"Taste the Elegance" - The Wisteria Room at The Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, 1930

by Michael Boss
Alkyd on Panel
20" X 30"
From a private collection, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

In 1912, The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad hired a British architect, Frederick Junius Sterner, to design a new hotel. The luxurious Greenbrier Hotel was completed c. September, 1913. The Wisteria Room was one of a number of specialty rooms, and all were designed by the architect's sister, Maude Sterner.

Hanging wisteria, a large fountain, moveable statuary, and over time, two types of furniture graced the room.

The Art Nouveau architecture lasted until removal c. 1932. Currently, the Wisteria Room is used for tea and features live musicians.
The painting makes it easy to visually savor the grand life of those who strolled through and mingled across a room where magnificent architecture, style, and design blend beautifully with natural accents, topped with the dramatic hues of wisteria's striking purple blossoms