The Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape A Hudson River School Vision
DECEMBER 2021
Left to Right, Sean Sawyer, Washburn and Susan Oberwager President, The Olana Partnership; Assembly Member Didi Barrett; Commissioner Erik Kulleseid, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Meredith Kane, Chair, The Olana Partnership Board of Trustees.
Dear Supporters and Friends, Happy Old Year! 2021 ended with great news for the Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape. On December 16, Assemblymember Didi Barrett joined with NYS Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Erik Kulleseid, at Olana to announce that she has secured $1 million to support the project. This is the largest single grant from the Assembly to a NYS Historic Site ever. The Assembly funds will be allocated to the first phase of construction, the clearing and excavation of the site and construction of basic infrastructure, including the septic system. Didi is a tremendous ally in our work at Olana and has seen the potential for our capital development program from the start, both to enhance our economic impact and serve as a public sector model for environmentally responsible and equitable design. That same week we learned that our applications for two major state grants as part of the Regional Economic Development Council Consolidated Funding Application process will be fully funded. The Empire State Development Corporation’s (ESD) Market NY Tourism Capital Funding program will provide up to $1,400,000 in matching funds for private funds raised. This represents a 20% match of $7,000,000 in private contributions. Also, the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Carbon Neutral Economic Development Program will provide $1,868,000 to ensure that the new facility will be both carbon neutral and net zero. This will realize our goal to make the Frederic Church Center a highly visible, publicly accessible demonstration of sustainable design and carbon neutral construction. Half of NYSERDA’s funds will support the addition of a solar array to offset energy usage. While this is an additional cost over our previous construction budget, it also provides clear economic and environmental benefits over time. The proposed plan is to sensitively locate the array on unused state-owned land on the west side of Route 9G, behind the NYS Parks maintenance facility. Screened by natural vegetation in an existing field, the proposed array will not be visible from within Olana’s historic landscape, Route 9G, the Hudson River or the Village of Catskill. 2
The total project budget is now $15,000,000. This includes a maintenance endowment of $1,500,000. Following the announcement of these grants, the lead trustee donors to the campaign met on December 21 and unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed resuming the design and construction process. The State Environmental Quality Review process is underway, and the project will be presented for public comment this spring. We anticipate construction to start in early 2023. Thank you for your generous contributions and commitment to Olana’s future as a unique world-class destination at the intersection of American art and environmental consciousness in the Hudson Valley. Greenly Yours,
Sean Sawyer, Ph.D. Washburn and Susan Oberwager President
Proposed Site Plan with Solar Array
Architecture Research Office/Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
“Olana State Historic Site is one of the most visited landmarks in New York State, and investments like these will help Olana continue to expand, accommodate more visitors and drive the economy in the Hudson Valley. I had the privilege of touring this beautiful site, and it is truly a one-ofa-kind experience. Olana is an incredible example of the amazing tourism opportunities right here in New York, and this funding will help expand those opportunities. I would also like to thank Assemblymember Didi Barrett for her advocacy for Olana and tireless dedication to her community.” - Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
“I’m grateful to Assembly Member Barrett for securing crucial support for our ongoing work to bring Frederic Church’s Olana alive for our visitors. This is a huge triumph for the public-private partnership investing in this national treasure to protect the site’s historic integrity, enhance the enjoyment by visitors, and draw more tourists to the Hudson Valley.” - Commissioner Erik Kulleseid, OPRHP
“The Olana Partnership is grateful to Assemblymember Barrett for her extraordinary support for this critical project and for her deep commitment to enhance the cultural, educational, and economic welfare of our region.” - Meredith Kane, Chair of The Olana Partnership’s Board of Trustees
3
Autumn Lawn Party at Midwood
Assemblymember Didi Barrett & Joan Davidson
Assemblymember Didi Barrett; The Olana Partnership Board Chair Meredith Kane; The Olana Partnership President Sean Sawyer and Joan Davidson
Daniel MacKay, Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation, NYS Parks
Guests on the Lawn at Midwood
Representative Antonio Delgado & Mrs. Phebe Banta
Joan Davidson; Dr. Carlee Drummer, President, Columbia-Greene Community College; Amy Hausmann, Director, Olana State Historic Site; Linda Cooper, Taconic Regional Director, NYS Parks; Abby Westlake; Kathryn Huarte
4
Guests on the Lawn at Midwood
Representative Antonio Delgado; Joan Davidson; Kristin Gamble; Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli and Assemblymember Didi Barrett
“Frederic Church is a singular historic figure who made his home here in our beautiful Hudson Valley and whose impact continues to be felt in the worlds of art, landscape design, architecture, agriculture, environmental conservation and beyond. I am proud to announce that I have secured $1,000,000 in funding to support the construction of the Frederic Church Center at Olana. As our region continues to grow as a hub for diverse arts and cultural institutions, I look forward to seeing this pivotal New York State project move to its next phase.” - Assemblymember Didi Barrett
Amy Davidson and Joan Davidson
Lynette and Michael Tucker; Kristin Gamble
5
The Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES
Frederic Church Center, ticketing and orientation lobby with view to multi-purpose room Architecture Research Office/Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
6
Frederic Church Center Multi-purpose Room
Architecture Research Office/Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Frederic Church Center, aerial view
Architecture Research Office/Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
7
Frederic Church, Clouds over Olana, August 1872, oil on off-white paper, 8 11/16 x 12 1/8 in., Olana State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. OL.1976.1
FREDERIC CHURCH CENTER FUNDRAISING $15 MILLION GOAL
$3.9 MILLION
THE OLANA PARTNERSHIP CAPITAL CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP Joe Baker | Betsy Broun | Renee & Steve Clearman Margaret Davidson | David de Weese | Kristin Gamble The Gubelmann Family | Meredith J. Kane Bindy & Stephen Kaye | Cynnie & Peter Kellogg David Kermani | Robin & David Key Barbara & Michael Polemis | David & Susan Rockefeller Emily Sachar | Hara Schwartz & Christopher Buck The Thompson Family Foundation Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, MD | Pamela & Sedgwick Ward Helen & Peter Warwick | Kelly Williams & Andrew Forsyth Susan Winokur & Paul Leach
STAFF $11.1 MILLION RAISED
Sean E. Sawyer, Ph.D. Washburn & Susan Oberwager President ssawyer@olana.org Mark Prezorski Senior Vice President & Landscape Curator mprezorski@olana.org
THE OLANA PARTNERSHIP PO BOX 199 | HUDSON, NEW YORK 12534 - 0199 The Olana Partnership operates Olana State Historic Site in a cooperative agreement with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
OLANA.ORG • 518-828-1872 Cover: Frederic Church Center, view of the Catskill Mountains from Lakeside Terrace (Architecture Research Office/ Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects)