Formerly the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal empire, the twenty-five acre estate is known for the most extensive collection of Russian Imperial art outside of Russia. Shortly after she acquired Hillwood in 1955, Mrs. Post commissioned prominent landscape architects to create thirteen acres of formal gardens to flow from the house in a progression of pleasure gardens. Between 1955 – 1957, she hired landscape architects Umberto Innocenti and Richard Webel to create the French Parterre, featuring typical elements of an 18th-century French garden, to complement her collection of 18th-century French art and furnishings. Other highlights of the gardens include the Rose Garden, the Japanese-style Garden; the Friendship Walk; and the Lunar Lawn, a large, crescent-shaped lawn that provides a view of the Washington Monument and was a favorite spot of Post. Photo: The greenhouses contain Mrs. Post’s collection of over 2,500 orchids. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm,and select Sundays and evenings throughout the year. Closed January and most national holidays.
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