National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Thomas Cole National Historic Site Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Draft General Management Plan / Environmental Assessment

2004
 1

To see the report online, please see http://www.thomascole.org

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment

2004

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

218 Spring Street

Catskill, NY 12414

tel. 518-943-7465

fax: 518-943-0652

http://www.thomascole.org

National Park Service

Northeast Region

Park Planning & Special Studies Division

Boston Office

15 State Street

Boston, MA 02109-3572

tel. 617-223-5222

fax: 617-223-5164
2 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

5 Executive Summary

7 I. Context of Plan

7 Purpose of the General Management Plan

8 Development and Legislative History of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

11 Site Description

12 Visitor Use at Thomas Cole NHS

12 Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

15 Cole’s Influence on American Culture

17 II. Planning Background and Issues

17 Methodology

18 Planning Issues

Historic Structures

Interpretation

Visitor Services

Cultural Landscape

Collections

Transportation Access

Hudson River Art Trail

Partnerships with Other Heritage, Cultural, and Tourism Entities

21 III. Resource Analysis

21 Historic Structures

21 Cultural Landscape

22 Collections

22 Transportation Access

24 Archeology

25 IV. Purpose Goals and Themes

25 Purpose and Significance of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Site Purpose

Site Significance

28 Mission Goals

30 Interpretive Themes

31 V. Management Alternatives

31 Alternative One: Continuation of Current Practices

34 Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

40 Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the Regional Landscape

Concept

Visitor Experience

Main House

Painting Studios

Other Structures

Cultural Landscape

Collections and Collection Storage

Universal Access

Parking

Site Boundary

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment

Table of Contents
 3

Management Areas

Carrying Capacity

Connection to Other Historic and Art-Related Sites in the Region

Hudson River School Art Trail

Site Operations

Summary of Alternative

62 Element Common to Each Alternative - Relationship between the Thomas Cole NHS and the

National Park Service

62 Alternatives Considered but Not Proposed

65 VI. Affected Environment

65 Natural Resources

Topography

Soils

Floodplain and Wetlands

Vegetation and Wildlife

Air Quality

66 Cultural Resources

Historic Landscape

Historic Structures

Archeological Resources

Collections

68 Socioeconomic Environment

Local Economy

Tourism in the Hudson Valley

Economic Impact of Thomas Cole NHS

Land Use

71 VII. Environmental Assessment

71 Alternative One: Continuation of Current Practices

72 Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

74 Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the Regional Landscape

Impacts on Visitor Experience

Impacts on Cultural Resources

Impacts on Natural Resources

Impacts on Site Operations

Impacts on Visitation and the Socioeconomic Environment

Impacts on Traffic and Parking

Non-impairment of Resources

80 Summary of Impacts of Alternatives

81 VIII. Consultation and Public Involvement

85 IX. Endnotes

87 X. Appendixes

87 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation

90 Appendix B: Cost Estimates

93 Appendix C: Compliance with Federal, State, and Local Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations

96 Appendix D: Selected Bibliography

98 Appendix E: List of Preparers and Advisors
4 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Thomas Cole, Daguerreotype, c.1844-46. Library of Congress, Photographs and Prints Division [LC-USZ62-53759]
 5

Executive Summary

In 1999, the U.S. Congress designated the home of Thomas Cole, at 218

Spring Street, Catskill, New York, a National Historic Site (NHS). The Thomas Cole NHS is not a unit managed by the National Park Service (NPS),

but is an “affiliated area” of the national park system managed by the

Greene County Historical Society and a designated board of governors.

Public Law 106-146, which established the Thomas Cole National Historic

Site in 1999, calls for the NPS to prepare a general management plan (GMP)

for the site. The purpose of this document is to develop plans for the preservation and interpretation of the site and define the role and responsibility of

the NPS with regard to the site.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site General

Management Plan (GMP) sets forth management alternatives that direct future developments

at this NHS. There are three alternatives: (1)

Continuation of Current Management Practices

(National Park Service policy requires that

GMPs consider the alternative of making no

changes to the current situation); (2) Thomas

Cole and Cedar Grove; (3) Thomas Cole’s Art

and the Regional Landscape.

Alternative One: Continuation of Current Management Practices would make no significant

changes at the site, operations, or the visitor experience. Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and

Cedar Grove would rehabilitate Thomas Cole’s

Old Studio and open it to the public and develop a Hudson River Art Trail brochure and

map. This alternative would focus on Cole’s life

at Cedar Grove.

Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the Regional Landscape would have the primary goal

of interpreting the life and work of artist Thomas

Cole and his connection to painting sites in the

Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. This

would include interpreting Cole’s connection to

other artists of the Hudson River School, of

which he is considered the founder. In addition

to the projects included in Alternative Two, Alternative Three would reconstruct Cole’s New

Studio and use it as an art gallery and meeting

space and develop a trail of wayside exhibits in

the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains,

which inspired many of the works of Cole and

his contemporaries. Alternative Three is the recommended alternative, preferred by the Board of

Governors of the Thomas Cole NHS.

The Thomas Cole NHS would tell the story of

Thomas Cole’s art through the buildings where

he lived and worked. Cole resided (1836–1848),

raised a family, and died in the main house

looking out toward his beloved Catskills. The

main house, Storehouse Studio, and a new

building resembling the demolished New Studio would offer an excellent opportunity to

interpret Cole’s creative journey. The site’s interpretive themes would also include Cole’s

influence on the Hudson River School of landscape painting and on the nature conservation

movement in America.

The visitor would be given an introduction to

Thomas Cole and his life at Cedar Grove in

Cole’s Storehouse Studio, which would serve as

an orientation facility for visitors. The section of

the Storehouse Studio that served as Cole’s studio would be used to interpret his art, while the

other space, once used for storage, would provide visitor services and a bookshop. A new

building resembling the New Studio would be

“Let me transport

you to those wild

blue mountains

That rear their

summits near the

Hudson’s wave....”

Thomas Cole, “The Wild”
6 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

constructed because the landscape representing

Cole’s era at Cedar Grove would be incomplete

without it. Since paintings are important for interpreting Cole and the Hudson River School, it

is desirable to create high-quality gallery space to

exhibit works of art. The reconstructed New

Studio would display art by Thomas Cole and

Hudson River School artists. The grounds of the

Thomas Cole NHS would be restored to their

appearance in Cole’s time. The landscape would

be interpreted to explain life at Cedar Grove

during Cole’s era and how the site has evolved

since then.

An important aspect of the Thomas Cole NHS

mission is to interpret the surrounding landscape

that inspired Cole and other painters of the

Hudson River School. Within a 15-mile radius of

Cole’s house in Catskill, NY, significant landscapes

painted by Cole and other Hudson River artists,

including Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford,

survive intact. A Hudson River School Art Trail

would provide an unparalleled opportunity to

study American art in its geographic context.

