Northeast

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens

North Andover

91 acres

Tulips coming into bloom

Enter a world of a former farm that became an early-20th-century estate, where a newly expanded array of bountiful gardens and plantings complements a gracious and refined home.

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Plan Your Visit
  • Overview
  • Ideas for Your Visit
  • Admission & Hours
  • Directions & Contact Info
  • What You'll Find
  • Facilities & Accessibility
  • Venue Rental
  • Property Map
  • Regulations & Advisories

Overview

Enter a world of a former farm that became an early-20th-century estate, where a newly expanded array of bountiful gardens and plantings complements a gracious and refined home.

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens was the summer home of Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband, John Gardner Coolidge—a diplomat descended from Thomas Jefferson and a nephew to Isabella Stewart Gardner—from 1914 to 1962.

Ideas for Your Visit

We are currently closed to the public for the winter, see you in the spring for our Spring Bulb Show!

Enter a world of a former farm that became an early-20th-century estate, where a newly expanded array of bountiful gardens and plantings complements a gracious and refined home.  Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens was the summer home of Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband, John Gardner Coolidge—a diplomat descended from Thomas Jefferson and a nephew to Isabella Stewart Gardner—from 1914 to 1962.

Build extra time into your visit and explore the Stevens to Stevens Trail, connecting Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens to Weir Hill, and intersecting other conversation land and Stevens family land.

Admission & Hours

We are currently closed to the public as we prepare for this season’s Winterlights! We hope you will join us Nov 24 – December 31.

Winterlights

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is open May through October from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. However, visitor services including the main house, gift shop, and bathrooms will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays while the grounds remain open.

General Admission is FREE for Trustees members.

General Admission for non-member adults is $10.00 and children (age 3-12) are $5.00.

Discounts are available as part of the EBT Card to Culture Program. For more information, please reach out to tickets@thetrustees.org or visit this page to learn more.

Trustees GO Passes are available via the Stevens Memorial Library in North Andover and Memorial Hall Library in Andover.

We welcome school and youth groups for experiential educational programs. Please visit our Education Page for details and to initiate a visit request.

Directions & Contact Info

153 Chickering Road
North Andover, MA 01845
Telephone: 978.689.9105

Get directions on Google Maps.

Our entrance is at 153 Chickering Road, North Andover.

From I-93 Exit 35, take Route 125 N 7.3 miles, merge left onto Route 114 W, and then take right to continue onto Route 125 N (Chickering Road). Entrance on right; look for the purple sign.

From I-495 Exit 101, take Massachusetts Avenue east towards North Andover. Take right onto Route 125 S (Chickering Road). Entrance on left, look for the purple sign.

Accessible by Merrimack Valley Transit, Bus Route 3, please use Village Green Drive or Farrwood Avenue stops, and access entrance at 153 Chickering Road.

What You'll Find

On view through 2024, we are pleased to showcase a sculpture by Massachusetts based artist Harold Grinspoon. Learn more here.

Build extra time into your visit and explore the Stevens to Stevens Trail, connecting Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens to Weir Hill, and intersecting other conversation land and Stevens family land.

Facilities & Accessibility

Accessible restrooms (seasonally May-October) available at Gateway and rear of Main House.

Retail shop (including grab & go concessions) and program space located at Gateway adjacent to parking lot.

Aggregate parking and pathways allow visitors access to the historic grounds and gardens. Railings and ramps allow entry to the brick terrace and first floor of Main House.

Benches and picnic tables located throughout the property with two accessible tables near the historic gardens. Bistro tables located at terrace at Gateway.

Concession stand open during select events.

Meadow trails, lawns, and improved pathways are subject to short term flooding seasonally and following storms.

Venue Rental

Permits are required for portrait photography sessions at Stevens-Coolidge. Photographers or their clients must be full Trustees Members to purchase portrait session permits at this property. Learn more about purchasing a portrait session permit.

Property Map

The entry kiosk at Gateway includes a map of the property. We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit.

Use this link to download a property map before you head out.

Looking for an online self-guided option? Click here to explore the garden features from your phone.

Regulations & Advisories

We hope you enjoy your visit to the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens! To ensure the safety and enjoyment of your visit, we ask that you respect the following regulations:

  • Our entrance is 153 Chickering Road, North Andover, MA 01845 (Get directions on Google Maps.)
  • A selection of fun gifts, snacks, and beverages will be available for purchase on site at the Garden Gateway.
  • Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed at Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens. Dogs are welcome on leash at nearby Weir Hill in North Andover and Ward Reservation in Andover, as well as on the Stevens-to-Stevens trail connecting North Andover’s historic center to Weir Hill.
  • Smoking and alcohol are not allowed anywhere on the property.
  • Please carry-out all trash, we do not provide trash barrels.
  • Hunting is not permitted at this reservation. Learn more about hunting on Trustees properties.
  • PHOTOGRAPHY: Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is available as a site for professional outdoor photography and filming. For more information and to register, please visit our Photo Permit page.
  • The Trustees of Reservations reserves the right, and may give permission to its designated photographers and videographers, or to outside media, to photograph or video visitors and program participants at all its facilities and properties.
Before Setting Out
More to Explore

Revitalized Gardens of The Trustees

Discover the revitalized public gardens and historic houses at two special places on the North Shore – Long Hill, in Beverly, and Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, in North Andover.

 

Gardens, revitalized
Upcoming Events

Living Legacy

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is located on land used by the Pennacook, Pawtucket, Massa-adchu-es-et, and Pentucket peoples as hunting and fishing grounds. Among North Andover’s first European settlers, John and Elizabeth Stevens arrived from England in the 1640s. In 1729, their grandchildren acquired and began farming the land, calling it Ashdale Farm after the large number of white ash trees that once grew here. The Stevens family farmed this land for six generations.

When Helen Stevens Coolidge inherited Ashdale Farm in 1914, it had become her family’s country retreat rather than an income-producing farm. Helen and her husband, US diplomat John Gardner Coolidge, made the property their summer home. Noted preservation architect Joseph Everett Chandler was commissioned to renovate the house and gardens, and over the course of nearly five decades, the Coolidges transformed the property into an exquisite example of a neo-Georgian Colonial Revival estate.

The View From Here
See What People Say

What a beautiful take in. A lovely walk on the grounds is perfect spring summer and fall. Many family pictures over the years. There are open houses during the season and one needs to take advantage. You won't want to miss this opportunity - a true hidden treasure in North Andover.

Trip Advisor Reviewer, North Andover Resident, North Andover resident

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