Dressed to Impress

Ruggles Sylvester Morse fashioned his summer retreat in Portland, Maine, after the Italian palaces of the fifteenth century, grand in scale with bold ornamentation. That the massive brownstone villa stood in sharp contrast to the white clapboard and red brick houses of the neighborhood didn't concern the wealthy hotelier at all. Rather, he quite wanted his summer palace to stand out.

A native of rural Maine, Morse left the state in his teens to seek his fortune. By the late 1840s, his career had landed him in New Orleans, where he grew wealthy as the proprietor of several of the city's most magnificent hotels.

In 1858, Morse commissioned a summer estate on the coast of Maine. New Haven architect Henry Austin, a recognized master of the Italianate style, designed Morse's asymmetrical villa around a soaring square tower with a striking view toward Portland Harbor. The design features varied rooflines, deep overhanging eaves and graceful verandas, porches and balconies. Arched and rectangular windows, capped with arched or triangular pediments, play against one another on all façades.

Morse wanted his home to be a symbol of his success as well as a refuge. As the villa evolved, it became abundantly clear to the townsfolk that he was spending a great deal of money. While Portland's other wealthy citizens had built grand summer homes, none approached the magnificence or expense—reputedly between $70,000 and $100,000—of Morse's princely palace. The house had central heating, gas lighting, hot and cold running water, a servant's call system and one of Maine's first bathrooms.

Morse commissioned Gustave Herter to design the interior. The job was Herter's first important commission and its success propelled him into the big time; his New York firm, the Herter Brothers, led the interior design industry during the last half of the nineteenth century.

Glorious color defines the villa's interior. Just about every surface from floor to ceiling is carved or painted or both. Brilliant stained glass, gilded chandeliers and huge mirrors intensify the effect. Though the rooms represent a range of styles from Islamic to Gothic, and hold a variety of materials, colors and patterns, Herter's design skill brought it all together in an integrated whole.

The main hall shows off both the palatial size of the home and the cultured taste of the Morses. The space soars three stories and extends the length of the main block of the mansion. A dramatic flying staircase lighted by a double gasolier suspended forty feet from the third-floor ceiling rises from the center. The most amazing feature of the space is an immense stained-glass skylight with geometric patterns.

Just off the main hall, a formal reception room was given a sense of lightheartedness with walls and ceilings adorned by singing cherubs and a marble fireplace carved with dancing figures. For the dining room, Herter created an inviting space that made playful use of food in the design, with chestnut-paneled walls that feature carved fruits, vegetables, game and seafood.

On the lavishly appointed second floor, Morse had Herter incorporate many of the features of his luxury hotels. Bedrooms feature double washstands and finely carved marble fireplaces. Walls are painted to look like damask, and ceilings are filled with ornamentation.

When Morse died in 1893, his widow sold the house and most of its contents to J.R. Libby, a local merchant and his wife, Helen. The Libbys occupied the house until 1928. After they died, their children removed most of the furnishings and dispersed them among the family. The house stood empty until 1940, when it was rescued by Dr. William Holmes, who bought the property and opened it to the public as a shrine to women of achievement. He named it Victoria Mansion after Britain's Queen Victoria.

By the time it was designated a National Landmark in 1971, the mansion had suffered serious deterioration. Over the following two decades a succession of grants funded restoration of the house. Morse and Libby heirs have returned much of the mansion's original furniture and decorative objects. For Morse to know that his house still stands as a grand testament to his wealth more than a century after he inhabited it would undoubtedly please him very much indeed.

EDITOR'S NOTE  Victoria Mansion is open for guided tours from May through October, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.–5 p.m. $10 adults, $5 children six to seventeen, free under age six. 109 Danforth St., Portland, Maine, (207) 772-4841.