Houston’s Bayou Bend: A Philanthropist’s Collection and Gardens

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens was built on a site of dense foliage and thickets. The two-story, 24-room house is of tile block construction and then finished externally with pink stucco; the pink color referred to pink quartz crushed into stucco found in ancient Greek architecture. The stucco was later painted a pale pink. Unadorned columns and a wrought-iron decorative centerpiece balcony reflect the early southern plantation style. Courtesy of the Museum of fine Arts, Houston

Bayou Bend was always more of an antique and art exhibit space than a home. Early 20th-century philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882–1975) worked with architect John Staub (1892–1981) on the design of a mansion to sit on a 14-acre site in Houston’s River Oaks community. It would showcase her extensive collection of primarily 17th- to 19th-century American antiques, Native American art, and works by famous painters and sculptors.

The mansion’s design reveals elements of early (1830–1860) southern plantation architecture, including essentials of neoclassical, 18th-century Georgian, and Spanish Creole style. Construction on the mansion began in 1927 and was completed the next year. Houston landscape architect Ruth London (1892–1966) designed Bayou Bend’s East Garden; the Houston-based landscape firm Fleming and Sheppard designed the Diana Garden and the north terrace.

Hogg donated the mansion, its contents, and the grounds and gardens to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts in 1957 but continued living at the estate until 1965. The principal rooms in the center of the house include the dining room, entryway, and bedrooms, which maintain the character of Hogg’s original décor. The museum currently houses collections of American furnishings, silver, ceramics, and paintings, in excess of 4,700 items.

The front façade of Bayou Bend is reached by a series of grassy steps and stone steps. The long porch is open for entertaining. Just above the main entry is a Juliette balcony with French doors that open out to look over the front lawn. The pediment at the top of the main structure rises to a decorative sculpture. Public Domain

Originally a library, the Pine Room features hand-carved pine paneling that was once bookshelves. The pine paneling is patterned after a mid-18th-century woodwork in a period room at the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carved pine column designs sit atop the fireplace, which is adorned with tin-glazed earthenware tiles made in Holland during the 18th century. A simple brass and iron chandelier lights the gathering space. (Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)  

A gracefully arched built-in china cabinet is positioned near the white fireplace in the formal dining room. Candles on the crystal chandelier cast a soft glow. The upper walls are surrounded by a decoratively carved molding. Adding opulence to the room is the shimmering, gold-leaf canvas wall covering, designed in 1927–1928 by New York artist William MacKay, according to the museum's website. The wall covering is hand painted with flora and fauna native to Texas, such as peonies and dogwood branches. It also includes images of field mice and butterflies. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

A two-story grand curving staircase features a simple yet unique hand-height wall molding. Between the strips of molding is a uniform gold stenciled design. The same treatment outlines the windows of the staircase. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Simple dental ceiling molding and chair-railing paneling define this second-floor bedroom and the sitting room (past the door near the bed), collectively called the Queen Anne Suite. They were the owner's personal quarters. Moldings and paneling are painted blue-green, which contrasts with the white walls. The bedroom is furnished with Late Baroque style (1730–1755) antiques, such as the dramatic four-poster canopy bed. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The East Garden Terrace was constructed as a double-height tetrastyle portico (a porch and covered walkway supported by four columns). The terrace is in a distinct Louisiana Spanish Creole style, indicated primarily by the wrought ironwork. Large pink flagstones cover this outdoor space. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Landscape architects in the 1930s and early 1940s cultivated eight gardens at the north end of Bayou Bend. They were intended to be used as outdoor rooms. Each contains such elements as grass terraces, flowering plants, hedges, trees, statues, and fountains. The Clio Garden, pictured here, is one of three gardens named for the featured statues representing Greek muses Clio and Euterpe and the goddess Diana. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

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