On December 9, we met up with some friends to tour the Bass Mansion, also known as Brookside, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation.
The home was originally built in 1889, but a catastrophic fire destroyed everything but a portion of the masonry veneer in 1902. It was rebuilt the following year.
In 1944, the house and 65 acres were purchased for Saint Francis College (now Saint Francis University); and the mansion now provides office and conference space for the university.
The next three photos display three sections of a very large space. I hadn't planned ahead to stitch them together for a panorama, but I felt I needed to include a panorama to give you a bit of the feel of the space. It's not a great job of stitching, but I hope it serves its intended purpose.
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| The Library |
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This cabinet was in a corner of the Dining Room |
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| This is a window shade in the Dining Room |
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| African Marble Fireplace in the Dining Room |
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The wall mural in the Dining Room is entitled "The Hunt" by Holslag |
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This red room was too small and too crowded for any wide shots, but this one allows a glimpse. |
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| One of the ornately carved doors |
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| Bathtub in Mrs. Bass' Dressing Room |
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The washstand is decorated with the same delicately painted flowers as are in the tub. |
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Circular Staircase
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A last look at the mansion
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It was fun to take this tour at Christmastime, with all the festive decorations. But I think I'd like to take a guided tour sometime, without the distractions of the seasonal decorations and without the large crowds that come with the Christmas season, so that I could focus more on the period details that make the home special.
