This jet-setter loves touring old homes—whether it’s the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island; the sprawling Biltmore estate in North Carolina; Hemingway’s pad in Key West, Florida; or the mind-blowing lair of Victorian painter Lord Frederic Leighton in London’s Holland Park neighborhood.
And I absolutely adore a good home with a past paired with a glorious town in transition.
Case in point:
Over the Labor Day weekend, I zipped from my own Catskills aerie across the Hudson River to the super-chic and happening town of Hudson, New York. Hudson has transformed itself from a somewhat down-and-out burg into a glorious, seemingly plucked-from-New England community bustling with antiques shops, restaurants, cultural venues (the Hudson Opera House is a stunner) and bed and breakfasts (plus, Hudson is an easy train ride from New York City up the Hudson—an especially beautiful journey when the leaves turn in the fall). Wander up and down the town’s main drag, Warren Street, and explore such favorite must-visits as Lili and Loo, the Hudson Supermarket (for beautifully edited home goods) and Verdigris Tea & Bakery (try the curried chicken salad paired with a soothing lavender lemonade). And be sure to check out the amazing homes being transformed into true showpieces on the side streets.
The Hudson Opera House offers delicious, far-reaching cultural diversions smack in the center of Hudson, New York’s bustling Warren Street.
But even more impressive than what’s happening in Hudson is Olana, the home of renowned Hudson River School landscape artist Frederic Church, a Persian-style fantasy perched over the Hudson River at the edge of town. If you live in New York and have not made a pilgrimage to this stunningly preserved and curated 200-plus acre estate, you must plan a visit and pronto. Sure, there are miles and miles of carriage paths for walking plus gorgeous woodlands carefully planted by Church, but it’s the house that took my breath away. The exterior is all impossibly ornate brick with crenellated rooflines, bell towers, and spires, offset with jaunty striped awnings.
Just look at the detail on the exterior of Olana, Frederic Church’s glorious retreat high above the Hudson River in Hudson, New York.
Inside, the detail is incredible—from glorious wallpapers to painted details that mix Islamic, Indian and Victorian elements to glorious effect. Plus, the home has numerous Church paintings—including the stunning El Khasne Petra, an oversized rendering of Petra in Jordan—as well as most of the original furnishings. Wander from the front hall through the sitting room and out onto the porch, and take it all in. The interiors compete with some of the most jaw-dropping vistas of the Hudson River and distant Catksills Mountains.
Here’s a shot of Frederic Church’s studio with its massive window framing a postcard-perfect vista of the Hudson River and far-off Catskills Mountains.
You will certainly be wowed by both. And don’t miss the second floor: The upstairs now houses a seasonally changing gallery of Church’s works that allows for a more intimate viewing of his paintings. Delicious!