Misplaced Pages

#187812

48-527: Kykuit ( / ˈ k aɪ k ə t / KY -kət ), known also as the John D. Rockefeller Estate , is a 40-room historic house museum in Pocantico Hills , a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City . The house was built for oil tycoon and Rockefeller family patriarch John D. Rockefeller . Conceived largely by his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr. , and enriched by

96-454: A "memory museum", which is a term used to suggest that the museum contains a collection of the traces of memory of the people who once lived there. It is often made up of the inhabitants' belongings and objects – this approach is mostly concerned with authenticity . Some museums are organised around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell

144-715: A 1930 report for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce entitled "Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region" encouraging the preservation of outdoor public space in southern California. The report was largely ignored by the city, but became an important urban planning reference. In addition to these higher profile projects, the Olmsted Brothers took on projects beautifying residential areas. The Olmsted Brothers were particularly influential on college campuses, helping to plan and design universities across

192-589: A 6.9-hectare (17-acre) site along the East River in New York City, which was subsequently donated for the construction of the UN Headquarters . Among guests hosted by Nelson and his brother David have been American Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson , Richard M. Nixon , Gerald Ford , and Ronald Reagan , and their wives. Other notable visitors have included United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan , President of

240-669: A collection consistent with the historical structure. Some museums choose to collect pieces original to the period, while not original to the house. Others, fill the home with replicas of the original pieces, reconstructed with the help of historic records. Still other museums adopt a more aesthetic approach and use the homes to display the architecture and artistic objects. Because historic homes have often existed through different generations and have been passed on from one family to another, volunteers and professionals also must decide which historical narrative to tell their visitors. Some museums grapple with this issue by displaying different eras in

288-637: A focus on abstract works from the 1950s through the 1970s. He was also very influential in the selection of artworks for the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection , located next to the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York . Nelson Rockefeller transformed previously empty basement passages beneath the mansion that had led to a grotto into a major private art gallery containing paintings by Picasso , Chagall , and Warhol ,

336-406: A partner in 1927, until his death in 1934. Edward Clark Whiting became an associate partner in 1920 and partner in 1927. In that same year Henry Vincent Hubbard became a partner and remained with the firm until his death in 1947. William B. Marquis became a partner in 1937. The last Olmsted family member in the firm, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., retired from active practice in 1949, but remained

384-511: A partner until 1957. The firm itself remained in operation, with Carl Rust Parker, Partridge Richardson and Charles Scott Riley becoming partners in 1950. By 1958 Joseph George Hudak had also become a partner. In 1962 the firm changed its name to Olmsted Associates to reflect the retirement of Parker in 1960, Riley in 1961, Marquis in 1962, and the death of Whiting in 1962, leaving the firm to continue under Richardson and Hudak with Erno J. Fonagy joining them as an associate. Olmsted Associates

432-486: A professor of history and political science, further adds to social history and its relationship to locations by saying – Following this historical movement, the concept of " open-air museums " became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact the lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to

480-452: A resident workforce of security guards, gardeners, and laborers, and had its own farming, cattle, and food supplies. It has a nine-hole, reversible golf course, and at one time had 75 houses and 70 private roads, most designed by John D. Rockefeller Sr. and his son. A longstanding witticism about the estate quips: "It's what God would have built, if only He had the money". In 1901, John D. Rockefeller Sr. hired golf course architect Willie Dunn,

528-400: A year, more than fifty percent of historic house museums received fewer than 5,000 visitors per year. These museums are also unique in that the actual structure belongs to the museum collection as a historical object. While some historic home museums are fortunate to possess a collection containing many of the original furnishings once present in the home, many face the challenge of displaying

SECTION 10

#1732852486188

576-535: Is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience. An example of a site that utilizes collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has

624-581: Is open to the public for horseback riding, biking, and jogging. Bill Clinton , who lives just north of the estate, in Chappaqua , has taken regular runs in the State Park. Within the park: Outside the park: Additionally, family members have had a profound effect on the hamlet of Pocantico Hills, which is situated in the open space of the estate completely surrounded by family-owned land. The Union Church of Pocantico Hills , now owned by Historic Hudson Valley ,

