Nemours Estate

Delaware

The Nemours Estate is a magnificent 200-acre country estate located in Wilmington, Delaware, featuring a French neoclassical mansion with 105 rooms spread over four floors, designed in the Louis XVI style. Built between 1909 and 1910 by Alfred I. du Pont as a gift for his second wife, Alicia, the estate reflects the grandeur of French châteaux and is named after the town of Nemours in France. The mansion houses an exceptional collection of 18th-century French furniture, rare antiques, and notable artworks ranging from 16th-century religious pieces to early American paintings by Frederic Remington and Sidney Lawrence. Among its treasures are rare musical clocks, including one made for Marie Antoinette and another by David Roentgen and Peter Kinzing that plays multiple tunes. The estate is renowned for having the largest and most developed French formal gardens in North America, patterned after the gardens of Versailles, with features such as the Boxwood Garden, Maze Garden, Reflecting Pool, Sunken Gardens, and the classical Temple of Love. The grounds also include fountains, pools, statuary, a carillon tower, and naturalized woodlands, offering visitors a richly landscaped experience. After a major $39 million renovation completed in 2008, the estate's mansion, gardens, and artworks were meticulously restored to their original splendor, ensuring the preservation of this cultural landmark. Today, Nemours Estate stands as a testament to French-inspired architecture and landscape design in the United States and is a popular tourist attraction.