Last updated: 6/23/2011
Norfolk, Virginia
Address
7637 North Shore Road
Norfolk, VA 23505
phone: 757-423-2052
fax: 757-423-2410
e-mail: info@thfm.org
web: www.thfm.org

Hours

Guided tours of the Museum and Sloane Collection are conducted daily by our knowledgeable docent staff. Tours last approximately 45 minutes and include fifteen galleries filled with the Sloane family art collection, furniture and history. Tours begin promptly on the hour with the last tour beginning at 4:00pm.
Monday - Tuesday, Thursday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
Sunday
1 PM - 5 PM
Wednesday
closed
Closed Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. GATES LOCKED PROMPTLY AT 5 PM DAILY
Curator's White Glove Tours
Special guided tours by the Curator of the Collections, Kristin Law, are offered the second Sunday of the month at 1:00 p.m. and last approximately 60 minutes. This is a special chance to see rooms and artifacts that are not usually viewed by the public. Cost $10.00 non-member, $8.00 member.
Groups of 8 or more interested in tours must make a reservation through the Tours and Events Manager Drop-in tours are accepted, Reservations are preferred
The House that Jack Built Tour
The House that Jack Built is a combination lecture and tour of the museum and some of the ancillary buildings on the twelve-acre site. It will explore how the Hermitage expanded and morphed from a five-room vacation home into the forty-two room structure it is today. The tour is lead by Melanie Mathewes, Executive Director, and is offered the first Saturday of the month.
The program is limited to ten participants. Reservations are required and walkups are not accepted. Reservations will be taken until 5:00 p.m. the Wednesday before the scheduled tour. The cost for The House that Jack Built is $40 for non-members and $25 for members.
Through the Garden Gate (Garden Tour)
Through the Garden Gate is a walking tour of the gardens led by Yolima Carr, Curator of Gardens & Grounds. This tour will introduce you to our site’s garden history and many varieties of plants that have a home at The Hermitage. The cost for Through the Garden Gate is $6 for non-members and $4 for members.
Offered from June through August on the Second Saturday of the Month, and alternate Mondays starting June 2nd, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Admissions

Adults- $5.00
$2 Children (Ages 6 -18)
$3 Students
children under 6 - no admission fee

Staff

Melanie Mathewes
phone:
e-mail: mm@thfm.org
Tom Allan
phone:
e-mail: ta@thfm.org
Yolima Carr
phone:
e-mail: yc@thfm.org
Kristin Law
phone:
e-mail: kl@thfm.org
Karen Perry
phone:
e-mail: kp@thfm.org
Matt Serino
phone:
e-mail: ms@thfm.org
Beth Usry
phone:
e-mail:
Dana Thompson
phone:
e-mail:
Megan Frost
phone:
e-mail: mf@thfm.org
Description

A fine arts museum housed in Tudor style home on 13 acres along the Lafayette River. The Hermitage Foundation Museum is truly a celebration of the arts. Some of the works include Italian and French textiles and laces, English and European ceramics and paintings, hand painted glass from Germany, ivory carvings, Persian rugs, and ritual bronzes and ceramic tomb figures from China.

History

The Hermitage house was built by William and Florence Sloane, wealthy New Yorkers who came to Hampton Roads in 1895 to operate textile mills. Named “Hermitage,” the house began in 1908 as a five-room summer home but soon became the Sloanes’ principal residence. Under Florence Sloane’s active direction, the Arts and Crafts style house was reoriented and expanded to its final forty-two rooms by 1936.

The Sloanes established the Hermitage Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit corporation, in 1937, as a museum to encourage development of Arts and Crafts and to promote the arts within the community.

Artifact Collections

William and Florence K. Sloane amassed their collection over a fifty year period and assembled it in an informal manner throughout their 42 room home. 5,000 years of art harmoniously blends with the hand carved oak, walnut and teak interior of the galleries. Among the over 2,800 objects in the Sloane Collection are a Neolithic jade cong, ancient Chinese ceremonial bronzes and mingqi (tomb figures), Indian Chola bronze statues, Spanish religious icons and furniture, European ceramics and paintings, hand painted glass windows from Germany, and American paintings and sculptures. The Sloane Collection is truly a celebration of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America.

Educational Programs

Programs offered include a Docent Training Program, Resident Studio Artist Program, Visual Arts School, Summer Camp, Gallery Tours, Specialty Tours, and Gardening Workshops.

Publications

Newsletters are printed 3 times a year. An annual report is produced every July and is available through the Hermitage website.

Hermitage Press: Hermitage Newsletter
Hermitage Annual Report
Exhibitions
Museum Events
DISCLAIMER
This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is provided for general reference purposes only. No representation is made or warranty is given as to its content or the reliability thereof. User assumes all risk of use. Stories USA, Inc. and its content suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use. Please call ahead to verify the dates, the location and directions.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

RECENT UPDATES

Museums

03/07 Pointe Coupee Parish Museum

New Roads, Louisiana

03/07 Uintah County Heritage Museum

Vernal, Utah

03/07 Antrim Historical Society

Antrim, New Hampshire

Museum Vendors

03/07 Digiscura

Encino, California

Museum Associations

03/07 Oregon Museums Association

Portland, Oregon

03/07 American Association for State and Local History

Nashville, Tennessee