A private tour of Olana

Why it is on the list

Frederic Church, the Hudson River School painter, designed the house with Calvert Vaux and built it between 1870 and 1872, then spent forty years shaping the 250 acres around it into a landscape he treated as a work in its own right. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and is one of the few artist's home, studio and estate complexes in the United States still intact.¹ Inside, the stencilled rooms remain much as Church left them, with some 40 paintings by Church and his friends and his last studio.¹ From the hill the views reach four states.² The private tour begins in the landscape, continues into the main house and runs outside public touring hours, led by staff of The Olana Partnership.³

It is the wrong day for a weekend, or for a party of more than five: private tours run on weekdays only, and groups of 20 or more are booked separately.³⁴ The carriage roads beyond the house are loose gravel with steep and uneven stretches, and the second floor is reached only by stairs.⁵ For modern architecture instead, take the private tour of the Glass House.

How to get it

Write to privatetours@olana.org at least a week ahead and name the weekday you want; the tour can be shaped to your interests. It is free for members of The Olana Partnership at the Crown Hill Circle level ($600) and above.³ The ticketing office answers on 518-751-0344.⁵

Olana is about two and a half hours by car from New York City; the entrance is on Route 9G, one mile south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, with parking at the Frederic Church Center, the Wagon House and near the Olana Shop.⁶ Amtrak stops at Hudson, a short taxi ride away, but taxis and ride-hailing are scarce there, so a car and driver is the surer way.⁶ Arrive 30 minutes before the tour to park and check in.⁵

Discretion

The private tour runs outside public touring hours, so the house is not shared with the day's ticketed groups.³ Drones, outdoor film and photo shoots and commercial photography need a permit from the site.⁷