The Main House

The design of the Main House combined Edith Wharton’s philosophies and astute knowledge of design and architecture, with the professional expertise of her architects Ogden Codman, Jr., and Francis L.V. Hoppin.  The exterior of the mansion, completed by Hoppin, was based on Belton House, a 17^th-century English country house in Lincolnshire. The expansive terrace, on the east façade, was an Italian-inspired enhancement requested by Wharton.

The Mount’s interior, designed by Wharton and Codman, is informed by classic Italian and French influences, and based on principles expressed in their book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The fundamental premise of that influential work is that interior decoration cannot exist independent of structure; that “architectural features …are part of the organism of every house, inside as well as out.”

With Ogden Codman, she considered every detail of proportion, symmetry, and functionality in all of the rooms of the house. Rejecting the excesses of late 19^th-century design, Wharton and Codman led the way to a new American aesthetic.