The story of the Gibson House begins with Catherine Hammond Gibson’s move to the Back Bay, Boston’s newest and trendiest residential neighborhood. Catherine commissioned noted Boston architect Edward Clarke Cabot to design the Gibson House at 137 Beacon Street. From 1860 until 1954, seven different Gibson family members and dozens of their employees lived at the house. Its interior is filled with the family’s original furnishings—elegant wallpapers, imported carpets, and an abundance of furniture, art, and family heirlooms. Its working spaces, which include a kitchen, laundry room, and coal shed, also remain. 

The Gibson House Museum is the vision of Charles Hammond Gibson, Jr. (1874-1954), a writer, a preservationist, and a gay man. Understanding and interpreting Gibson's sexuality within the context of the rest of his lived experience is a key part of the historical work at the Gibson House. Making the Gibson House Museum a welcoming and affirming place for the contemporary LGBTQ+ community is a key part of their current mission.