Strathmore, Strathmore, we keep saying we want to go to Strathmore.
Finally did yesterday, taking in “Strathmore Unleashed,” an exhibit of paintings and mixed media riffing on man’s best friend. (Actually, a higher percentage of women are dog owners than men).
Curator Harriet Lesser assembled the display. A few works are on the grounds, while the rest are located throughout the two-story mansion. Bonus time can be spent in the gift shop and library.
We also visited the Strathmore Performing Arts Center, cool with its wavy design and convenient to the Metro. A few steps over is the Mansion, which falls in line with the others in Washington that were built on Northwest hills to escape the heat of the city.
In this case, the wealth belonged to the Corby Family, of Wonder Bread and automation fame. Perhaps your remember their bakery at 2301 Georgia Avenue, one of the largest where they sold “Mother’s Bread.”
Originally built at the turn of the Century, in the Colonial-Revival Style, the mansion’s brick makeover came with Georgian influence. A standout feature is its handsome curved portico. Don’t miss the Oak Room, to your right as you enter.
Subsequent residents included the sisters of St Mary’s Academy, followed by Montgomery County’s purchase. The hilltop property, skirted by Old Georgetown Road, whose bedrock was the Georgetown to Frederick Turnpike, became a center for arts. The Mansion at Strathmore swung open its doors in 1983, and the impressive new Music Center opened in 2005 for concerts and music education.
The exhibit is free and runs through June 23.
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