The Thomas Cole NHS is intended to connect

visitors with other sites in the area related to

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. The

Thomas Cole NHS would encourage visitors to

visit nearby Olana, the home of Cole’s pupil

Frederic Church, and undertake partnership

programs with Olana. The Thomas Cole NHS,

which lies within the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, will work in partnership

with the national heritage area because that entity has adopted “Nature and Culture” as one of

its three major interpretive themes.

The exhibition of contemporary art related to

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School and

public education programs would be subsidiary

priorities to be undertaken as resources permit.

Contemporary art programs could include exhibits, an artist-in-residence program, children

and adult art education, and an elderhostel. The

programs could include teaching painting as well

as art history. Exhibiting contemporary art from

the Hudson Valley could be undertaken to a

greater extent if the gallery space in the New

Studio is completed.

This plan includes an environmental assessment

of possible impacts related to the alternatives.

This assessment finds that the potential impacts

are not significant, although additional visitors

will contribute to the local economy.

The GMP estimates the costs of each management alternative. The Thomas Cole NHS would

compete for funding annually for existing

authorized NPS programs with recurring appropriations such as Line Item Construction,

Repair/Rehab, Cyclic, and Cultural Cyclic. Any

federal assistance will be subject to NPS

priorities and available funds. The ability of the

Thomas Cole NHS to attract other sources of

funding will speed completion of the projects

outlined in this GMP.
 7

I. Context of the Plan

Purpose of the General Management Plan

This document serves two purposes: (1) it is a

draft general management plan (GMP) for the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site, and (2) it is

an environmental assessment (EA) for the GMP

that assesses the probable impacts of the alternative actions proposed in the GMP.

The Thomas Cole NHS GMP is more detailed

than the recommended GMP guidelines of the

National Park Service in Director’s Order-2

(DO-2). Due to the small size of the site and

the fact that this NPS affiliated area is involved

in specific projects on-site, its board wanted

to use the GMP process to develop specific

programmatic actions, not simply broad prescription statements.

A general management plan (GMP) is prepared

and periodically updated for each unit of the National Park Service. In designating the home of

Thomas Cole, at 218 Spring Street, Catskill, New

York, a National Historic Site (NHS), Congress

stipulated that this site complete a GMP. The

Thomas Cole NHS is not a unit managed by the

National Park Service, but is an “affiliated area”

of the national park system managed by the

Greene County Historical Society and a designated board of governors.

The purpose of this document is to develop

plans for the preservation and interpretation of

the site and define the role and responsibility of

the NPS with regard to the site. The GMP defines the basic philosophy of the site’s

management and provides broad guidance to

those who make the decisions that affect the

site’s resources and its visitors. A GMP sets the

direction for resource protection and visitor use

in consultation with the public. The Thomas

Cole NHS and the NPS will adopt the GMP

findings and use them to guide the management

of the site and their relationship to each other for

a period of 10 to 20 years.

To develop a GMP, the board of the Thomas

Cole NHS and the NPS must clearly define and

understand the site’s purpose, significance, and

Cedar Grove, by Frederic Edwin Church, October, 1848. Church’s sketch, showing main house, Storehouse Studio, and New Studio (l to r) and

fence along Spring Street, provides a guide for future restoration at the Thomas Cole NHS. Courtesy of the New York State Office of Parks,

Recreation and Historic Preservation, Olana State Historic Site.

“The painter Thomas

Cole was the first to

reside both summers

and winters in the

Catskills, and in so

doing aroused the

curiosity of the public.”

Hans Huth,

Nature and the American
8 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

goals. In order to focus attention and limited

funding on the resources that matter most, the

GMP must present an understanding of the site’s

purpose and the reason Congress designated it

an affiliated area of the national park system.

Goals describe the ideals that NPS and the Thomas Cole NHS strive to follow and the general

conditions that must be met for the site to

achieve its mission. Taken together, the purpose,

significance, and goals form the foundation for

the future course of the site.

The impacts of each alternative are described in

the environmental assessment (EA), which is

prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969, as amended. The draft GMP/EA describes

the management alternatives, after which the

national historic site, in consultation with the

NPS and the public, chooses the alternative to

be implemented. If no significant impacts are

identified, based upon the environment assessment, a Finding of No Significant Impact

(FONSI) will be prepared in accordance with

NEPA requirements.

Development and Legislative History of the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Thomas Cole’s home at Cedar Grove was designated a national historic landmark (NHL) in

recognition of its national significance in 1965.

The house was sold by Cole’s great-granddaughter Edith Cole Silberstein in 1979 to the Catskill

Center for Conservation and Development. Mrs.

Silberstein had held an auction in 1964 to sell artworks and artifacts from her house that were

connected to Thomas Cole. The Catskill Center

intended only to serve as a caretaker for the historic house until an entity stepped forward to

maintain the property.

In 1981, the Catskill Center sold Cedar Grove to

the Thomas Cole Foundation, which had been

created to manage the historic site. The Catskill

Thomas Cole’s House, by Charles

Herbert Moore, 1868. Courtesy of

Edith Cole Silberstein.
 9

Center conveyed Cedar Grove with a conservation easement that required preservation of the

house’s historic fabric. The conservation easement, which is still in effect for the current

owners, the Greene County Historical Society,

prohibits demolition of any of the existing structures and requires that the site be maintained to

an acceptable level of repair and that alterations

be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s

Standards for Rehabilitation.

The Foundation opened it to the public on limited

occasions and never had the house furnished. It

lacked the resources to maintain the property

and interpret Cole’s life there and, in the 1990s,

sought to transfer the property to the NPS.

The National Park Service first evaluated Cedar

Grove for inclusion in the national park system

in 1980, when it prepared the Thomas Cole House

Reconnaissance Study. The reconnaissance study

concluded that, although the site was nationally

significant, it could not recommend “full scale

creation of a national historic site” until several

management options involving little or no NPS

involvement had been explored. The reconnaissance study examined the alternatives of NPS

ownership and management of Cedar Grove, affiliated area status for the site, and no NPS

involvement. The NPS did not take action on

Cedar Grove for a decade.

In 1991, the Thomas Cole Suitability/Feasibility

Study determined that the home of Thomas

Cole was nationally significant, suitable, and

feasible for administration as a unit of the national park system. The management entity

that had taken control of the Thomas Cole site

was actively seeking NPS involvement. For its

part, the NPS took an expanded view of designating the Thomas Cole home a national

historic site, recognizing the importance of the

cultural landscape at both Cedar Grove and in

the surrounding Hudson River Valley and

Catskill Mountains. In 1993, the National Park

System Advisory Board affirmed its support for

establishing a Thomas Cole National Historic

Site. In 1998, the Greene County Historical Society was identified as a capable custodian for

owning and managing the historic site and acquired the property.

