As private home The home was built on an estate, then called "Elm Park," for
LeGrand Lockwood, who made his fortune in banking and the railroad industry. Construction began in 1864 just west of the
Norwalk River in Norwalk and was completed four years later. Designed by European-trained, New York-based architect
Detlef Lienau, the mansion features of living space In 1941 the estate was sold to the City of Norwalk, which designated it a public park. The city had planned in 1959 "to build a city hall in the park and tear down the mansion to make way for it." Considerable controversy and claims of bad faith ensued, leaving the building threatened with demolition. Local preservationists formed Lockwood–Mathews Mansion Museum, Inc. to run the site. The home was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. A master plan for a more comprehensive restoration of the mansion was completed in 2008. Plans for renovation work at the museum include adding an elevator, and systems for heating, air conditioning, and sprinklers. Renovation costs were likely to total about $6 million, museum officials said in May 2007, before the master plan was complete. In 2023, the museum's officials announced that the house would close for a year for mechanical upgrades; the project had been part of the 2008 master plan. Designed by David Scott Parker Architects, the renovation was partly funded by $3 million from the Norwalk city government. The project cost $18 million in total and included an
HVAC system, a
fire suppression system, new lighting, and Wi-Fi. Ahead of the museum's reopening on June 4, 2025, a ceremony was hosted on May 27. == Programs and events ==