"Housewarming" at The Mount

Marking the centennial of the day that author Edith Wharton and her husband Teddy moved into their "spacious and dignified" Berkshires estate, The Mount, 2 Plunkett St. in Lenox is celebrating with half-price admission for all visitors on Friday, September 20. There will be cake on the terrace, a drawing for a first edition of Wharton’s 1928 novel The Children, and a talk on the new "grass staircase" at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. As part of the celebration, visitors will be invited to explore The Mount’s newly restored rooms and gardens in self-guided tours.

"Edith Wharton was quick to hold a housewarming party almost immediately after moving into The Mount, so we’re doing the same to celebrate this anniversary," said Stephanie Copeland, President of Edith Wharton Restoration, the nonprofit organization working to preserve and restore The Mount. "Even though her guest list had to be limited to close friends, her decision to move here embraced the whole Berkshires community. We want to give the community an opportunity to return the embrace, by throwing open our guest list to everyone."

Wharton wrote some of her most important novels while living at The Mount, including Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth. Today The Mount is registered as a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its stature in American architecture and landscape design.

The Mount is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through November 3. Regular admission is $16 for adults and $8 for students; children (under 12) are admitted free. For more info call 413-637-1899, ext 114.