In 1999, Public Law 106-146, the Thomas Cole

National Historic Site Act, established the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY

as an affiliated area of the national park system

(See Appendix I: Enabling Legislation). The

Thomas Cole NHS is one of 24 affiliated areas,

which are owned and operated by local public

nonprofit organizations while receiving support

from and the advantages of inclusion under the

National Park Service. The legislation authorizes

the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with the Greene County

Historical Society to preserve the home of Thomas Cole and other structures at the historic site

and to assist with research, educational, and

interpretive programs of Cedar Grove and associated landscapes. The act also authorizes the

Secretary to enter into further cooperative agreements to facilitate public understanding of

Hudson River artists through art exhibits, artistin-residence programs, and other activities. This

may include cooperation with the neighboring

Olana State Historic Site, the home of Frederic

Church, Cole’s student and noted landscape

painter in his own right.The Thomas Cole NHS

may receive funds appropriated by Congress to

protect, preserve, maintain, and operate this historic site. Public Law 106-146 also directs the

Secretary of the Interior to prepare a general

management plan (GMP) for the historic site.

The Thomas Cole NHS opened to the public in

2001. Over 4,000 people visited the site the first

year. The gala opening took place on July 14,

2001, honoring Thomas Cole’s 200th birthday.

Over 1,500 people attended the gala opening. On

October 12–14, 2002 the Thomas Cole NHS, together with Olana and Columbia—Greene

County Community College, sponsored a symposium on “Thomas Cole: 200 Years of the

American Vision.” Making presentations were

nationally recognized scholars including David

Schuyler, Franklin and Marshall College; Kenneth John Myers, Freer Gallery of Art,
10 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Smithsonian Institution; Alan Wallach, College of

William and Mary; Ellwood C. Parry III, University of Arizona; Franklin Kelley, National Gallery

of Art; and Gerald Carr, independent scholar.

In 2002, the Thomas Cole NHS drew another

4,000 visitors and sponsored various exhibitions

and special events. The Thomas Cole NHS seeks

to schedule special exhibitions each season. The

2003 exhibitions included “Bon Voyage: Thomas

Cole in Europe,” an exhibition of prints that

traced Cole’s two trips to Europe; paintings by

recently deceased Hudson Valley artist Ralph

Wickiser; and paintings of the Hudson Valley by

children’s book illustrator Thomas Locker.

The Thomas Cole NHS maintains a website that

provides updated information on special events,

directions, and background information on Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove. The website address

is www.thomascole.org.

Thomas Cole National Historic Site, General Plan, 2003. Prepared by R.M. Toole, L.A.
 11

Site Description

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is located in Catskill, NY, a community of 11,989 on

the western bank of the Hudson River, 32 miles

south of Albany and 143 miles north of New York

City. The site is approximately one-half mile

from the village center and just a few hundred

feet from the access road to the Rip Van Winkle

Bridge, a major Hudson River crossing that provides access to the Catskill Park and Forest

Preserve from the east.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is located on a 3.4-acre parcel at 218 Spring Street, in

Catskill, NY. Known as Cedar Grove, the Thomas Cole site includes three historic

structures—the main house, the Storehouse Studio, and a privy. The New Studio, which Cole

designed and built on the southern edge of the

property in 1846 and used until his death in 1848,

was demolished in 1973. Except for the disappearance of that building, the site appears very

much the way it did in 1848, when Cole died and

his student Frederic Church sketched the estate.

The grounds of the historic site are maintained

with grassy lawns, trees bordering each side of

the parcel, and other scattered plantings. In

2002, two small beds of flowers were planted to

resemble plantings from a painting done of the

main house in the 1860s. A path leads under a

bower onto the site from the Temple Israel parking lot. It connects to the main house and the

Storehouse Studio.

A modern-day garage screened by trees stands at

the rear of the site. The Greene County Historical Society, owner of Cedar Grove, also owns the

abutting Scott House, 36 Hudson Avenue, and

the McCord House, 107 Spring Street. The Thomas Cole NHS is interested in using the Scott

House as the living quarters for the executive director or a caretaker or possibly for office and

meeting space functions. The McCord House is

currently used as a residence for caretakers. The

entire real estate holdings, including the Scott and

McCord Houses, total approximately 5.5 acres.

The Thomas Cole NHS is surrounded by a

neighborhood of well-maintained, modest

single- family homes dating mainly from the

1920s through the 1950s. Commercial structures

stand at the nearby crossroads of Routes 23 and

385, but they are screened from the main house

by mature plantings. The closest abutter on the

north is Temple Israel, a synagogue built in 1977

on a parcel that once belonged to the Cedar

Grove estate. The one-story structure is attractively landscaped and has a parking lot that

visitors to the Cole NHS use for parking. The

Thomas Cole NHS has an informal agreement

for its visitors to use the parking lot. The temple

has the right to give a one-month notice terminating the parking agreement.

The house at Cedar Grove is a two-story brick

structure built in 1815. The only addition has

been a three-story north wing built around

1870. A one-story porch runs the length of the

south and west facades, and a two-tiered porch

covers the eastern half of the north facade.

There is also a ground floor that can be entered

at grade through a door under the south porch,

and an attic.

The interior of the house is organized symmetrically around a central hall. On the first floor, the

original house has a west parlor, east parlor, library/office, and pantry. On the second floor, the

house has four bedrooms, including a nursery.

The recently restored ground floor has a kitchen,

pantry, wine cellar, and other storage spaces. The

rooms on the first floor have high ceilings and

windows. The west-facing, second-floor bedroom, where the artist died, looks out on the

Catskill Mountains.

The central hall, west parlor, and west bedroom

are furnished with period furniture from the

Greene County Historical Society collection.
12 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

There are a number of artifacts that belonged to

Thomas Cole and his family. The east parlor, east

bedroom, and north bedroom have interpretive

exhibits and displays of paintings by Hudson

River artists, including changing exhibits of contemporary artists.

Since acquiring Cedar Grove in 1998, the Greene

County Historical Society has spent close to one

million dollars in restoring the property, primarily the main house. This work has included

preparing interpretative panels. Funding sources

have included the Beecher Trust, the State of

New York, and Benjamin Moore Paints, which

paid for painting the interior and exterior of the

main house. The Thomas Cole NHS has received

an additional $250,000 from the Athens Generating Plant settlement (in order to receive a permit,

the Athens Generating Plant has provided mitigation funds to various entities in the area) to be

used primarily for restoring the Storehouse Studio. The Thomas Cole NHS has also received

$222,000 in federal funding—$200,000 from the

Save America’s Treasures program is being used

to complete the restoration of the Storehouse

Studio, and $22,000 from U.S. Department of

Transportation funds is being used to improve access to the site. The Thomas Cole NHS is seeking

additional federal funding for future budget years.

The Thomas Cole NHS also owns the burial plot

of Thomas Cole and his family. It is located onehalf mile away at the Thompson Street Cemetery.

