Erected in memory of Sarah L. Kirby, who had left a bequest to MacDowell, this studio was the first — and remains the only — brick building on the grounds. Built by local mason Augustus Beaulieu, the load-bearing masonry walls rest on a fieldstone foundation. The design of the boxlike building is simple and compact, with the painted wood trim, green shutters, and clean lines of the brick facades creating a 20th-century image of a “colonial” dwelling.
The handsome interior of Kirby Studio is simply finished with pine paneling. A brick fireplace dominates the north wall, notable for its paneled wooden mantelpiece and flanking inglenooks.
In a 1995 renovation, a small closet was converted into a bathroom. A mechanical room was also added on the north end of the structure to house a new, more efficient boiler.
