The Cloisters

 

 The Cloisters

Celebrating the art and architecture of medieval Europe, the Cloisters is located on Hudson River Valley parkland north of New York City. Originally assembled by an American sculptor, George Grey Barnard, the collection was eventually purchased by John D. Rockefeller and is now a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The building, which looks very much like a medieval monastery, was actually constructed in the 1930s using the walls, columns, altars, etc., of real European churches. As a result, the Cloisters provides a peaceful and rather historically-convincing sanctuary away from city life, well worth the long subway or bus ride outside NYC.

The cloisters, themselves, are four-sided architectural features that include a covered walkway surrounding an open courtyard or garden. Despite an unusually cold winter, the gardens were filled with flowers and other flourishing plants. A beautiful day to refresh one’s soul.

 

The central Cuxa Cloister

 

Column detail

 

Smaller over-grown garden cloister

 

Langdon Chapel, constructed with 12th-century

limestone blocks and sculptures from a church in France

 

Lots of statues of the Virgin and baby Jesus

 

Eery half-statue of a religious leader

 

Baby Jesus with apple

 

World-famous 15th-century unicorn tapestry 

donated by John D. Rockefeller

Medieval crypts

 

View of the Hudson River

 

Leaving the Cloisters

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Kykuit: the Rockefeller Estate

 

Kykuit mansion

 

John D. Rockefeller, who founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, is widely considered the richest American of all time. And yet his 40-room residence, located in Sleepy Hollow, 20 miles north of New York City, is relatively understated compared to other historic mansions, like Hearst’s Castle.

Kykuit, from the Dutch word for “lookout,” was home to four generations of Rockefellers, until the death of former U.S. vice president Nelson Rockefeller in 1979. Today the estate is a National Trust for Historical Preservation site maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and operated by Historic Hudson Valley.

The six-story home sits atop 250 spectacular acres overlooking the Hudson River. The grounds, landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Manhattan’s Central Park, are fabulously lush and punctuated by sculptures, old and new. We were not allowed to snap pictures inside the house, but the outside provided plenty to photograph.

 

Entryway with wisteria climbing up the front wall

 

View from the front of the house

 

Side colonades

 

Bathhouse still stands, though the pools are now gone

 

Statues

 

Hudson River

 

The backyard!

More Hudson River 

 

Spring blooms

 

Tour tickets are available at the Philipsburg Manor visitor center,

a short bus ride from Kykuit 

 

Next time, we'll spend more time here

 

Tulips in bloom