Visitor Use at Thomas Cole NHS

In 2001, the first year of operation for the Thomas Cole NHS, approximately 4,000 visitors

came to the historic house. In 2002, approximately 4,000 again came to visit Cedar Grove.

Thomas Cole’s Cedar Grove has been open 10:00

A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Friday and Saturday from

early May until the end of October. It is open

from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Sundays. Cedar

Grove also is open on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day.

Special group visits by reservation are offered

throughout the year and are eligible for special

admission rates.

The admission fee is $5. The grounds are open

at no charge daily from 8:00 A.M. until sunset.

Docents offer a house tour and an introduction

to the life of Thomas Cole lasting approximately

a half hour. No more than 15 persons make up a

single group. Exhibitions of artwork thematically related to the Hudson River School are

presented during the season. Special receptions

are held at exhibit openings.

Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

Thomas Cole (1801–1848) burst upon the American art scene in 1825, when he sold his first

dramatic landscape paintings in New York City

to well-known artists Asher B. Durand, Colonel

John Trumbull, and William Dunlap. The paintings that so impressed these worthies were scenes

depicting the Hudson River Valley and the

Catskill Mountains, such as Kaaterskill Falls and

Lake with Dead Trees. That year Cole had traveled up the Hudson River to explore and paint

the Catskill Mountains. He stopped at the village

of Catskill, the Hudson River port of disembarkation for the Catskill Mountains, and visited the

recently built Catskill Mountain House.

Cole’s paintings helped popularize travel in this

area. The Erie Canal had just opened and

Americans were starting to travel for pleasure in

their country. Thomas Cole’s paintings helped

Americans see their country in a fresh way.

Cole’s dramatic landscapes so pleased art patrons in New York that he painted many more

in the ensuing years. James Fenimore Cooper

admired Cole’s work and commissioned him to

paint scenes described in his novel The Last of

the Mohicans.

New York City became Cole’s base of operation.

He maintained a studio and spent the winter

months in the city. His parents lived there with

him. Cole joined New York’s growing circle of

writers and painters, befriending Cooper,

Durand, and poet-editor William Cullen Bryant.

He helped establish the National Academy of

Design with artists Samuel F. B. Morse and

Henry Inman.
 13

After traveling in Europe between 1829 and 1832,

Cole revisited the Catskills in the spring and fall

of 1833. The following year, he rented studio and

living space at the Cedar Grove home of John

(“Uncle Sandy”) Alexander Thomson in the village of Catskill. The estate, situated on the west

bank of the Hudson River, afforded panoramic

views of the Catskill Mountains. Cole returned

to Cedar Grove the next two summers and fell in

love with Thomson’s niece Maria Bartow (1813–

1884). In November of 1836, Cole married her at

Cedar Grove and made the estate his primary

residence for the rest of his life. The Coles had

four children—Theodore, Mary, Emily, and Thomas II. Also living in the household were “Uncle

Sandy” (until his death in 1846), and Maria’s

three unmarried sisters, Emily, Harriet, and

Frances, as well as household help. Since Catskill

was a day-trip by steamboat away from New

York City, he frequently traveled between the

two places. In New York, he met with patrons,

artists, and other cultural leaders and maintained

a studio. Cole spent many winters in New York,

but on several occasions he stayed in Catskill

over the winter when the Hudson River froze.

This included the winter of 1848, when Cole died

at Cedar Grove.

Cole was deeply attached to Cedar Grove, which

he considered a respite from the hurly-burly of

New York City. When leaving at the end of the

1834 summer season, two years before he marLandscape Elements, Cedar Grove, 1848. Prepared by R.M. Toole, L.A.
14 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

ried Maria Bartow, Cole penned the following

hymn of praise:

O Cedar Grove! when’er I think to part

From thine all peaceful shades my aching heart

Is like to his who leaves some blessed shore

A weeping exile ne’er to see it more.1

Thomas Cole painted many of his most famous

paintings in Catskill. These included Catskill

Mountain landscapes and his allegorical series

The Course of Empire (1833–36), Departure and

Return (1837), Past and Present (1838), The Voyage

of Life (1839–40), and The Cross and the World

(1848). Although Cole regarded his allegorical

works most highly, he continued to paint dramatic wilderness views because they were

popular with the public.

Cole worked on some paintings in the main

house. Before he married Maria Bartow, Cole

had rented space at Cedar Grove for living and

painting during the summer months. He used

the now-demolished “Cottage” outbuilding for a

studio for three summers before his marriage

(1834–36) and for three years after, until Mr.

Thomson built a storehouse that Cole used as a

studio between 1839 and 1846. Cole had planned

to use the storehouse, referred to as the Storehouse Studio, for a short time, but he ended up

using it for eight years. In 1846, Cole constructed

a purpose-built studio, referred to as the New

Studio. He used it for the 14 months before he

died, in 1848.

Cole never gained great riches from his painting

and led a modest life at Cedar Grove. Artist Jasper Cropsey wrote how Cedar Grove did not

exude “luxurie and wealth.” In 1841, Cole bought

a 2.5-acre parcel near the house at Cedar Grove

on which to build his own house. He even went

so far as to make architectural drawings for an

Italianate villa, which he never built because of

“hard times.” Artists struggled in the antebellum

era—Cole’s modest home at Cedar Grove contrasts markedly with the elaborate Persian villa

his student Frederic Church built across the

Hudson River at Olana during the 1870s, when

art had become more of a paying proposition.

Cole was drawn to the village of Catskill by its

proximity to the Catskill Mountains. He loved to

hike into the depths of the Catskills, sometimes

in the company of fellow artists, family, and

friends, but often by himself. The mountains,

with their dramatic views and shifting moods, offered the experience of the sublime that inspired

Cole’s art. The Catskills engendered a spiritual

experience for a man who was deeply religious:

I stood among the mountain heights, alone!

The beauteous mountains, which the voyager

On Hudson’s breast far in the purple west

Magnificent beholds; the abutments broad

Whence springs the immeasurable dome of heaven.2

As Cole hiked the mountains and valleys of the

Catskills, he wrote poetry and prose about the

power of nature as well as sketching the striking

scenery. Catskill Creek, a short distance from his

home, was one of his favorite settings. He made

at least a dozen paintings of the scene with the

Catskills in the distance, including an 1843 work

with the first view of a railroad in a scenic landscape by a major American artist. In 1844, Cole

took his first pupil, Frederic Church, a Hartford

youth who stayed at Cedar Grove for two years.

The next year, Cole took on Benjamin McConkey.

They did not receive regular instruction from

Cole, but they received studio space, access to

the master, and expeditions with Cole into the

mountains. Cole preferred to treat his students

as friends.

