Sawyer Home and Grounds

Then

The dining room was situated at the right of the grand hall in the rear of the parlor. The dining room was used for dinner parties as well as intimate meals between Edgar and Mary. Dinner in the Sawyer home was a formal affair, most likely served late in the evening around eight o’clock pm.

Possibly the most handsome of all the Sawyer home public spaces, the dining room was finished in deep red-brown African mahogany, with beamed ceilings. An expansive fireplace occupied the room’s southern wall. The fireplace was framed in sterling silver and iridescent tiles from Tiffany. The fireplace design boasted rich woodwork, complete with a carved “S” monogram. The ceiling panels were painted in the signature “Tiffany Finish,” and the walls were adorned with a thick, hand-woven tapestry furnished by Tiffany and depicting European scenes. Sterling silver wall sconces and a large Tiffany turtleback chandelier lit the room. A large mahogany table sat in the middle of the room, and food was carried to the table from the adjoining pantry and kitchen.

Now

The grandeur of the Sawyer dining room is still prevalent in the room. All original woodwork and beams remain, and the Museum replicated the ceiling’s original paint finish and restored fireplace tiles to their natural patina after the Museum fire of 1994. Furthermore, the original Tiffany wall tapestries, in storage since circa 1930, were cleaned and reinstalled in 1999 thanks to a major gift from the Museum Auxiliary. The dining room currently houses the famous Apostles Clock, and therefore serves as the Museum’s most visited room. Several small exhibit cases line the walls of the room and present a rotating display of artifacts in relation to each of the Museum’s temporary exhibitions.