Kilmer Mansion

Binghamton, New York, Historic Mansion and Landmark. Hosting Guided Tours, Public Events, and Community Happenings!

The Kilmer Mansion on Riverside Drive is an event venue for weddings, parties, recitals, and meetings. There are a variety of lovely indoor and outdoor spaces. Inside you will find a grand parlor, music room, dining room, and more. A library and large social hall are also available. Outside are beautiful gardens and a large 20x40 foot covered pad. Grand architecture is on display in each of the r

ooms available for your occasion accommodating 25 to 200 people. A large commercial-style kitchen is available for catered parties.

08/24/2026

Monday Mansion Tour | The Private Parlor: Part 1

Today we’re stepping into one of the most intriguing spaces on the second floor of Kilmer Mansion: the Kilmer Family’s Private Parlor.

Tucked between Mr. Kilmer’s Master Suite and Mrs. Kilmer’s Suite, the Private Parlor has a door leading directly into each suite. It was a more intimate space within the family’s private quarters, separate from the formal entertaining spaces found on the first floor.

There are so many details to discover in this room that we’re going to explore it in parts.

For Part 1, we’re heading into the North Turret.

Look closely and you’ll find some of the mansion’s original 1898 craftsmanship still beautifully intact:

👉The original parquet flooring
👉The rounded windows that follow the curve of the turret
👉Intricate original moldings and architectural details
👉And perhaps most special of all… the custom made curved benches

Those benches are among the few remaining pieces of original furniture in Kilmer Mansion. Designed specifically to fit the rounded walls of the turret, they are a wonderful example of how the architecture and furnishings of a Gilded Age home were often created to work together.

Imagine sitting here more than 125 years ago, surrounded by the curved windows, original woodwork, and views of the Binghamton.

There’s much more to discover in the Private Parlor. Stay tuned for Part 2. 👀

Next Guided Tour | Saturday 8/29 at 1pm and 2pm. Sign up with the link in bio or click below. Walk-ins welcome, $12 cash at the door.

https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

08/17/2026

Monday Mansion Tour: The Second-Floor Bathroom 🚿

Today’s Monday Mansion Tour takes us into the second-floor bathroom, located just off Mrs. Kilmer’s Suite.

Unlike many of the rooms at Kilmer Mansion, there doesn’t appear to be much in this bathroom that dates all the way back to 1898. One feature that may be original, however, is the small, rounded window, an architectural detail that has quietly remained in place for more than a century.

Other elements tell a different story. The decorative tilework and light fixture are believed to be from a later period, when the suite was occupied by one of Willis Sharpe Kilmer’s wives. They offer a glimpse into how the mansion continued to be updated and adapted over the years.

And there’s one more detail, hidden: the bathtub is still here, it’s simply concealed beneath its current covering. Sometimes historic preservation means preserving what you can while adapting it for modern use.

The bathroom may not be one of the mansion’s grandest spaces, but it’s a great reminder that historic houses aren’t frozen in time. They evolve with the people who live in them, while still holding onto pieces of their past.

Staging decor provided by Mimi Corby Sprague during Junior League of Binghamton Designer Show House.

👉 Next Guided Tour: Sat 8/29 at 1pm and 2pm
Reserve your spot with the link in our bio (or click below) or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door.

https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

📸 Upstate NY Photographer

08/10/2026

Monday Mansion Tour: Mrs. Kilmer’s Suite!

Today, we’re stepping into Mrs. Kilmer’s Suite. A room that was originally the bedroom of Julia E. Sharpe Kilmer, wife of Jonas Kilmer.

Julia was born in 1847 and lived at the mansion with Jonas. While much of the attention surrounding the Kilmer family tends to focus on Jonas, his brother Dr. S. Andral Kilmer, or later on Willis Sharpe Kilmer, rooms like this offer a glimpse into the private spaces of the women who called the mansion home.

The room itself is a beautiful example of the attention to detail found throughout the mansion. From the delicate painted decorative panels and intricate molding to the parquet flooring, large windows, and soft pink color palette, this was a bedroom designed to be both elegant and comfortable.

Look closely at the decorative panels throughout the room and you’ll even find a “K” for Kilmer incorporated into the design.