After Thomas Cole died, his home became a

scene of pilgrimage. Frederic Church and Jasper

Cropsey came to contemplate the house and

record their observations in sketchbooks. In

1853, Cropsey prepared a series of drawings of

Cedar Grove that enhanced the estate’s fame.

Jasper Cropsey literally and figuratively traveled

in Cole’s footsteps, renting Cole’s former studio

in Rome, incorporating Cole’s style into his own,

even using landscapes for allegorical expressions.
 15

In fact, a painting until recently attributed to

Cole, Station of the Cross, Italy (1844), was found

to have been signed by Cropsey.

Cole’s wife Maria and their children maintained

the New Studio as a shrine and sitting room.

Cole’s paintings and artifacts remained on view

for many years. Art historian Sandra S. Phillips

wrote, “Cole was an artistic saint and thus his

environment became a shrine.” 3 During the

1850s and 1860s, artists Benjamin B. G. Stone

(1854) and Charles Herbert Moore (1865–1871)

rented rooms and studio space at Cedar Grove,

where they developed their painting styles. Later

on, Charles Herbert Moore built his own house

north of Cedar Grove.

Cole’s Influence on American Culture

Thomas Cole’s impressive landscape works arrived at the perfect time. Even though the

financial lot of the artist in America was precarious in the pre-Civil War years, interest in art by

patrons and the general public grew dramatically,

especially with American themes. It was Thomas

Cole who made landscape painting an important

genre. In his early years, Cole specialized in scenic views, though he imbued them with

spirituality and sense of national grandeur. He

continued to paint dramatic scenery, but made

the landscape more of a setting for allegorical

and religious themes during the 1830s and 1840s.

Thomas Cole was a major cultural figure in New

York during these years, a period of growing

achievement in the American arts. New York

City and Boston were the leading cultural centers

of the new nation. Active in New York City during this period were writers James Fenimore

Cooper, Washington Irving, and William Cullen

Bryant, and painters Asher B. Durand and

Samuel F. B. Morse. Cole knew and was respected by them all. Cole took Bryant, Durand,

and William Sidney Mount on excursions in the

Catskills and more far-flung destinations in the

Northeast. Cole’s paintings were exhibited at the

leading annual art shows in New York, Boston,

and Philadelphia. Cole wrote poetry and essays

promoting his views on American culture, painting, and nature. He kept well informed about

intellectual developments in America and Europe

and used his two lengthy European visits in 1829–

32 and 1841–42 to deepen his cultural perspective.

When Cole died in 1848, William Cullen Bryant

eulogized him at the National Academy of Design. In reviewing Cole’s career, Bryant claimed

that Cole was the preeminent painter of his era.

To commemorate Bryant’s eulogy of Cole, Asher

B. Durand painted Durand’s Kindred Spirits

(1849), a painting of Thomas Cole and poet William Cullen Bryant situated in the Catskills. One

of the most famous paintings of the Hudson

River School, Kindred Spirits was intended to express Cole’s strong influence on American

culture. Art historian Ellwood C. Parry III, the

author of Cole’s biography, has written: “To trace

the full extent of Thomas Cole’s influence on the

next generation of American landscape painters,

focusing on prominent figures like Asher B.

Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, and Jasper F.

Cropsey, but not forgetting lesser characters such

as Benjamin McConkey, Charles Baker, and John

M. Falconer, would require another book teeming with illustrations.” 4 Even into the 21st

century, Cole has provided inspiration to artists

pursuing personal expression.

Besides influencing painting and poetry, Cole

also shaped the way Americans thought about

preserving nature. Cole decried the destruction

of beautiful landscapes in poetry, essays, and

some of his paintings. In his 1835 “Essay on

American Scenery,” Cole remonstrated: “The

ravages of the axe are daily increasing, and the

most noble scenes are often laid desolate with a

wantonness and barbarism scarcely credible in a

people who call themselves civilized.” Historian

David Schuyler wrote that Cole’s concerns about

the destruction of “noble scenes” ranked among

the “earliest articulations of a conservationist

ethos in nineteenth-century America.”5 For his

contributions to the conservation movement,

Black Mountain, in the Catskills, was renamed

Mount Thomas Cole.

“Mr.Thomson [Cole’s

wife’s uncle] has lately

erected a sort of storehouse, and has let me

have part of it for a

temporary paintingroom. It answers pretty

well—is somewhat

larger than my old one,

and being removed

from the noise and

bustle of the house, is

really charming.”

Thomas Cole letter to Asher B.

Durand, 1839, upon moving into

the Storehouse Studio
16 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Thomas Cole helped develop the American belief that the divine providence guiding the

nation’s destiny is manifest in the wonders of its

landscape. Cole made the Catskills and Hudson

Valley into symbols of national greatness for his

generation. Cole in his lecture on “American

Scenery” delivered at the Catskill Lyceum in 1841

(a revised version of the 1835 essay) said: “There

are those who, through ignorance or prejudice,

strive to maintain that American scenery possesses little that is interesting or truly beautiful;

that it is rude without picturesqueness, and monotonous without sublimity; that being destitute

of the vestiges of antiquity, which so strongly affect the mind, it may not be compared with

European scenery. ... Though American scenery

is destitute of many of those circumstances that

give value to the European, still it has features,

and noble ones, unknown to Europe.”6 Art historian Barbara Novak, in Nature and Culture:

American Landscape and Painting, 1825–1875

(1980), argued that Cole changed American

views of art and nature by transferring the rhetoric of the esteemed genre of history painting to

landscape painting. Cole substituted the American landscape for a missing national tradition.

Americans not only sought out landscape paintings, they traveled to the sites that inspired them.

Cole played a major role in making the Catskills

a leading tourist destination. By making Catskill,

NY, his primary residence, he influenced artists

to make their homes in the Hudson Valley, as

Sandra Phillips maintained in Charmed Places:

Hudson River Artists and Their Houses, Studios,

and Vistas (1988). Historian Hans Huth wrote:

“The painter Thomas Cole was the first to reside

both summers and winters in the Catskills, and

in so doing aroused the curiosity of the public.” 7

Interest in Thomas Cole and the Hudson River

School has grown since the 1960s—witness the

interest in preserving and interpreting the homes

of Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. People interested in preserving the natural environment

and celebrating the cultural contributions on the

Hudson River Valley have been inspired by the

work of Thomas Cole. During the summer of

2001, The New York Times ran a series of 10 articles about the Hudson River School of painting

and the environment that encouraged it. Interest

in the subject is at a high point.
 17

Methodology

The National Park Service takes an interdisciplinary approach to planning. Specialists skilled in

the fields of community planning, history, architecture, landscape architecture, archeology,

collections management, transportation planning, and interpretation have participated on the

planning team. Members of the Board of Governors of Thomas Cole’s Cedar Grove and

representatives of other institutions in the

Catskill, NY, area also have participated on the

planning team (See Appendix V: List of

Preparers).