672-678: Is situated on the highest point in Pocantico Hills, overlooking the Hudson River at Tappan Zee . Located near Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow , it has a view of the New York City skyline 25 miles (40 km) to the south. John D. Rockefeller purchased land in the area as early as 1893, after his brother William had moved into a 204-room mansion, Rockwood Hall , nearby. When Rockefeller and his son chose Pocantico Hills as their residence, he quietly purchased multiple homes and properties in

720-739: The Beaux-Arts style are considered some of Bosworth's best work in the United States, looking out over very fine views of the Hudson River . A few years later, Bosworth would design the Neo-Classical main building complex and landscaping for the new campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts . Bosworth's original gardens still exist, with plantings carefully replaced over time, although his entrance forecourt

768-538: The 1970s and 1980s, as the Revolutionary War's bicentennial set off a wave of patriotism and alerted Americans to the destruction of their physical heritage. The tradition of restoring homes of the past and designating them as museums draws on the English custom of preserving ancient buildings and monuments. Initially homes were considered worthy of saving because of their associations with important individuals, usually of

816-453: The Kent House became their temporary residence until rebuilding could occur. The New York Times mentioned that Rockefeller had never been satisfied with the destroyed house's electric wiring, which had been installed before certain safety measures were developed. He had ordered workers to reroute the wires into conduits, work which had been planned to commence the day after it was pre-empted by

864-601: The Republic of South Africa Nelson Mandela , Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , King Hussein of Jordan, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Lord Mountbatten of Burma of the United Kingdom. As of 2003, 10 or so Rockefeller families lived within the estate, in the central compound and beyond. Much land has been donated over the decades to New York State, including the Rockefeller State Park Preserve , and

912-521: The area, and used the houses for himself and his family and staff, or to rent out. Rockefeller and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller moved into one of these, the Parsons-Wentworth House, in 1893. The couple would spend winter weekends and parts of each summer and fall there, sharing the upstairs rooms with their adult children and in-laws, pending construction of the manor house. The Parsons-Wentworth House burned down on September 17, 1902, and

960-501: The art collection of the third-generation scion, Governor of New York, and Vice President of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller , it was home to four generations of the family. The house is a National Historic Landmark owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation , and tours are given by Historic Hudson Valley . Kykuit (in modern Dutch spelling Kijkuit , also uitkijk , is a compound noun meaning "lookout, look-out")

1008-557: The country by creating close ties between architecture and environment in the built landscape to the purpose of the institution. This can first be tied to their unimplemented work with the College of California, now the University of California, Berkeley , which envisioned a campus that would be integrated with the surrounding community. Other campuses include Stanford University , with a plan drawn specifically to accommodate California's climate;

SECTION 20

#1732852486188

1056-685: The death of their partner Charles Eliot in 1897. The two brothers were among the founding members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and played an influential role in creating the National Park Service . Prior to their takeover of the firm, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. had worked as an apprentice under his father, helping to design projects such as Biltmore Estate and the World's Columbian Exposition before graduating from Harvard University . With Charles Eliot , they also designed

1104-466: The designer of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club , to build a golf course on the grounds. In late 1946, two of Junior's sons, John D. Rockefeller III and Laurance Rockefeller , each offered their respective residences, Fieldwood Farm and Rockwood Hall, as headquarters for the then newly formed United Nations . Family patriarch Rockefeller Junior vetoed the proposals, as the sites were too isolated from Manhattan. He instead tasked his second son, Nelson, to buy

1152-403: The elite classes, like former presidents, authors, or businessmen. Increasingly, Americans have fought to preserve structures characteristic of a more typical American past that represents the lives of everyday people. Historic house museums usually operate with small staffs and on limited budgets. Many are run entirely by volunteers and often do not meet the professional standards established by

1200-420: The era, adding to authenticity. Collective memory is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums; however, not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of collective memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs , in "La Memoire Collective" ("On Collective Memory", 1950). This extended thesis examines the role of people and place, and how collective memory

