Built in 1893 to a design by Peabody and Stearns, it is one of the few surviving great Berkshire Cottages of the late 19th century, with grounds landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted.

[2] Wheatleigh is located in far northeastern Stockbridge, just south of the Tanglewood facility of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the east side of West Hawthorne Road.

It is organized in a U shape, with a central main block, a bedroom wing to the north, and a loggia and "summer house" to the south.

The water tower is 100 feet (30 m) in height, built out brick in three octagonal stages, and was one of the tallest structures in Berkshire County when it was completed.

[3] The property passed to Cook's daughter, Gloria de Heredia, who opened the formal gardens on the grounds for vespers church services in the summer, and was a financial backer behind the establishment of Tanglewood.