Oscar Hammerstein’s farmhouse in Doylestown will become a museum
The ink is dry on a deal to buy the musical theater giant’s property in Doylestown, Pa., to turn it into a museum and education center.
1 year ago
Highland Farm in Doylestown, once home to Oscar Hammerstein II and his family, will become a museum and theater education center, honoring Hammerstein's work as a lyricist, librettist, mentor and humanitarian. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
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The future Oscar Hammerstein Museum, located in a Doylestown farmhouse once owned by the famed American musical theater librettist, has received a $500,000 grant from the state of Pennsylvania to renovate the property.
This is the second $500,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant the museum has received in four years. It was secured through the efforts of state Sen. Steve Santarsiero and state Rep. Tim Brennan. RACP grants are matching grants, released when the museum raises an equal amount from private and foundation supporters.
“We can use that, and this combined — a million dollars — for our land development activities,” said Christine Junker, museum board secretary. “Which means building parking lots, lighting, stormwater management and all the stuff that goes into developing a site.”
The money will be used to demolish a dilapidated barn on the property, Highland Farm, and build a visitor and education center in its place. Junker said fundraising, construction and renovations could take at least three years.
“Hammerstein is known worldwide,” she said. “We are going to be so thrilled to be able to open this museum to the public and have that kind of worldwide interest come to Bucks County, Doylestown and the whole Philadelphia region.”
Junker said members of the executive committee have launched their own matching challenge, donating $100,000 once the same amount has been raised.
The museum bought Highland Farm a year ago from the previous owner who operated it as a Rodgers and Hammerstein–themed bed-and-breakfast. Hammerstein lived in the farmhouse for the last 20 years of his life, a period when he and composer Richard Rodgers created some of the most enduring musicals of American theater, including “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma” and “South Pacific.”
“Institutions like this help us to lead lives of purpose and meaning, they enrich our lives and provide opportunities for lifelong learning for folks of all ages,” said state Rep. Tim Brennan, a former board member of the museum. “Investing in this organization is an investment in our future.”
The first RACP grant in 2020 went toward buying the property and doing basic maintenance.
“One of the first things we did was install a security system,” Junker said. “Because we have started to collect some artifacts.”
Although the farmhouse had been used as a Rodgers and Hammerstein bed-and-breakfast, no original furnishings remain. Hammerstein’s widow, Dorothy, sold the house and all its contents shortly after he died in 1960. The furnishings quickly scattered to random places.
“The story I have heard is that she sold the entire property, including the dog,” Junker said. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I believe the person she sold it to had a tag sale.”
Junker said a nearby neighbor of Highland Farm recently contacted the museum saying they had attended that tag sale over 60 years ago and might still have a side table of the Hammersteins, pending confirmation.
The museum has already received two rocking chairs originally owned by Hammerstein. He was known to sit in them with a typewriter on his lap and write musicals.
While the Highland Farm property undergoes renovations, the farmhouse is open for limited guided tours. In the winter months, it is only available to groups by appointment.
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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