisabet Ney Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney (January 26, 1833 – June 29, 1907) was a German-American sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing portraits of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi ...

(1833–1907) *

Florence Griswold Museum The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum at 96 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, Connecticut centered on the home of Florence Griswold (1850–1937), which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony, a main nexus of American Impressionism. The museu ...

Old Lyme, Connecticut Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town ...

, home of Florence Griswold and center of the Old Lyme Art Colony * Fonthill Museum,

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough population was 8,300. Doylestown is located northwest of Trent ...

, home of

Henry Chapman Mercer Henry Chapman Mercer (June 24, 1856 – March 9, 1930) was an American archeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker, and designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home; the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works; and the ...

(1856–1930), archaeologist, collector, and tile maker *

Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio The Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio is a historic house museum and former art studio in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The house and studio were home to American Abstract Artists George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen. The stu ...

, home of

George L.K. Morris George Lovett Kingsland Morris (November 14, 1905 – June 26, 1975) was an American artist, writer, and editor who advocated for an "American abstract art" during the 1930s and 1940s, and is best known for his Cubist sculptures and paintings. Ea ...

and

Suzy Frelinghuysen Suzy Frelinghuysen (May 7, 1911 – March 19, 1988), also known as Suzy Morris, was an American abstract painter and opera singer. Early life and personal life Frelinghuysen was born on May 7, 1911, in Newark, New Jersey, to was a daught ...

Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 United States census ...

* Gari Melchers Home and Studio,

Falmouth, Virginia Falmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stafford County, Virginia, Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksb ...

* Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House,

Ukiah, California Ukiah ( ; Pomo: ''Yokáya'', meaning "deep valley" or "south valley") is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County, in the North Coast (California), North Coast region of California. Ukiah had a populati ...

, home of Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865–1937) *

Grant Wood Grant DeVolson Wood (February 13, 1891February 12, 1942) was an American artist and representative of Regionalism (art), Regionalism, best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest. He is particularly well known for ''America ...

studio,

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

* Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, original studio and art school building of

Vance Kirkland Vance Hall Kirkland (November 3, 1904 – May 24, 1981) was a painter and educator in Denver, Colorado. His paintings, from 1926 to 1981, range from realist and impressionist watercolors, to surrealist deadwood worlds, to abstract expressionist m ...

* Manitoga, The Russel Wright Design Center of

Russel Wright Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...

(1904–1976) and Mary Wright,

Garrison, New York Garrison is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, New York, Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the U ...

; includes the Russel and Mary Wright Design Gallery *

Melrose Plantation Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United Sta ...

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Natchitoches Parish ( or ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,515. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Nat ...

home of

Clementine Hunter Clementine Hunter (pronounced Clementeen; late December 1886 or early January 1887 – January 1, 1988) was a self-taught Black folk artist from the Cane River region of Louisiana, who lived and worked on Melrose Plantation. Hunter was born ...

(1887–1988) * N. C. Wyeth House and Studio of artist

N.C. Wyeth Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was a student of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...

(1882–1945) at Brandywine River Museum of Art in

Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford Township is an affluent township (Pennsylvania), township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about southwest of Philadelphia. Prior to 1996, Chadds Ford Township was known as Birmingham Township; the name ...

* Newsday Center for Dove/Torr Studies of

Arthur Dove Arthur Garfield Dove (August 2, 1880 – November 23, 1946) was an American artist. An early American modernist, he is often considered the first American abstract painter.. Dove used a wide range of media, sometimes in unconventional combinat ...

and Helen Torr *

Olana State Historic Site Olana State Historic Site is a historic house museum and Landscape architecture, landscape in Greenport, Columbia County, New York, Greenport, New York, near the city of Hudson, New York, Hudson. The estate was home to Frederic Edwin Church (182 ...

, home of Frederic E. Church (1826–1900) near

Hudson, New York Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...

Pewabic Pottery Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the I ...

pottery of

Mary Chase Perry Stratton Mary Chase Perry Stratton (March 15, 1867 – April 15, 1961) was an American ceramic artist. She was a co-founder, along with Horace James Caulkins, of Pewabic Pottery, a form of ceramic art used to make architectural tiles. Biography Stra ...

(1867–1961) in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center In November 1945, Jackson Pollock and his wife Lee Krasner moved to what is now known as the Pollock-Krasner House and Studio in Springs in the town of East Hampton on Long Island, New York. The wood-frame house on with a nearby barn is o ...

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

(1912–1956) and

Lee Krasner Lenore "Lee" Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American painter and visual artist active primarily in New York whose work has been associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. She received her ear ...

(1908–1984) in

East Hampton, New York East Hampton is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York United States. It is located at the eastern end of the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town i ...

* Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation of

Chaim Gross Chaim Gross (; March 17, 1902 – May 5, 1991) was an American sculptor and educator of Hungarian Jewish origin. Gross studied and taught at the Educational Alliance Art School in New York City’s Lower Manhattan. Childhood Gross was born t ...

* Roger Brown Study Collection of Roger Brown *

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), one of America's foremost sculptors. The house and grounds of the National Historic Site served ...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...

(1848–1907) * Sam Maloof Historic Residence and Woodworking Studio of

Sam Maloof Sam Maloof (January 24, 1916 – May 21, 2009)
''Press-Enterprise'' ...

(born 1916) * T. C. Steele State Historic Site of Theodore Clement Steele (1847–1926) * Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site of Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975) *

Weir Farm National Historic Site Weir Farm National Historical Park is located in Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut. It commemorates the life and work of American impressionist painter J. Alden Weir and other artists who stayed at the site or lived there, to include Childe H ...

of J. Alden Weir (1852–1919) * Wharton Esherick Museum of

Wharton Esherick Wharton Esherick (July 15, 1887 – May 6, 1970) was an American artist and designer. An artistic polymath, he worked in a wide variety of art media including painting, printmaking, and sculpture. His design works range from architectural int ...

(1887–1970) * Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts of

Beatrice Wood Beatrice Wood (March 3, 1893 – March 12, 1998) was an American artist and studio potter involved in the Dada movement in the United States; she founded and edited '' The Blind Man'' and '' Rongwrong'' magazines in New York City with French ...

(1893–1998) in

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east– ...

References

External links

* {{official website, https://artistshomes.org/ Houses in the United States National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic preservation organizations in the United States Historic house museums Artists' studios in the United States

History

Expansion

Sites

Further reading

References

External links