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Hudson River Museum Chronicles Local and American HistoryBy Marilyn LoeserThe Hudson River Museum offers guests a variety of displays to meet their many interests: American history, fine art, photography, natural history and the ever-changing special exhibits.
I wasn’t sure what we’d find in the museum, but I always like to visit local museums wherever our travels take us. I was pleasantly surprised at the way this museum was arranged and its extensive collections.
The museum is known for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American art and cultural, social and historical material related to Westchester County and the Hudson River Valley region. Though the museum’s focus has evolved over its 84-year history, its trustees and staff continue to concentrate on the region and its residents. Currently the museum’s special exhibit is Neil Welliver: Chosen Terrain which features more than 35 paintings and prints from the artist’s gallery and other museums. The exhibition is a study in landscape and modernist painting. Museum literature tells us the exhibit title, Chosen Terrain, refers to Welliver’s strong connection to the land he chose to paint. The exhibit will be featured at the museum until January 7, 2007. A permanent exhibit I enjoyed is called Hudson Riverama, a gallery dedicated to the river’s habitats and geographic areas. Designed with teaching in mind, by using interactive displays, multimedia technology, several aquariums and a scale model of the river, every visitor comes away with a better ecological understanding of the region, no matter what their age or educational background.
My favorite part of our visit was touring Glenview. Guests enter Glenview, built in 1876-77, by traveling along a walkway between the main museum building and the mansion. Overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades, guests are invited to visit six of the mansions rooms that have been restored to reflect the lifestyle of its turn-of-the-last-century residents, the John Bond Trevor family. The dining room, sitting room, library and great hall feature beautifully stenciled ceilings, fine woodworking, and antique furnishings, decorative objects, paintings and sculptures. The great hall also features a colorful tiled floor.
Although our time was limited, guests could easily spend the entire day here, learning about the natural side of the region, its famous residents and ecological lessons. The Hudson River Museum is located at 511 Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. For more information, call phone: 914-963-4550 or check the website www.hrm.org. |
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Arriving
a little early, my husband and I strolled down to the river. To the south is the
New York City skyline, mere minutes away by car or train. To the north, the
Hudson is lined in breathtakingly beautiful autumn colors this October day as
the river flows under the
The
museum is housed in a modern building filled with several galleries and
exhibits, and Glenview, a vintage Hudson River home.
Another
popular scientific exhibit is the Andrus Planetarium.
We’re
told the interior design follows the Eastlake style which incorporates designs
inspired by nature. For example, the sunflower details of the woodwork. Glenview
is considered one of the finest examples of American Eastlake that is open to
the public.