The GMP planning process and opportunities

for public input were covered in the “Cedar

Grove: The National Historic Site” quarterly

newsletters for 2002 and 2003. These newsletters

are distributed to over 500 people.

The project team met to outline the GMP issues

and to take responsibility for planning and research tasks at a workshop held on January 12,

2002. On March 21, 2002 a public meeting took

place at the restored Freight Master’s Building at

Catskill Point, in Catskill, NY, attended by 30

people. Participants provided ideas about how

the Thomas Cole NHS should proceed with future development. Some of the issues included

restoring the Storehouse Studio, providing visitor

center space at Cedar Grove, creating the

Hudson River Art Trail, and forming closer partnerships with other organizations, including

Olana. Meeting participants argued that interpretive themes should include Thomas Cole’s

artistic career, his influence as founder of the

Hudson River School, his influence on the conservation movement, and the history of the

Cedar Grove estate.

II. Planning Background and Issues

“It was Cole who

made it clear to the

New York circle that

American landscape

was a potent source

for artistic expression.”

Joshua C. Taylor,

Fine Arts in America

View of Cedar Grove, from F.W.

Beers, Atlas of Greene County, New

York, 1867. Courtesy of New York

State Archives, Albany, NY.

Cottage/Barns

House

Cole’s 2nd Studio

The grove
18 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

On July 9, 2002 the project team met to review

research that had been done during the previous

months and discuss potential management alternatives and mission and significance statements

for the GMP. The project manager met with the

Board of Governors of the Thomas Cole NHS

on October 9, 2002 to discuss the development

of the GMP and draft alternatives. Copies of the

draft alternatives were sent to members of the

Board of Governors and Board of Advisors for

the Thomas Cole National Historic Site to obtain

their comments. In February, July, and September 2003, the project team and the Board of

Governors provided additional comments on the

full draft GMP. (See Consultation and Public Involvement section for further information.)

Planning Issues

Based on the input from the Thomas Cole NHS

board, public comments, and findings of resource studies, the planning team identified a set

of interrelated issues involved in making Cedar

Grove an effective national historic site.

HISTORIC STRUCTURES

The main house has been recently refurbished,

but there remain issues of providing universal access and deciding how to use and interpret

specific spaces. The Storehouse Studio, where

Cole painted important works such as The Voyage of Life series, is currently in need of

structural repair. The Thomas Cole NHS board

wants to stabilize the Storehouse Studio and is

Main House, Cedar Grove. Courtesy of R.M. Toole, L.A.
 19

considering the most appropriate uses for this

building that showcase Thomas Cole’s artistic

achievements. The Thomas Cole NHS is exploring the reconstruction of the New Studio, which

was demolished in the 1970s.

INTERPRETATION

To understand the career and influence of Thomas Cole, visitors, including school groups,

should be exposed to exhibits, programs, and

other forms of interpretation that convey the historic and cultural significance of this site. The

modest facilities and the collection of art and

artifacts of the Thomas Cole NHS need to be enhanced to support the interpretive programming.

VISITOR SERVICES

The Thomas Cole NHS needs more space than is

available in the main house for visitor orientation, additional interpretative exhibits, a retail

store, and a rest room. The GMP would examine

where to put these visitor facilities.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

During Thomas Cole’s period of occupancy,

Cedar Grove was a farm estate of about 110

acres. A Cultural Landscape Report relates the

history of this property as known from current

research and site investigations. This background is necessary for interpreting Cole’s

domestic life at Cedar Grove.

The character of Cedar Grove’s historic landscape will serve as a benchmark for

understanding the landscape changes that have

occurred in the 150 years since Cole’s death. The

Cultural Landscape Report focuses on today’s

historic site to provide detailed information

about the NHS property in the context of the

larger historic farm parcel. This study traces how

the Cedar Grove landscape has changed over the

years and will guide decisions about further land

acquisition, treatment of the landscape, public access, landscape maintenance, and interpretation.

This study would also guide the replanting of

gardens at Cedar Grove. One of the main issues

has been whether to restore the grounds to their

appearance during Thomas Cole’s lifetime or to a

later period when ornamental flower gardens

were maintained by his granddaughter Florence

Cole Vincent.

COLLECTIONS

The Thomas Cole NHS has collections of furniture, artwork, and Cole-related artifacts. These

are the property of the Greene County Historical

Society, which also operates another historic

house and a library. The site needs to develop

policies for storing, caring for, interpreting, and

collecting objects. One of the major questions is

whether Cedar Grove should display paintings

either owned by itself or borrowed from others.

Potential issues include what kinds of artwork

would be exhibited, what kind of permanent collection should be pursued, and what kind of

security, environmental controls, and maintenance would be required.

TRANSPORTATION ACCESS

Transportation access and parking are important

for attracting visitors to the Thomas Cole NHS

and for encouraging visitors to explore sites in

the region where Thomas Cole painted his dramatic landscapes. Transportation issues include

transit links with Olana, sites in the village of

Catskill, and Hudson River School painting sites

in the Catskill Mountains. Pedestrian and bike

linkages between these sites and the Hudson

River Greenway and the village center should be

considered. As the site develops, it will be important to maintain adequate parking.

HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL ART TRAIL

An important element of the program of the Thomas Cole NHS is interpreting the scenes which

inspired the works of Thomas Cole and other

Hudson River artists. The Thomas Cole NHS has

been seeking to develop an Art Trail with wayside
20 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

exhibits and directional signs at sites in Catskill,

NY, and in the Catskill Forest Preserve.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER HERITAGE, CULTURAL,

AND TOURISM ORGANIZATIONS

The planning team has been examining how to

develop partnerships that enhance the experience at Cedar Grove and more effectively

interpret the Hudson River School of painting.

The Hudson River Valley is one of the most historically rich regions of the country and has been

designated by Congress as a national heritage

area. The Thomas Cole NHS would be an ideal

partner to work with the Hudson River Valley

National Heritage Area. The Thomas Cole NHS

has been mentioned as an important resource in

the national heritage area management plan.

Hudson Valley artist homes are a major cultural

resource. They include Frederic Church’s Olana,

Hudson (New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation); Samuel F.B.

Morse’s Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie; Jasper

Cropsey’s Ever Rest, Hastings-on-Hudson; and

the Edward Hopper House, Nyack. National

Park Service sites in the Hudson Valley include

the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site

in Hyde Park and the Martin Van Buren National

Historic Site (Lindenwald) in Kinderhook.

There is an obvious link to Olana, the home of

Cole’s student Frederic Church. Joint activities

with Olana are already taking place. With the development of a proposed Olana Visitor Center,

there are further opportunities for shared interpretation and visitor services and public transit.

There is great potential for Cedar Grove, Olana,

and the Hudson River School painting sites to

become a major regional destination.

