Today, as every May 26th, is Wisconsin State Ten Chimneys Day, and what better way to celebrate than to tour the estate in Genesee Depot? I was one of the lucky 100 callers several weeks ago to score a pair of free tickets to the normally $35.00 tour. Saw an ad in the paper and called at the right time.
Ten Chimneys is the name of the Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne home just off Hwy. 83, within a short walk of downtown Genesee Depot. Today marks the 85th year since the couple married, four years since the estate opened to the public, and three years since is was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. Lunt and Fontanne were a famous theater couple known world wide in the 30s and 40s. They always performed together and always had summers off to spend time in Genesee Depot or travel.
The two hour tour took us through three main buildings and back seventy years in time. It felt less like the Lunts had died and more like they had just gone away for the winter. Everything we saw (we couldn't touch anything) was original and pretty much just the way they left it. The main house was restored but the cottage was not, a neat comparison. The studio was disassembled in Sweden and brought to Genesee Depot for reassembly. There is much Swedish influence throughout the estate as well as many murals and trompe le oil, several of which were done by Alfred himself.
I can't list everything I found interesting today but want to mention one of the more curious things; the person who accompanied me on the tour, someone who I knew would be interested and the only other man in our group of ten, happened to have been raised in a house just a short distance from Ten Chimneys, had met the Lunts and had many interesting stories to tell.
This was a tour I knew I'd do someday, but at $35.00 a person knew it wouldn't be anytime soon. Offering this free tour on the same date every year is the best thing they've done since restoring and opening the estate to the public. The Ten Chimneys Foundation must know their guests, even those who can't afford it, advertise by word of mouth if they are shown a great tour. By writing this I'm hoping to fulfull my obligation.
The tour of the estate isn't the only thing happening at Ten Chimneys. There is a beautiful Program Center, currently showing a Noel Coward exhibition, and a nice gift shop. Also, since the Lunts donated 30 acres to the town, there is also the Lunt-Fontanne nature trail close-by always open to the public.
