The Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY is a National Historic Landmark located and international destination that includes the home and studios of artist and early environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801-1848).
Cole founded the first major art movement of the United States, now known as the Hudson River School of landscape painting. His home and studios are surrounded by the stunning New York landscapes that he painted, weaving the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley into our national identity.
The Thomas Cole Site has announced a grant award of $360,000 from Empire State Development to help the site implement its Master Plan for site-wide improvements to expand its cultural, educational, and economic impact. The grant was recommended by the Capital Region Economic Development Council.
The grant will help enable the site to implement a $1.8 million Master Plan to enhance its six-acre campus, preserve its history, and expand its impact. The Master Plan is expected to result in a new building to welcome visitors and host special events; a new outdoor program and event space adjacent to the visitor center with a complete view of the historic campus and the Catskill Mountains; a dedicated indoor education space for expanding K-12 student and public programming; infrastructure and energy-efficiency improvements to the iconic historic buildings, the 1815 Main House and 1839 Old Studio; and restoration of the rural nature of the historic property.
In addition to the $360,000 grant from Empire State Development, the Master Plan is funded by $592,300 in project support from the National Park Service as well as support from The Bay & Paul Foundations, Nina Matis & Alan Gosule, Brown Foundation, Evelyn Trebilcock & Douglas Hammond, Chris Buck & Dr. Hara Schwartz, Anne Miller & Stuart Breslow, The Warner Foundation, The Educational Foundation for America, Robert Miller & Kathy Klingenstein, The J. M. Kaplan Fund, Lisa Fox Martin, Kristin Gamble, Jimmy & Micaela Bulich, Alison Lankenau, Carolyn B. MacDonald, Betsy & Al Scott, Stainman Family Foundation, and many other generous individuals and foundations.
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site includes the 1815 Main House; Cole’s 1839 Old Studio; the reconstructed 1846 New Studio building; and panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains. The Site’s activities include guided and self-guided tours, special exhibitions of both 19th-century and contemporary art, print publications, lectures, extensive online programs, school programs, the Cole Fellowship, free community events, and innovative public programs such as the Hudson River School Art Trail — a map and website that enable people to visit the places in nature that Cole painted — and the Hudson River Skywalk, a new scenic walkway connecting the Thomas Cole Site with Frederic Church’s Olana over the Hudson River.
For more information visit the Historic Site’s website.
Photo of Thomas Cole House provided.
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