The furnishings pictured in the room are staged by Mimi Corby Sprague from the Junior League of Binghamton Designer Show House, and are not original Kilmer family furnishings. However, they help us imagine how a private bedroom and sitting space might have felt within this grand home.

After Julia’s death in 1912, the mansion continued to be home to members of the Kilmer family. It is possible that this suite was later used by one of Willis Kilmer’s wives, including Esther Wadsworth or Sarah Jane Wells, but we don’t have documentation confirming exactly who occupied the room afterward.

Today, Mrs. Kilmer’s Suite gives us something just as valuable as a collection of original furniture: a chance to pause and imagine the personal, everyday life that took place behind the grand rooms and formal entertaining spaces of Kilmer Mansion.

This is just one of the rooms waiting to be discovered when you tour Kilmer Mansion.

👉 Next Guided Tour | Saturday 8/29 at 1pm and 2pm.

👉Register online (link in bio or click below) or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door.
https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

08/06/2026

Psychic readings, local history presentation, and guided mansion tours - wrap up your summer with a visit to Binghamton’s historic Kilmer Mansion!🌞

Learn More or Reserve Your Spot | Link in bio or click below.

https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

08/03/2026

Monday Mansion Tour - The Master Suite
Mr. Kilmer’s Bedroom!

Welcome to the original master bedroom of Jonas Kilmer, the visionary behind the Kilmer Mansion. Following Jonas’ passing in 1912, this beautiful suite became the bedroom of his son, Willis Sharpe Kilmer: patent medicine manufacturer, newspaperman, entrepreneur, and one of America’s most celebrated thoroughbred horse breeders.

This room was designed to be both elegant and comfortable, offering a private retreat from the grand entertaining spaces found throughout the mansion. Today, many of its original architectural details remain, including the beautiful parquet hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, oversized windows, and perhaps most striking of all, the hand-painted decorative wall panels that frame the room.

Take a closer look and you’ll spot delicate floral motifs, and a gold “K” monogram honoring the Kilmer family.

More than 125 years later, this room still tells the story of the family who called Kilmer Mansion home.

Room designed by Tim for the Junior League of Binghamton 2025 Designer Show House

👉🏻Join us for a guided tour and experience the history, craftsmanship, and stories that continue to fill every room of Kilmer Mansion.

👉🏻Next Guided Tour | Saturday, 8/29 at 1pm and 2pm. Register online (link in bio or click below) or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door

https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

08/01/2026

He is back!! Friday 8/7 @ 7pm

Psychic Gallery Readings - Messages from Spirit!

Reserve your spot | link in bio or click below
https://friendsofkilmermansion-bloom.kindful.com/e/psychic-gallery-readings-

Join World-Renowned Psychic Medium Christopher Stilson in our historic mansion for an unforgettable evening of spirit communication, healing, and divine connection. Christopher Stilson

This powerful live gallery experience brings forward messages from loved ones in Spirit, offering comfort, validation, and deep reassurance that love continues beyond this lifetime. Each event is guided entirely by Spirit, creating moments that are emotional, uplifting, and profoundly healing.

Whether you receive a direct message or witness Spirit at work, you will leave changed.

07/28/2026

👇🏻Monday Mansion Tour👇🏻

The First Floor Powder Room!

Just inside the mansion’s front entrance, to the right of the Foyer is one of Kilmer Mansion’s smallest yet most charming spaces - the first floor powder room.

Although often overlooked, this room reminds us that exceptional craftsmanship wasn’t reserved only for the grand parlors. Even the home’s everyday spaces were designed with elegance and attention to detail.

Several beautiful original features remain, including the intricate penny tile floor with its decorative border, the ornamental wall tile and molded trim, the leaded glass window, and the ornate cast iron radiator that has warmed this room for more than 125 years.

At the turn of the twentieth century, indoor plumbing was considered a modern luxury. Homes like Kilmer Mansion showcased the latest conveniences while surrounding them with decorative tilework and refined architectural details, transforming a simple powder room into a space worthy of the home’s grandeur. White tile became especially popular because it symbolized cleanliness and sanitation, while penny tile floors offered both beauty and practicality with their slip-resistant surface.

