Springtime found us traveling back to St. Augustine to visit Thing 2. Instead of driving through Jacksonville, we made a stop at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens located along the St. Johns River.
Cummer Background
In 1902, Arthur and Ninah Cummer built a Tudor-style house next to Arthur’s parents, Wellington and Ada Cummer in the Riverside neighborhood. The elder Cummers came to Jacksonville a few years prior, creating Cummer Lumber Company and the Jacksonville & Southwestern Railway. In 1907 Arthur’s brother Waldo and his wife Clara moved on the other side of the elder Cummers, completing the three-home compound.
Cummer Gardens
A passionate gardener, Ninah Cummer (1875-1958) began what is now known as the English Garden next to the Lower Lawn, a large grassy putting green area, behind her mansion. In 1910, she hired Thomas Mehan & Sons to build brick paths and a pergola with a fountain. Later, she replaced many of the plants with azaleas for vibrant springtime blooms.
Her husband Arthur and his brother Waldo inherited their parent’s estate and grounds upon Ada Cummer’s death in 1929. With more land for garden areas, Ninah traveled to Italy and purchased a three-tiered fountain and other sculptures for the Italian Garden. This section, designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, boasts two long rectangular-shaped reflecting pools and more azaleas.
At about the same time, Ninah’s sister-in-law Clara Cummer hired Olmsted Brothers to design gardens on her share of the elder Cummers. While not as showy as the adjacent Italian Garden, the Olmstead Garden features an upper and lower area with a rock wall and stairs.
Until 2013, the Olmsted Garden was closed to the public. After an extensive restoration, the garden opened almost doubling the size of the riverfront garden.
Before stepping into the museum we walked around a huge oak tree reportedly over 200 years old. We also learned Ninah Cummer’s passion for gardening extended outside her own residence. She helped create the Garden Club of Jacksonville and sought to preserve green spaces around the city (most notably Memorial Park) by serving on the City Planning Advisory Board and the Special Garden Club Committee.
Cummer Museum
Arthur and Ninah began collecting art in 1906. By the time of her death, she amassed up to 60 art items. Having no living children, Ninah bequeathed her home and grounds for the creation of a museum. To accommodate the artworks and antiques, a new building replaced the Cummer’s home. The museum opened in 1961 with 1,000 guests in attendance.
Today, the Cummer Museum owns over 5,000 pieces of art including works by Childe Hassam, Norman Rockwell, and Peter Paul Rubens. You won’t see everything in one visit as the museum rotates items and makes room for special exhibits.
Entering from the garden area, we toured the special exhibit “Outside In” before looking at the collection of etchings by James McBey (1883-1959). While I normally prefer paintings over drawings, I enjoyed the detail in McBey’s work – especially his WWI etching when he served as an artist for the British Forces.
The next few galleries displayed 17th Century European Baroque Art, Renaissance Art, and Medieval Art. I found the Egyptian funerary stela from 2100 BC particularly fascinating in the Schultz Gallery.
Passing a courtyard we explored the Southern wing of the museum starting with a special exhibit on movie posters and galleries full of 17th and 18th-century art. We also toured the Tudor Room filled with furnishing from Ninah Cummer’s Tudor-style house.
The Lane Gallery showcased 20th-century art. I loved seeing “Afternoon in Pont-Avon, Brittany” by one of my favorite artists, Childe Hassam. Other artists included Andy Warhol and Norman Rockwell.
Before leaving, we checked out another special exhibit Anila Quayyum Agha: Flight Patterns. The galleries drew us into the art as we gazed at various patterns created from the light-filled sculptures.
In conclusion
The Cummer Museum offers a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Additionally, a children’s wing engages the younger set with fun activities.
Check the website for free admission information usually occurring on Tuesday evenings, Friday evenings, and all day on the first Sunday of the month. College students with ID get free admission every Tuesday through Friday and a discounted rate on the weekends.
For more information about Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, visit the website here.