There might be possible partnerships with art

museums in the region, including the Albany Institute of Art and History; the Newington

Cropsey Foundation at Hastings-on-Hudson,

NY; the Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY;

the Samuel F. B. Morse House “Locust Grove” in

Poughkeepsie, NY; and the National Academy of

Design in New York (Cole was a founding member of the National Academy of Design in 1826).
 21

III. Resource Analysis

The planning team identified several distinct areas of analysis necessary to develop management

alternatives for the Thomas Cole NHS. This research included an assessment of the costs and

impacts of each action. A summary of the scope

and findings of each action follows.

Historic Structures

The NPS Northeast Building Conservation

Branch has prepared a Historic Structures Report, “The Artist Studios of Thomas Cole, Cedar

Grove, Catskill, New York,” to provide information necessary for undertaking restoration and

reconstruction efforts. This report helped the

project team understand how the Old and New

Studios could be important resources for interpreting the artistic career of Thomas Cole. The

report also indicated that sufficient background

material exists to inform a judicious restoration

of the Storehouse Studio and construction of a

new structure resembling the New Studio. A Historic Structures Report has not been done for

“Though American

scenery is destitute of

many of those circumstances that give value to

the European, still it has

features, and noble ones,

unknown to Europe.”

Thomas Cole, “American Scenery”

Thomas Cole (right) is pictured

posthumously with his friend, poet

William Cullen Bryant, in this famous

memorial painting. Asher B. Durand,

Kindred Spirits, 1849. Collections of

The New York Public Library, Astor,

Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
22 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

the main house, although the building has undergone substantial restoration. Since further

restoration work is anticipated and new research

material could enhance the interpretation of the

house, it is suggested that a Historic Structures

Report be completed for the main house.

Cultural Landscape

Consultant landscape architect Robert M. Toole

has worked with the Thomas Cole NHS to develop an initial landscape research report (June

2002) that provides hitherto unavailable information for understanding to state of the site during

Thomas Cole’s time and thereafter. Mr. Toole

has expanded this research in a Cultural Landscape Report. This material will inform a

historically oriented restoration of Cedar Grove’s

landscape. Landscape architects from the

Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation have

provided input on behalf of the National Park

Service. In support of this work, NPS archeologists from the Northeast Cultural Resources

Center have undertaken a preliminary archeological study of the Cedar Grove garden to

identify archeological resources prior to the

Thomas Cole NHS’s 2002 garden replanting.

Collections

Staff from the NPS Northeast Museum Services

Center have assisted the site in developing a Scope

of Collection Statement for Cedar Grove’s collections. The recommendations stemmed from a

“Trip Report: General Collections-Related Issues

for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site” (June

2002). The Scope of Collection Statement defines

what Cedar Grove should collect and why. By developing such a statement, the site obtains a

clearer sense of its mission and its needs for

physical curatorial and storage facilities. Since the

collections of the Thomas Cole NHS are part of

an umbrella collection of the Greene County Historical Society, a collections policy helps order the

relationship between artifacts that belong with the

historical society and with the NHS.

Rear View of Main House, Cedar Grove.

Courtesy of R.M. Toole, L.A.
 23

Plan showing all of Cedar Grove property, 1848. Prepared by R.M. Toole, L.A.
24 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Northeast Museum Services Center staff prepared a separate “Trip Report: Collection

Storage for the Thomas Cole National Historic

Site” (July 2002) on storage needs. This trip report described how the Thomas Cole NHS has

unexhibited collections scattered through 12 locations in five different buildings. There are

seven different places in the main house where

unexhibited collections are stored. The trip report recommends various steps the board of the

Thomas Cole NHS can take to professionalize its

storage of collections over the short term (one to

five years) and the long term (five to ten years).

While the Board of Governors of the Thomas

Cole NHS does not wish to fully furnish Cedar

Grove, the Northeast Museum Services Center

recommends that the Thomas Cole NHS consider a Historic Furnishings Report as a future

project. A Historic Furnishings Report would be

a valuable tool for the Thomas Cole NHS in its

consideration of appropriate acquisitions. It

would consolidate all extant information about

the house’s furnishings and recommends furnishings appropriate to the most significant time

period to be interpreted by the NHS.

Transportation Access

Consultants Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype and

Carol Johnson Associates have undertaken a study

of public access, parking, and transit options for

the Thomas Cole NHS—“Transportation Study,

Thomas Cole National Historic Site” (July 2002).

The study provides options for increasing parking for regular visitation and special events. The

study also describes strategies for enhancing

public access to painting sites at Cedar Grove,

Catskill Creek, and in the Catskill Mountains.

Archeology

NPS archeology staff initiated archeological

work at Cedar Grove by undertaking an excavation around the path leading southward from the

main house in order to discover whether flower

gardens had once been planted there, as was depicted in a painting by Charles Herbert Moore in

1868. The archeological team found some evidence

of a flower garden and no evidence of other significant activities. This enabled the site managers

to proceed with planting flowers where the

Moore painting indicated they had existed.

Additional archeological research needs to be

done in this area and at selected other places on

the Cedar Grove estate before decisions are

made about a final cultural landscape treatment

for the site. Archeological study can make a valuable contribution to understanding landscape

changes and property use over time, identifying

specific locations for buildings and landscape

features, and interpreting domestic life and activities on the site. Archeology can trace the

existence of roadbeds, paths, and garden beds as

well as artifacts that can help interpret life at Cedar Grove. Archeological surveys would be

needed before reconstructing the entrance piers

and fence along Spring Street. Ultimately, archeological research is needed before finalizing

decisions about reconstructing the New Studio.

Such research could uncover the foundation and

may discover architectural hardware useful for

understanding the design of the lost building.
 25

Purpose and Significance of Thomas Cole

National Historic Site

The foundation for the general management plan

rests on the site’s purpose and significance. The

purpose and significance statements are based

on the site’s authorizing legislation and its legislative history. The purpose states why the park was

established as an “affiliated area” of the national

park system. The site significance defines the

site’s place within its broader national context.

SITE PURPOSE

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site preserves and interprets Cedar Grove, the primary

residence and workplace of artist Thomas Cole.

This site interprets Cole’s impact on the Hudson

River School of painting, which he helped found,

as well as his broader impact on American culture in the first half of the 19th century.

This statement of site purpose has been developed from the findings and purposes in the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site Act (1999),

IV. Purpose, Goals and Themes

which have been confirmed by the planning process and operation of the Thomas Cole National

Historic Site:

Findings

1. The Hudson River School of landscape painting was inspired by Thomas Cole. The group of

19th-century landscape artists recorded and celebrated the landscape and wilderness of

America, particularly in the Hudson River Valley

region in the state of New York.

2. Thomas Cole is recognized as America’s most

prominent landscape and allegorical painter of

the mid-19th century.

3. Located in Greene County, NY, the Thomas

Cole House, also known as Thomas Cole’s Cedar

Grove, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a

National Historic Landmark.

