Emily Dickinson Museum

The Emily Dickinson Museum brings together two remarkable houses lived in by the Dickinson family: The Homestead, where Emily Dickinson lived with her family and wrote her poetry, and The Evergreens, the home shared by Emily’s brother, Austin, and his wife Susan. Together, these homes trace the life of a family in 19th century Amherst and engage us with Emily Dickinson, one of the most powerful and enigmatic American poets. While the two homes are owned by Amherst College, the museum is independently managed. In 2019, the museum was fortunate to receive a surprise bequest of $20 million restricted to the construction and maintenance of facilities. Museum Insights helped the staff and board consider the way to spend this transformative gift.

We worked with the museum’s staff and board to develop a three phase plan for the museum’s expansion beginning with reconstruction of the historic barn and carriage house for use as a visitor center and college seminar room and redevelopment of the site’s historically significant gardens. Future phases included additional program space, a new collections facility, and residential space for visiting poets, artists, and scholars on adjacent property.