Spring at Kykuit
The word Kykuit means “Lookout” in Dutch and is the perfect name for a home perched high above the Hudson, with sweeping views of the Palisades. A Dutch acquaintance once told me that it’s also the word a cyclist would shout to warn a nearby pedestrian of an impending collision. This may be useful for your next trip to the Netherlands, where bicycles outnumber people.
The Forecourt in spring.
This particular Lookout was built by John D. Rockefeller as a country retreat for his sizable family. Despite being one of the wealthiest Americans of all time, at Kykuit, Rockefeller requested a house that existed “for the sake of the gardens.” Although grand by many standards, the 40-room Georgian revival is diminutive compared to many of its Gilded Age contemporaries (e.g. Biltmore.) His request was granted, and his home was nestled in one of the Hudson Valley’s finest Beaux-Arts gardens. Over time, it came to house a most impressive collection of modern sculpture, curated by his son Nelson D. Rockefeller. Below are a few highlights.
The Rose Garden portico, punctuated by Max Bill’s Triangular Surface in Space. The sculpture provides a telescopic view of the Palisades.
Knife Edge Two Piece, by Henry Moore. As the story goes, this monolithic piece was delivered by helicopter and interrupted an on-site golf tournament.
A spectacular display of wisteria, just east of the Forecourt.
The Italian Garden, where old meets new.
Frederick Law Olmstead—famed designer of New York City’s Central Park—drafted Kykuit’s original landscape design. Rockefeller was unhappy with the plans, however, and, for a time oversaw the project himself. He strategically moved many mature trees around the property before eventually turning the reins to William Welles Bosworth. Bosworth saw the project to completion and was later commissioned to restore the gardens at Versaille and Fountainbleau.
A Beaux-Artes Masterpiece
Bosworth’s tidy plans for Kykuit, where the house exists for the sake of the garden.
The Kykuit Visitors Center is located at 381 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY; tours resume in May 2024. For the last several years, I’ve been fortunate enough to join the estate gardeners when they prune the rose garden in March. Kykuit is a garden for all seasons but is particularly lovely in spring, when the valley is just waking up the sculptures are offset by the vibrant green of new life.
Song of the Vowels, by Jaques Lipchitz. This abstract harpist was named after an ancient encantation that Egyptian priests invoked to calm storms and other forces of nature. It faces east, monitoring meteorological developments over the Hudson. Quite possibly my favorite piece in the collection.
Morning in the Brook Garden
A narrow rill terminates in a shallow pool outside Peggy Rockefeller’s teahouse.
As misty and atmospheric as it gets.
Photos by Natalie Crist
