Statement of Significance (as of designation - July 17, 1991):
"Perhaps the finest Colonial Revival house, and museum, in the United States," Hill-Stead was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle (1867-1946), in a unique collaboration with McKim, Mead & White. Assembled by Alfred A. Pope, the architect's father, the collection of French Impressionist paintings in the house is outstanding for its quality and because it was acquired during the artists' lifetimes. The presence of paintings and collection of decorative arts in a country house setting, integrating the art and architecture to create a cultural unity, has become a significant cultural resource because it is unchanged, an entity existing to the present time as planned and lived in by the Pope family.

Condition:
While the museum has recently undergone an extensicve exterior restorastion of its main complex, two barns ont the property have significant deterioration that warrants attention.

$2.5 million exterior restoration funded by state of Connecticut.