ABSTRACT
Late-19th-century and early-20th-century photography has informed design decisions in the restoration of the historic landscape at Olana: the home, studio and designed landscape of celebrated Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. Olana is considered one of Church’s greatest works of art.
For several years, Nelson Byrd Woltz has been working alongside The Olana Partnership (TOP) and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to reactivate the historical relationship between the residence, its landscape and the greater context of the Hudson Valley and to reestablish a holistic experience of Olana as Church’s designed home and landscape.
Close examination of the Olana photographic collection provides critical archival information that has informed present-day understanding of the historic landscape. Use of these photographs has helped direct design decisions and galvanize support during restoration efforts. This chapter will discuss a set of specific design decisions made through critical methods of close examination of historic photographic sets. These sets present a selection of the diverse sites across the Olana landscape.
