Charlene and I have been to many former homes that have now been converted into museums and attractions. These destinations range from the ultra-rich to the common folk of the era. All of these places have their own particular charm and appeal. But of all the places, I was most impressed with Olana State Historic Site. This house felt like a home.
Olana was home to Frederic Edwin Church. He was famous for his work in painting landscapes and was a major player in the Hudson River School. This school was a place for budding artists to hone their skills and focused on details in the paintings of landscapes. This school would rise and fall in popularity and eventually be no more.
For Frederic Edwin Church, he was there during its height and grew wealthy enough to build this home on what is probably the best view of the Hudson River. Sitting proudly atop a hill, the view he must have seen was, and still is, amazing.
Unlike so many places, Olana was able to keep the viewscape as close to the original as possible. It was able to defend the need to keep sightlines beautiful for historical and aesthetic purposes. After all, Olana was built to be a beautiful location, and certain development would have destroyed this.
All of this is touched upon during the tour—the importance of the grounds of Olana, the works of Mr. Church, his health issues and his desire to travel. There were two types of tours offered on the day we were there, and we were able to do both and appreciated that we could learn so much about a man who enjoyed nature in its full beauty and the various cultures of mankind.
When we were there, during the opening days of winter, the sun shone low in the early evening, making the home bright. We could see a long distance through the perfectly placed windows. The items around the house were placed in a fashion of souvenirs that someone had found as he travelled the world. Some of the items made sense in their placing, and some did not belong together – much like a home would look and not a museum. I instantly fell in love with Olana. Bright sun, lots of trinkets, and a view that is the envy of everyone along the Hudson.
The upstairs has a rotating art exhibit which was part of the second tour. The main floor and the home were the first tour. Each of these was reasonably priced, and the guides we had clearly loved their job and were proud of the effort to continually preserve Olana. This is the one aspect of tours is the guide. If the guide is amazing, the experience is amazing.
We spent quite a significant amount of time at this site. It was homely and welcoming. Others are imposing, but not Olana. If I could, I would move in tomorrow.
- Olana is run by a non-profit organization. There are small fees for the tours.
- The grounds are free to explore and are connected to the Walk Over the Hudson.
- I created a map of many of the places we have visited. Check it out for ideas for your next trip.
- This is a location that is worth checking out in all the seasons.