1248-530: The estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, Kykuit is open to the public for tours conducted by Historic Hudson Valley . Kykuit was renovated and modernized in 1995 by New Haven architect Herbert S. Newman and Partners. Included were major infrastructure changes enabling the estate to accommodate group tours of the first floor and art gallery, as well as a reconfiguration of third and fourth floor staff quarters into guest suites. Initially,

1296-456: The fire. The loss was estimated at $ 40,000. Kykuit was designed originally as a steep-roofed three-story stone mansion by the architects Chester Holmes Aldrich and William Adams Delano . Aldrich was a distant relative of the younger Rockefeller's wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller , who was involved as artistic consultant and in the interior design of the mansion. The initial eclectic structure took six years to complete. Before being occupied, it

1344-522: The gardens of Cairnwood House in Pennsylvania and Lady Meredith House in Montreal . The firm employed nearly 60 staff at its peak in the early 1930s. Notable landscape architects in the firm included James Frederick Dawson , Arthur Asahel Shurcliff and Percival Gallagher. After becoming an associate partner in 1904 Dawson became a full partner in 1922. Gallagher become an associate partner in 1906 and

1392-440: The home's history within different rooms or sections of the structure. Others choose one particular narrative, usually the one deemed most historically significant, and restore the home to that particular period. There are a number of organizations around the world that dedicate themselves to the preservation, restoration, or promotion of historic house museums. They include: Olmsted Brothers The Olmsted Brothers company

1440-446: The inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The Hiroshima Traces (1999) text takes a look at the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war. Problematic creation of collective memory occurs within historic house museums when

1488-589: The latter two having visited the estate. Between 1935 and the late 1970s more than 120 works of abstract, avant-garde, and modern sculpture from Nelson's collection were added to the gardens and grounds, including works by Pablo Picasso ( Bathers ), Constantin Brâncuși , Karel Appel ( Mouse on Table ), Jean Arp , Alexander Calder , Alberto Giacometti , Georg Kolbe ( Ruf der Erde ), Gaston Lachaise , Aristide Maillol , Henry Moore , Louise Nevelson , Isamu Noguchi ( Black Sun ), and David Smith . The inner park area

Kykuit - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-553: The museum industry. An independent survey conducted by Peggy Coats in 1990 revealed that sixty-five percent of historic house museums did not have a full-time staff, and 19 to 27 percent of historic homes employed only one full-time employee. Furthermore, the majority of these museums operated on less than $ 50,000 annually. The survey also revealed a significant disparity in the number of visitors between local house museums and national sites. While museums like Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg were visited by over one million tourists

1584-403: The narrative of all people who lived there is dangerous. While some plantation museum narratives have changed following an outcry from the public and the academy, "plantation museums reflect, create, and contribute to racialized ways of understanding and organizing the world" by limiting or eliminating the narrative of the enslaved inhabitants. A degree of authenticity is also to be considered in

1632-481: The narrative of non-family members is dismissed, ignored, or completely rejected. Within the Southern United States, plantation museums (the former homes of enslavers) constitute a significant portion of the museum community and contribute to the racialized collective memory of the United States. Because museums are responsible for "the building of identity, cultural memory and community", neglecting to include

1680-456: The practice of large-scale landscape design and engineering. The site also houses an archive (access by appointment only) of the firm's designs, plant lists, and photos for hundreds of projects. The Olmsted Brothers completed numerous high-profile projects, many of which remain popular to this day, including park systems, universities, exposition grounds, libraries, hospitals, residential neighborhoods and state capitols. Notable commissions include

1728-472: The previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of social history . The idea of a historic house museum derives from a branch of history called social history that is solely based on people and their way of living. It became very popular in the mid-twentieth century among scholars who were interested in the history of people, as opposed to political and economical issues. Social history remains an influential branch of history. Philip J. Ethington,

1776-463: The public good and the preservation of American history, especially centered on the first U.S. president, General George Washington. Since the establishment of the country's first historic site in 1850, Washington's Revolutionary headquarters in New York, Americans have found a penchant for preserving similar historical structures. The establishment of historic house museums increased in popularity through

