Last year, a giant of American Theater passed away in Yarmouth Port - the brilliant set designer Helen Pond. She and her professional and life partner, Herbert Senn, lived on Church Street in Y-Port, in an old Unitarian meeting house which they had lovingly and painstakingly restored and decorated over many years. They had spent decades working together, and one of their most famous projects was their frequent work designing sets for Boston Ballet's annual Nutcracker.
The estate sale was yesterday and the day before; I had the opportunity to go inside once, about 20 years ago, for a Christmas party - the Pond-Senns used to throw these huge events every year, and I had the good fortune to be able to tag along with some friends who had been invited. I felt a little intimidated so I did not introduce myself to the Pond-Senns.
As for the estate sale, I knew that I probably wouldn't have the opportunity to see the interior again, so I went and took a few photographs. My mom bought me a large coffee mug from the kitchen with an "H" on the side - and it still had a coffee drip on it! I'm drinking from it now as I write this.
I in turn saw a "His" and "Hers" pair of mugs, also unwashed, which I bought for a young married couple I know. I met them through theater work - she is a lighting designer, and he assists her - and I thought they should have a small piece of American Theater History with coffee and tea sometime.
Here are some photos of the interior of Strawberry Hill Meeting House, 17 Church Street, Yarmouth Port, Puritanic Sands, Massachusetts. Most of the surfaces are flat - the Pond-Senns were masters of Trompe-l'oeil painting.
A "small" trompe-l'oeil ceiling:
Floorboards with a faux-marble checkerboard pattern:
The large trompe-l'oeil ceiling in the Great Hall:
The ceiling of the Great Hall, from the balcony, to give an idea of the scale of the room:
These two photos show some details of the Pond-Senns' painting skills:
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