Archive for Victoria Mansion

Ruffi Stuffie Sleepover **SOLD OUT!**

Our newest program for young visitors, their caregivers, and their stuffed animals returns this holiday season! Would your child’s stuffie like to explore the Mansion with host Ruffi the (stuffie) Museum Cat? Bring your stuffed animal friend from home to join us for a story time and a…

Member Event: Preserving Maine’s Brownstone Masterpiece

Save the date! Members are invited to an exclusive reception focusing on the house’s iconic brownstone exterior. This event will feature a talk by Executive Director Tim Brosnihan about the history of brownstone, from its formation to its quarrying and use in residential architecture. Attendees will also hear…

Ruffi Stuffie Sleepover

Our newest program for young visitors, their caregivers, and their stuffed animals returns this summer! Would your child’s stuffie like to explore the Mansion with host Ruffi the (stuffie) Museum Cat? Bring your stuffed animal friend from home to join us for a story time and a look…

Queen Victoria’s Birthday: Free Admission for Victorias and Alberts

Queen Victoria’s 205th birthday is Friday, May 24th! While the Queen never visited the Mansion during her lifetime, she became its namesake when siblings William and Clara Holmes saved the house from possible demolition and reopened it as a museum in 1941. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, co-designed…

Juneteenth: Free Admission

Victoria Mansion is OPEN for Juneteenth. In observance of this holiday, we are offering a community day with free admission and a special program. Thank you to Kennebec Savings Bank for their support of our Free Admission Days. We invite visitors and members of the public to join…

A Magical Dickensian Celebration **SOLD OUT!**

Actor Andrew Harris returns to Victoria Mansion this holiday season for his ever-popular one-man performance as Charles Dickens. Featuring selected readings from A Christmas Carol, Mr. Harris’s performance also touches on history and other tales. Two performances on one night only, Thursday, December 19th: first performance 5:00-6:00pm, second performance 6:30-7:30pm….

Night of the Nutcracker with Portland Ballet **SOLD OUT!**

Ballerinas from Portland Ballet return to Victoria Mansion’s Stair Hall this December to perform scenes from A Victorian Nutcracker. This production of the Nutcracker is unlike any other, featuring figures from Portland’s history in the opening scene, and with sets and costumes based on Victoria Mansion’s interiors. This family-friendly…

Member Event: Open Shutters Tour

Save the date! Members are invited to join us at Victoria Mansion for an exclusive open shutters tour! These rare but popular tours provide the opportunity to see the Mansion’s rooms in full natural light, as they would have appeared in the 19th century. Light refreshments will be…

Window Preservation Trades Training

In early April 2024, Victoria Mansion hosted the first in a series of paid preservation trades training, taught by preservationist John Leeke, author of Save America’s Windows. The purpose of this training program, focused on window restoration, is to train practicing tradespeople in the special knowledge required to…

Historic Perspectives of Park Street Walking Tour (Jane’s Walk Maine 2024)

Explore Park Street, part of the West End Historic District, a well-preserved time capsule that offers a glimpse into 19th-century Portland. This one-hour stroll will highlight some of the people who helped create this fashionable residential enclave – which at the time was considered “the most beautiful neighborhood in Portland.” We’ll showcase the popular architectural styles of the 19th century and learn more about the people who built them and the movements to preserve them during times of urban renewal. Park Street’s history encompasses working-class and upper-class neighborhoods, culinary endeavors, hot-button issues of 19th-century politics, and more.

The walk will end at Victoria Mansion on the corner of Park and Danforth Streets, a singular example of the Italianate villa style and one of the greatest examples of American residential architecture prior to the Civil War. For those who would like to continue the conversation, we’ll wind up on Victoria Mansion’s back lawn for a discussion about four decades of intensive conservation and restoration work at this National Historic Landmark.