High atop a 300-foot cliff on the Hudson River rises Olana, the Persian-inspired dream home of Hudson River School painter Frederick E. Church, built in 1872 with additions in the 1880s. Inspired by a trip through the Middle East, the mansion sends of forest of spires and minarets into the pristine mountain air. Tiles and red bricks are tastefully combined with the local yellow "pudding-stone" in the castle's walls, and the rich combination of colors and textures gives the building a presence at once majestic and harmonious. Its hilltop site commands breathtaking views down the Hudson toward New York City (from the side shown), and across the river to the Catskills. The artist's studio (in the "caboose" at upper left, completed 1882) looks directly down the hillside to Route 9W and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, neither of which were built during Church's lifetime.
The generous size and ambitious landscaping of the estate testify to Church's enormous popularity and success, although he and his family lived in a far humbler dwelling on the grounds during the years Olana was under construction. Olana's interior is furnished in a quirkily tasteful Victorian style combining clutter from East and West. Hand-carved furniture and paneling, all custom designed for the house, were contributed by a close family friend, while hand-stenciled Persian wall patterns add a light and elegant touch; the discovery of the original stencils in storage has helped in recent restoration efforts. The large and well-lit expanses of interior wall provide a wonderful gallery for canvases, both monumental and modest, by Church and his friends, and for a collection of irridescent tropical butterflies made during his many trips to South America. A property of the New York Historical Society, which has done much to restore it, the mansion is open to the public for a modest charge.