1824-560: The region's history, architecture, landscape, and material culture, advancing its importance and thereby assuring its preservation." Shuttle vans run from a visitor center located at the Philipsburg Manor House on Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow, New York . The estate, known as Pocantico or Pocantico Hills, occupies an area of 1,380 hectares (3,410 acres). During much of the 20th century, the 1,420 hectares (3,510 acres) estate featured

1872-405: The restoration and creation of a historic house museum. The space must be authentic in terms of truly replicating and representing the way it once stood in its original form and appear to be untouched and left in time. There are three steps when declaring if a space is authentic: The earliest projects for preserving historic homes began in the 1850s under the direction of individuals concerned with

1920-1017: The roadways in the Great Smoky Mountains and Acadia National Parks ; Yosemite Valley ; Atlanta's Piedmont Park ; Springvale Park ; Uplands ; residential neighborhoods in Oak Bay , British Columbia , Canada , Oakland , California , including the street layout for what is now the Lakeshore Homes Association (the oldest homeowners' association west of the Mississippi River and which includes parts of Oakland's historic Crocker Highlands and Trestle Glen neighborhoods) and Baltimore , Maryland (including parts of Mayfield and Roland Park) ; entire park systems in cities such as Birmingham , Cleveland , Portland , Seattle ; and Washington state's Northern State Hospital . The Olmsted Brothers also co-authored, with Harland Bartholomew ,

1968-512: The story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The " narrative " of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. Another alternative approach, deployed by nonprofit organization House Museum , includes contemporary art integration, where artists are invited to respond to the physical and conceptual history of a site, thus injecting contemporary perspectives and value into historic places. In each kind of museum, visitors learn about

Kykuit - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-558: The task of landscaping of the grounds was assigned to the Olmsted Brothers firm. Rockefeller Senior was unhappy with their work, however, and assumed control of the design himself, transplanting whole mature trees, designing lookouts and the several scenic winding roads. In 1906, the further design of Kykuit's grounds was undertaken by architect William Welles Bosworth , who designed the surrounding terraces and gardens with fountains, pavilions and classical sculpture. These gardens in

2064-436: Was a landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted . The Olmsted Brothers inherited the nation's first landscape architecture firm from their father Frederick Law Olmsted . This firm was a successor to the earlier firm of Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot after

2112-532: Was built by the Rockefeller family, which commissioned stained-glass windows by Matisse (an abstract rose window , memorializing Abby Aldrich) and by Chagall (the remainder of the windows, emphasizing Biblical prophets and some New Testament themes, and memorializing various members of the family and others). They also helped finance the construction of the local Pocantico Hills School. Historic house museum Historic house museums are sometimes known as

2160-658: Was dissolved in 1979. Afterwards Richardson continued to practice under the name The Olmsted Office from Brookline in 1980 and continuing in Fremont, New Hampshire until 2000. This created one continuous firm from 1858 to 2000. "Fairsted"—the firm's 100-year-old headquarters and design office—has been carefully preserved as the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site , located on 7 acres (2.833 ha) of landscaped grounds at 99 Warren St., Brookline, Massachusetts . It offers excellent insights into

2208-436: Was extended in 1913. The terraced gardens include a Morning Garden, Grand Staircase, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, Japanese-style brook, Japanese Tea-house, large Oceanus fountain, Temple of Aphrodite , loggia , and semicircular rose garden. Distributed through the estate are numerous artworks reflecting the tastes of the past occupants. Governor Nelson Rockefeller collected and displayed many 20th century artworks, with

2256-513: Was opened to restricted conducted tours of the mansion and immediate surrounds in 1994, but remains occupied and controlled by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund , which leased the area from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1991 and serves as steward of what is referred to as "the historic area". Public tours are conducted by Historic Hudson Valley , an organization established in 1951 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. "to celebrate

2304-518: Was substantially rebuilt into its present four-story Classical Revival Georgian form. Completed in 1913, it has two basement levels filled with interconnecting passageways and service tunnels. The home's interiors were designed by Ogden Codman Jr. , and feature collections of Chinese and European ceramics , fine furnishings, and 20th-century art. The estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. In 1979, its occupant, Nelson Rockefeller , bequeathed upon his death his one-third interest in

#187812