Kimball Jenkins School of Art is currently offering tours of the 1882 High Victorian Gothic mansion designed by architect Amos Porter Cutting, who also design the state library building.
Volunteer Eleanor Poirier, often in costume as Louise Kimball Jenkins, leads the tours. You might also see Clark Todd dressed as Cutting.
Eleanor Poirier, dressed as Louise Kimball Jenkins, holds a photograph of Carolyn Jenkins, Louise’s daughter.
John Kimball settled the area in the late 1700s. 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, Samuel Sparhawk Kimball, moved the original family house to make way for the construction of a more stylish home. Built between 1877 and 1882 the dwelling was designed by the firm of Cutting & Holman of Worcester, Mass.
The last heir of the estate was Carolyn Jenkins, daughter of Louise (Kimball) Jenkins and Walter Jenkins. She was a lover and performer of the arts and upon her death left the estate to be used for cultural and educational purposes, and “the encouragement of art.”
“Carolyn had a big personality,” said Althea Barton, Kimball Jenkins’s director of outreach and development. “Shortly before she died at age 50, she told a close friend she’d rather see her extraordinary home demolished than turned into a doctor’s office or funeral parlor! She wanted her home to be preserved as a public place of inspiration, learning, and connection to the arts and our shared history.”
The last listed tours are Friday, Feb. 21, from 1 to 2:30 and Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Advance registration required. Children under 5 admitted free with a responsible adult. Admission for adults $20 and children ages 6 to 17 are $10.
“We’ll definitely be offering tours beyond February,” Barton said. “We’re developing more themed tours from our collection of old family letters and artifacts that tell fascinating stories of the history of Concord from the American Revolution onward. We’ll be making these letters available for public viewing through our monthly KJ History Club and eventually online. If people are interested, there will be opportunities for volunteers of all ages to study and interpret these stories and even to act as costumed docents going forward.”
You may arrive 15 minutes before your tour. Kimball Jenkins closes during inclement weather. Visit kimballjenkins.com for cancellations. If your tour is canceled, call the office at 225-3932 to reschedule.
February 20, 2020
What an excellent opportunity to learn about Concord history and architecture!
January 9, 2021
Is this any relation to the house I bought at 17 Willard Ave Worcester MA colonial built in 1925. We have a record of a Walter Jenkins that was first owner of this house, an inground oil tank that we had to remove in 2019, was put in by owner Walter Jenkins on September 24, 1936. We have the copy of the certificate of Walter Jenkins installing oil tank as owner of my home back then from the Worcester Fire Department.
January 11, 2021
It’s possible. It appears Walter Jenkins and Louise (Kimball) Jenkins were in Massachusetts in 1930 when their daughter Carolyn was born in Cambridge. Your best bet would be to reach out to the estate directly ((603) 225-3932 or arts@kimballjenkins.com)