Oldfields-Lilly House September 25, 2010

Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens is a 26-acre historic estate and house museum located on the IMA campus, north of the main Museum complex. Lilly House is a 22-room mansion that was once the home of J.K. Lilly Jr., the late Indianapolis businessman, collector and philanthropist. Known historically as Oldfields, the estate features gardens and grounds designed in the 1920s by Percival Gallagher of the famous landscape architecture firm Olmsted Brothers. The Oldfields residence, now called Lilly House, features eight furnished historic rooms on the main level. The majority of these rooms reflect the 1930s period of the Lilly family's occupancy and almost 90 percent of the furnishings and decorative arts objects featured belonged to the Lillys and were used in the home. A visit to Lilly House will offer a deeper understanding of life on a country estate in the early twentieth century. The upper level of Lilly House offers expansive views of Oldfields' landscape and gardens and features historical and interactive exhibits. Visitors can learn about the American Country Place era, Oldfields' development as a country estate and Indianapolis in the early 20th century. The second level also features samples of Mr. Lilly's world-renowned collections of books, gold coins, military miniatures and nautical items.