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Essay / The eclectic Olana House at Fredric Edwin Church on the...
In the Hudson River Valley are several unique and diverse homes, from the Livingston family home in Clermont to Lynhurst, a castle in Gothic style. Nestled among these eclectic homes is another called Olana House, whose original owner was famed Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church. From a distance, it looks like some sort of Middle Eastern palace that radiates a unique character as it sits amidst the beautiful landscape of the Hudson River Valley. It was built in the late 19th century and is considered by many to be a prime example of the Aesthetic Movement in America. While living on a small farm near what is known as Long Hill, Church purchased 18 acres of land with the intention of building a new home that would take advantage of distant views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. He first consulted Richard Morris Hunt about the design of his new house which would have been a French chateau style building, but Hunt never received the commission to proceed. Instead, in 1867, Church took his family on an extended trip abroad to Europe and the Middle East. During his visit to places such as Jerusalem, Beirut and Damascus, Church took a keen interest in the architecture he saw and learned more about the decorative traditions of architecture and design. Persian and Islamic art. Upon returning to the United States in 1869, Church with the desire to build his own Persian castle hired a new architect Calvert Vaux who was one of the designers of Central Park. Although Vaux was hired as architect, Olana House would first and foremost be a creation of its owner. Olana's collection includes several architectural sketches by Vaux and Church and the final product resembles...... middle of paper...... oriental, Indian and South American pieces that gave the room a decisive eclectic and exotic aspect. and feel.The house of the Church has been called many things, from the Persian palace to the house of treasure. It's certainly unique, whatever you call it, it's a unique and special historic site. Thanks to Church's daughter-in-law's determination to keep things the same and the quick action of an architectural and New York state preservationist, Olana is the same as she was ago more than a hundred years. This is an exceptional opportunity to take a look back at an era long gone. In particular, a look at the life of a famous artist who fell in love with the beauty of the Middle East and wanted to capitalize on the beauty of his home in the Hudson River Valley. Treasure house seems like an apt description for one of Frederic Church's latest creations..