Wistariahurst occupies an entire city block in central Holyoke, bounded by Cabot, Beech, Pine, and Hampshire Streets.
 The lot is ringed by a low stone retaining wall, which is topped by iron fencing, with entrances on the Beech Street side providing vehicular access to the carriage house and main drive.
 The main walkway entrance is on Cabot Street, flanked by marble lions.
 The main house is a three-story wood frame structure, to which a number of additions and alterations have been made over the years.
 The main portion of the structure is basically square, and is now topped by a mansard roof.
 The roof is an alteration made when the building was moved to this site from Williamsburg in 1874.
The wisteria vines were planted around the same time as the estate was moved, and though the house was previously the subject of news articles for its hanging wisteria gardens, the name "Wistariahurst" first appeared in the Springfield Republican in 1904, in a notice for the wedding of Katharine Skinner and Stewart Kilborne.
A two-story hall projects from one side, added in 1927, and a single-story addition housing a music room and conservatory were added in 1913.
 The interior is lavishly decorated with original period finishes including tooled leather wall finishings in one room, and original wallpaper in another.
The mansion comprises 26 rooms, as well as 16 fireplaces.

The oldest part of the mansion was built while Skinner lived in the nearby town of Williamsburg, and was moved to Holyoke in 1874 when he relocated his business there after a devastating flood.
 Additions were made to the premises in 1913 and 1927.
 The buildings and grounds were owned continually by the Skinner family until 1959, when Katharine Skinner Kilborne, the youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, and her heirs gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes.
Initially considered for demolition by the city for a parking lot for the adjacent high school building at the time, it became the home of the Holyoke Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History, and subsequently a cultural and historic house museum after 1976 when the Library Corporation withdrew its collections.
Wistariahurst occupies an entire city block in central Holyoke, bounded by Cabot, Beech, Pine, and Hampshire Streets.  The lot is ringed by a low stone retaining wall, which is topped by iron fencing, with entrances on the Beech Street side providing vehicular access to the carriage house and main drive.  The main walkway entrance is on Cabot Street, flanked by marble lions.  The main house is a three-story wood frame structure, to which a number of additions and alterations have been made over the years.  The main portion of the structure is basically square, and is now topped by a mansard roof.  The roof is an alteration made when the building was moved to this site from Williamsburg in 1874. The wisteria vines were planted around the same time as the estate was moved, and though the house was previously the subject of news articles for its hanging wisteria gardens, the name "Wistariahurst" first appeared in the Springfield Republican in 1904, in a notice for the wedding of Katharine Skinner and Stewart Kilborne. A two-story hall projects from one side, added in 1927, and a single-story addition housing a music room and conservatory were added in 1913.  The interior is lavishly decorated with original period finishes including tooled leather wall finishings in one room, and original wallpaper in another. The mansion comprises 26 rooms, as well as 16 fireplaces.
The oldest part of the mansion was built while Skinner lived in the nearby town of Williamsburg, and was moved to Holyoke in 1874 when he relocated his business there after a devastating flood.  Additions were made to the premises in 1913 and 1927.  The buildings and grounds were owned continually by the Skinner family until 1959, when Katharine Skinner Kilborne, the youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, and her heirs gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes. Initially considered for demolition by the city for a parking lot for the adjacent high school building at the time, it became the home of the Holyoke Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History, and subsequently a cultural and historic house museum after 1976 when the Library Corporation withdrew its collections.
Wistariahurst