As you step inside, it’s easy to imagine a guest arriving at the mansion, hanging a hat or parasol before joining family and friends in the Great Hall. Even the smallest rooms were thoughtfully designed to reflect the elegance of the home.

Today, the room blends its original craftsmanship with carefully chosen historic elements, offering visitors a glimpse into both the mansion’s history and the evolution of home design over the last century.

Join us for a guided tour and discover the historic details hidden throughout Kilmer Mansion. Every room has a story to tell.

👉🏻Next Guided Tour | Saturday, August 29th at 1pm & 2pm. Reserve your spot online or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door.

👉🏻Online Registration | Link in bio or click below
https://kilmermansion.org/experience/upcoming-events/

07/20/2026

The Monday Mansion Tour

Hidden away on the third floor of Kilmer Mansion is one of its most entertaining spaces: the original Billiards Room!

Located just off the mansion’s original ballroom, this room was designed as a place for recreation, conversation, and friendly competition. During large gatherings, guests could easily move from dancing in the ballroom into the billiards room, where the festivities continued over a game of pool and lively conversation.

Like many grand homes built during the Gilded Age, the billiards room likely served as a gathering place for recreation and socializing. In many affluent households of the era, billiard rooms often became a favorite retreat for gentlemen after formal dinners, though they also evolved into spaces enjoyed by the entire family and guests.

One of the room’s most striking features is its beautiful bay window overlooking Riverside Drive. The original leaded glass windows still fill the room with natural light, offering much the same view enjoyed by the Kilmer family more than 120 years ago.

Although the walls have recently received a fresh coat of paint as part of the mansion’s ongoing preservation, many of the room’s original features remain. The original hardwood floors, wooden pocket doors, leaded glass windows, and cast-iron radiators have all stood the test of time, allowing visitors to experience this space much as it was at the turn of the twentieth century.

Standing here today, it’s easy to imagine guests wandering upstairs after an evening of dancing, gathering around the billiard table, sharing stories, and enjoying one another’s company in one of the mansion’s most relaxed and inviting spaces.

👉🏻Join us for a guided tour and discover the stories hidden in every room of Kilmer Mansion.

🎟️Next Tour | Saturday, July 25th at 12pm
Register online [link in bio or click below] or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door.

07/18/2026

One week from today!

Walk through a piece of Binghamton history, see architectural details from another worldly time, and hear the stories of the Kilmer Family!

Guided Tour | Saturday, 7/25 at 12pm
Reserve your spot online [link in bio or click below] or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door

https://friendsofkilmermansion-bloom.kindful.com/e/kilmer-mansion-guided-tour-72526-12pm

07/13/2026

The Monday Mansion Tour!

A Warm Welcome in the Great Hall

As guests stepped through the Kilmer Mansion front doors over 120 years ago, one of the very first features to greet them was this magnificent fireplace.

Located directly across from the main entrance in the Great Hall, this fireplace wasn’t just a source of warmth, it was a statement of elegance. Framed in beautiful green marble, the fireplace is surrounded by classical architectural details, from the dentil molding and oversized corbels to the decorative bronze firebox surround, all hallmarks of the Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival styles popular when the mansion was built between 1898 and 1901.

Imagine arriving on a snowy winter evening. Guests would remove their coats in the Great Hall before making their way to the Music Salon, where musicians often welcomed visitors with live performances, or continuing into the Grand Parlor for conversation and entertaining. This fireplace helped create that unforgettable first impression.

One detail many visitors overlook is the floor beneath it. The intricate mosaic tile hearth echoes the green tones of the marble and demonstrates the incredible craftsmanship that can be found from floor to ceiling throughout the mansion.

More than a century later, this fireplace still serves as the heart of the Great Hall, welcoming visitors just as it did for the Kilmer family and their guests.

👉🏻Join us for a guided tour and discover the stories behind architectural treasures like this one. Every room has a story waiting to be told.

👉🏻Next Guided Tour | July 25th at 12pm
Register online (link below or click below) or walk-in and pay $12 cash at the door.

https://friendsofkilmermansion-bloom.kindful.com/e/kilmer-mansion-guided-tour-72526-12pm

Address

9 Riverside Drive
Binghamton, NY
13905

Website

http://kilmermansion.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kilmer Mansion posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Kilmer Mansion:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Binghamton?