DESIGNING THE LANDSCAPE THAT MADE AMERICA:

CALVERT VAUX AND HIS PEERS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY

A symposium overlooking the Hudson River
Staatsburg, New York
May 21-22, 2022

Participation is limited to 100 attendees. Register now to secure your attendance.

Co-sponsored by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust with generous support from The Garden Conservancy

Hear our speakers Francis Kowsky, Emily Cooperman, Harvey Flad,
Judith Major, Sean Sawyer, and Kyle Toth.

Join specialist-led tours of The Point, Olana, Springside, and Wilderstein.

The Congressional Declaration that created the Hudson  River Valley National Heritage Area in 2000 described the Hudson Valley as “The Landscape That Made America.” Congress was acknowledging the many chapters of American history that took place in the Hudson Valley that shaped the character of the nation and the national landscape, from The Revolutionary War to the American Environmental Movement.

The Hudson Valley’s role in the evolution of American Picturesque architecture and landscape design also had far-reaching influence, shaping country estates, public parks and communities across the nation.

Calvert Vaux was pivotal to the Hudson Valley’s role in the American Picturesque movement. At The Point, at other picturesque Hudson Valley estates such as Olana and Springside, and ultimately at Central Park, his designs provided a bridge from the work of his mentor and partner Andrew Jackson Downing -“the father of American landscape design” – to Frederick Law Olmsted. Frederic Church, and beyond.

Christopher Nolan,  Vice President for Landscape Design at Central Park Conservancy, and New York City-appointed Park Manager for Central Park, has noted:

Designed two years before architect Calvert Vaux persuaded Frederick Law Olmsted to partner with him on an entry to the competition for the design of New York City: Central Park, Hoyt House and its promontory setting (known both individually and together as “The Point”), stand as a seminal example of the approach to picturesque design that Vaux, in partnership with Olmsted, would further develop and apply on a civic scale in Central Park.  In this regard, the seeds for Central Park and Vaux and Olmsted’s legacy – from the launching of the park movement, to the founding of the profession of landscape architecture, to the shaping of the American landscape for generations to come – were all planted at The Point. 

As someone who values our region’s extraordinary treasures and its place in American history, we hope you’ll join us for this very special weekend. REGISTER NOW!

NOTE: When your registration is complete, you will receive emails with driving directions and other event information.  Please check your spam/junk/promo folder if you don’t see our email.

 For more about our speakers, please click here.

Photo: Pieter Estersohn