Frederic Church's Olana
Twenty-year-old
Frederic Church wrote "The recollection of the
blue mountains is as fresh and vivid to me as the day
I last saw them," to Thomas Cole, his former art teacher,
about the Catskill Mountains. Fourteen years later this
memory brought the artist back to build a home for his
family. By then internationally lionized, Church had
traveled the Americas from Labrador to Ecuador seeking
panormaic landscapes to paint. On large-scale canvases
he depicted the variety and splendor of the Americas:
the frigid iridescence of icebergs, the ceaseless turbulence
of Niagara, and the boiling fury of South American volcanoes.
Church created the images that fixed the features of
the American continents for a generation of pioneers
and entrepreneurs. This modest seventh-generation New
Englander became a sought-after but reluctant celebrity.
In 1859, at an exhibition of his painting Heart of the Andes, Church met Isabel Carnes
(1836-1899). They married in June, 1860. In order to
secure privacy to paint and to rear a family, Church
returned to the Catskills and bought a 126-acre farm
south of Hudson. His artistic eye pronounced "the views
[from Olana] most beautiful and wonderful." Architect
Richard Morris Hunt designed a rural cottage for the
couple. Halfway up the hillside Church built a studio
where he worked on all his major paintings.
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Anticipating the purchase of land
at the crest of the hill north of his farm on which
he would build a home, and believing the landscape artist
to be the premiere landscape designer, Church began
to improve his farm by laying out roads, planting thousands
of trees, and dredging a marsh to create a reflecting
pond. On a journey to the Middle East and Europe, the
Churches were captivated by the Moorish architecture,
which they felt provided a sense of permanence, rich
associations with the past, and splendid decorative
possibilities. So pleased was Church that in 1868 he
enthusiastically worte a friend, "I have new and capital
ideas about house building." Upon their return, the
Churches turned to architect Calvert Vaux for a design
for a Moorish villa. Church elaborated upon Vaux's design,
making hundreds of drawings.
Church created Olana in the same way
that he painted a work of art: pencil sketches followed
by more finished color sketches. Then, instead of painting
the final work of art, he built it. He also chose and
mixed on his pallette the colors for every room, and
designed the exterior and interior stencils. His influence
extended to the placement of the furniture, decorative
objects, and paintings. A home, however, is the creation
of the couple who live there and Church often commented
that Isabel's "taste in the house is shown from top
to bottom---and her advice was asked about in all."
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Construction began in 1870 and the
family moved into the second floor in late 1872. The
first-floor rooms required several more years to design
and decorate. Although Church was increasingly affected
by arthritis in the 1870's, just as the popularity of
his style of painting was being supplanted, he continued
to sketch regularly and to paint when he was able. Between
1888 and 1891, he added the studio wing to the house.
Throughout the 1880s he continued
to elaborate upon the naturalistic landscape at Olana.
Myriad scenes were composed contrasting open pastoral
views, dark mysterious woodlands, and passive water
reflecting the landscape with the majestic Hudson River
and sublime distant mountains. The careful placement
of roads revealed these scenes to the viewer in an orderly
sequence of experiences, allowing the landscape to be
seen through Church's sensibilities. Church wrote: "I
have made about 1 3/4 miles of road this season, opening
entirely new and beautiful views. I can make more and
better landscapes in this way than by tampering with
canvas and paint in the studio."
In order to spend the winters in warmer
climates that provided relief from his arthritis and
because of Isabel's growing frailty, Chruch hired his
youngest son, Louis Palmer Church, as estate manager
in 1891. Although over the next several years Church
continued to sketch and to augment the furnishings and
art in the interior of Olana, he slowly withdrew his
attention from the property's management to focus on
his and Isabel's failing health.
By 1891, Olana as a singular work
of art by one of America's greatest artists, was complete.
Olana remained in the family until 1964 when plans were
made to sell the carefully preserved house at auction.
Soon after, Olana Preservation, Inc., was formed by
art historian David Huntington (1922-1990). Under his
leadership, Olana Preservation purchased the property
in 1966. Olana was transferred to the State of New York
later that year.
The house is open by guided tour
on Wednesdays through Sundays, mid April until the end
of October. From opening day until Labor Day the house
is open Weekdays and Saturday from 10AM until 4PM and
Sundays from Noon until 4PM. After Labor Day until the
end of October the house is open from Noon until 4PM Wednesdays
through Sundays.
The last tour always begins at 4PM.
There is no admittance to the house after the last tour
has begun. The house is open on Memorial Day, Independence
Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day. The Visitors Center
is open during regular site hours; an exhibit and audiovisual
program about the house and Church is featured.
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Great Lawn - take in the view of
the mighty Hudson River as Church envisioned
it. |
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Tours of the house last approximately
fifty minutes, and are limited to twelve persons each.
Tickets can sell out for the entire day early in the
afternoon. Please do not wait until 4PM to arrive, as
you may not be able to enter the house. Grounds are
open daily from 8AM until sunset.
There is a minimal admission fee. Special rates are
available for educational groups and organizations who
reserve in advance.
While reservations are not required,
the daily number of tickets is limited. If you are arriving
from a great distance, a reservation may be a good idea.
Reservations are taken for a limited number of tours
each day and may be made by calling (518)828-0135 up
to two weeks in advance of your visit. Reservations
are held until fifteen minutes prior to the tour. If
they have not been picked up by then, they are forfeit,
and sold as general admission.
Olana is accessible to people with
mobility limitations. the house tour is on one floor.
An elevator provides access to the tour floor. Please
park in the designated parking area. The Visitor Center
and restrooms are also accessible. The orientation film,
"Frederick Chruch's Olana" is closed-captioned. New
York State Access Passes are accepted.
The entrance to Olana is off of Rouote
9G, one mile south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Hudson,
NY.
Join the Friends in their work to
preserve Olana. Founded in 1971, Friends advocate and
support the preservation of Olana. As a member of Friends,
you will receive membership benefits including a newsletter
and invitations to special events. For information on
membership, please write to:
Friends of Olana
PO Box 199
Hudson, NY 12534
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