Nashville's landmark country estate, Cheekwood, is taking important first steps towards the historic restoration of its Mansion, which is slated to debut in 2017. Further building on its reputation as “one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estates in the nation,” Cheekwood will refurnish the lower levels of the Mansion to reflect the lifestyle and setting of the 1930s era; originally used by its first residents, Mabel and Leslie Cheek, and designed by legendary landscape and structural architect Bryant Fleming. Several rooms in the 1929 Cheek family home will be restored to furnishings and décor representative of the original period, including rooms that have never before been on view to the general public.

To spearhead this initiative, Cheekwood has hired Leslie B. Jones as its new Curator of Decorative Arts & Historic Interpretation, following her time as the Curator and Director of Historical Resources and Programming for the White House Historical Association in Washington, DC. Jones will oversee the restoration of Cheekwood’s historic interiors, assisting with the curation of exhibitions, acquisitions, and interpretative programming.

In order to gather a variety of perspectives and expertise for this initiative, Cheekwood recently hosted a two-day private symposium (March 23-24, 2015) of ten leading experts from around the country, funded in part by The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors, a competitive grant awarded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Comprised of leaders in decorative arts, historic interiors, museum practice, and interpretation, the symposium, combined with Jones’ own deep experience in the field, helped inform plans for the restoration and refurnishing.

“When we conducted an extensive visitor research study in 2011, we asked our visitors what more they wanted from the Cheekwood experience. One of the most notable responses was a greater desire to understand more about the property’s historic origins, and to see its historic interiors come to life, and we are thrilled to be responding to that desire,” said Jane O. MacLeod, President & CEO, Cheekwood. “Bringing Leslie Jones on board for our Historic Initiatives Furnishing Plan is the first step toward giving our visitors that new level of historical depth, further fulfilling Cheekwood’s vision to realize its full potential as a nationally and historically significant landmark in the American Country Place Era.”

The historic restoration of the Mansion is conceived as a multi-year process. Jones will soon take next steps to acquire furnishings and décor to create authentic interpretations of the several rooms within the three-story, Georgian-style historic Mansion. First floor and ground floor rooms identified for restoration include the Drawing Room, Library, Dining Room, Loggia, Morning Room, Recreation Room and Bedroom Suite; the upper level Museum of Art galleries will continue to serve as art exhibition space. Each interpretation will consider the interior-exterior relationship of Fleming’s design, incorporating the rooms’ intended landscape views as well as furnishings that would have been purchased and placed in each room by the Cheeks. The restored rooms are expected to open to the public in 2017 following a brief closure of the Mansion, with new interpretive elements to be added following the debut.

Leslie B. Jones said, “Cheekwood is a true treasure to behold, and I am thrilled to lead this project. I look forward to learning more from the house, as well as working with the community to find the locations of important furnishings once owned by the Cheeks and used in the house. Cheekwood has many of the pieces in place, but not all, and I look forward to unveiling the many mysteries.”  To make Cheekwood aware of information or furnishings or objects from the original Cheek residence that could be available for long-term loan, please contact historicinitiatives@cheekwood.org.

Concurrent with the room restoration plan, Cheekwood will develop a dynamic interpretative program for visitors to learn more about Cheekwood’s origins, building on oral histories and archival research in progress about the Cheek family and Bryant Fleming. Additional future plans are underway for Cheekwood to produce an authoritative publication and documentary film on Cheekwood, contextualizing the Cheek family, Bryant Fleming’s influence, and Cheekwood’s place in the American Country Place Era movement.

Cheekwood’s Historic Initiatives Furnishing Plan is identified as a priority in both the organization’s Five Year Strategic Plan, instituted by Cheekwood’s Board of Directors and senior staff in 2012, and its Master Plan, a long-term plan to bring new and enhanced visitor facilities to the growing institution. The initiative will play a central role in driving tourism to the institution, impacting Cheekwood’s business operations by increasing revenue, a critical short-term need in advance of Cheekwood building its long-term endowment.