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The Vale
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Front facade of the Lyman Estate.
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| Location: | Waltham, MA |
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| Built: | 1793 |
| Architect: | Samuel McIntire, William Bell |
| Architectural style: | Colonial Revival, Federal, Other |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000737 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | December 30, 1970[1] |
| Designated NHL: | December 30, 1970[2] |
The Lyman Estate 37 acres (150,000 m²), formerly known as The Vale, is a historic country house located at 185 Lyman Street, Waltham, Massachusetts. It is now owned by the nonprofit Historic New England organization. The grounds are open to the public daily for free; an admission fee is required for the house.
The estate was established in 1793 by Boston merchant Theodore Lyman on 400 acres (1.6 km²) of grounds, and was the Lyman family's summer residence for over 150 years. It consisted originally of the mansion and its lawns, gardens, greenhouses, woodlands, a deer park, and a working farm. Today the grounds contain a number of specimen trees, a 600 foot (180 m) brick peach wall, and late 19th century rhododendrons and azaleas introduced by the Lyman family.
The fine Federal style mansion, of 24 rooms, was designed by Salem architect Samuel McIntire and completed in 1798. Its grand ballroom, with high ceiling, decorative frieze, large windows, and marble fireplace, was used for formal parties. A smaller oval room was used for family gatherings.
The estate's first greenhouse was constructed before 1800 and is thought to be the oldest in the United States. The Grape House, built in 1804 to raise exotic fruits such as oranges, pineapples, and bananas, today houses extensive grape vines, grown from cuttings taken in 1870 from Hampton Court in England. The Camellia House was built around 1820 for cultivation of camellias, introduced to America via Europe in 1797 from coastal China, Japan, and Korea. Many of the Lyman camellias are more than 100 years old. The greenhouses are open to the public.
The estate was one of the filming locations for the 1979 Merchant Ivory film adaptation of Henry James' novel The Europeans.[3]
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