4. Within a 15-mile radius of the Thomas Cole

House, an area that forms a key part of the rich

cultural and natural heritage of the Hudson

River Valley region, significant landscapes and

“It was while he was

thus engaged that he

married and fixed his

residence at Catskill, in

a region singular for its

romantic beauty, where

the remainder of his life

was as happy as domestic harmony, his own

gentle and genial temper, and the love of those

by whom he was surrounded, could make it.”

William Cullen Bryant,

“On the Life of Thomas Cole: A

Funeral Oration”

Postcard of Storehouse Studio as an

antiques shop, c.1930. Courtesy of

Greene County Historical Society.
26 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Thomas Cole’s First [Storehouse] Studio, by Charles Herbert Moore, 1862. Courtesy of the Greene County Historical Society.
 27

scenes painted by Thomas Cole and other

Hudson River artists, such as Frederic Church,

survive intact.

5. The State of New York has established the

Hudson River Valley Greenway to promote the

preservation, public use, and enjoyment of the

natural and cultural resources of the Hudson

River Valley region.

6. Establishment of the Thomas Cole National

Historic Site will provide opportunities for the

illustration and interpretation of cultural

themes of the heritage of the United States and

unique opportunities for education, public use,

and enjoyment.

Purposes

1. To preserve and interpret the home and studio

of Thomas Cole for the benefit, inspiration, and

education of the people of the United States;

2. to help maintain the integrity of the setting in

the Hudson River Valley region that inspired artistic expression;

3. to coordinate the interpretive, preservation,

and recreational efforts of Federal, State, and

other entities in the Hudson Valley region in order to enhance opportunities for education,

public use, and enjoyment; and

4. to broaden understanding of the Hudson

River School of painting and its role in American

history and culture.

SITE SIGNIFICANCE

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site includes

the home that Cole inhabited between 1836 and

1848, as well as studio sites where he painted

many of his most famous works. The site also has

various artifacts and works of art connected to

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School of

painting. Since the NHS is located near scenes

painted by Cole and other artists, it is well positioned to interpret the connection between their

art and the landscapes that inspired them.

The site’s significance was described in the 1965

National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination:

Thomas Cole, pioneer interpreter of the romantic beauty of the American landscape, is

one of America’s notable allegorical painters of

the first half of the nineteenth century, and the

finest landscape painter of his time. The

Hudson River school, which is receiving renewed attention today, sprang up largely

because of Cole’s work, and his landscapes remain outstanding examples of that school.

The Cole House in Catskill, New York is an attractive brick building that has been little

altered since its construction in 1812–1814. To

the east of the house is the two-story clapboard

studio which Cole used until 1846.

The Thomas Cole House was identified in the

National Park System Plan of 1972 as a National

Historic Landmark representing “Romanticism

in American Art, 1800–1840.” With the revision

of the thematic structure in 1987, the Cole

House was categorized under the theme “Painting and Sculpture: Romanticism” and included

in a list of seven artist homes that have been

designated National Historic Landmarks. Of

the seven, Cole is considered the most important artist to scholars of American art.8

Since the designation of Thomas Cole’s Cedar

Grove as a National Historic Landmark, the

reputations of Cole and the Hudson River

School of artists have risen dramatically. Cole

and the Hudson River School have been the

subject of many important museum exhibitions

and books. The 1991 Thomas Cole Suitability/

Feasibility Study used some of those publications

to explain the critical significance of his work.

In Fine Arts in America, Joshua C. Taylor, former

director of the National Museum of American

Art, Smithsonian Institution, noted:

It was Cole who made it clear to the New York

circle that American landscape was a potent

source for artistic expression.... Cole had not

simply called their attention to Hudson River
28 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

scenery; he had raised it to the level of art....

Probably drawn to landscape by the generalized theories of sublime nature that had come

down from the eighteenth century, with his fiery sense of drama and his great skill in

projecting his own energy into natural scenery he gave his painting a sense of both

universal and personal vision.... Thought of

in this way, the wild scenery of the Catskills

and the White Mountains took on a quality

that the more domesticated European scenery

could not provide.9

In 1988, Ellwood C. Parry III published the definitive Cole biography—The Art of Thomas Cole:

Ambition and Imagination, which presents a detailed argument for Thomas Cole’s preeminent

place in mid-19th-century American painting.

Major exhibitions and catalogues have included

American Paradise: The World of the Hudson

River School (Metropolitan Museum of Art,

1987), Charmed Places: Hudson River Artists and

Their Houses, Studios, and Vistas (Bard College,

Vassar College et al., 1988), and American Sublime: Landscape Painting in the United States,

1820–1880 (Tate Modern, Pennsylvania Academy

of Fine Arts, 2002). Cole has been represented

in every major retrospective of American art,

including the exhibition A New World: Masterpieces of American Painting 1760–1910 (Boston

Museum of Fine Arts, 1983). In the catalogue for

that show, Theodore Stebbins wrote:

Cole was quite simply the ablest landscape

painter of his time.... He exulted in nature’s

variety, and identified her changing moods.

He was a poet, a gifted essayist, prolific letterwriter, theorist, and traveler; he drew

constantly and well, and he was not afraid to

use his paints quickly and exuberantly. He

was also much more than a landscape

painter; he was a teacher and in a sense a history painter in his every work. As such, he

was too sophisticated for his patrons, and he

engaged in a constant struggle to combat and

modify their taste for simple and recognizable

American views.10

The 1991 NPS suitability/feasibility study recommended that the perfect vehicle for interpreting

the career and art of Thomas Cole would be his

home, Cedar Grove. The Cole site also offers an

unparalleled opportunity to interpret the regional landscape, which inspired Cole and other

artists. The landscape of the Catskill Mountains,

which can be viewed from the porch (formerly

called “piazza”) of Cedar Grove, has not

changed significantly from Cole’s time. Much of

the mountain scenery is within the boundaries of

the Catskill Forest Preserve, which is managed by

the State of New York, Department of Environmental Conservation to remain “forever wild,” in

accordance with Article 14 of the New York State

Constitution. Many of Cole’s masterpieces depict scenes that are easily recognizable and are

accessible within a 15-mile drive of Cedar Grove.

These same views were painted by other members of the Hudson River School, including

Jasper Cropsey, Asher B. Durand, Frederic

Church, and Sanford Gifford. The trails and

viewpoints that Cole and other artists painted

still exist, though they are not as of yet interpreted for their associations with the artists.

The 1991 NPS suitability/feasibility study concluded: “The Cole National Historic Landmark

and nearby landscapes associated with him, together represent an outstanding example of

places associated with this artist and possess exceptional value and quality illustrating the cultural

themes of our nation’s heritage.... The site and

nearby landscapes retain a high degree of integrity as the relatively unspoiled home, workplace,

and source of inspiration for the father of American landscape painting, Thomas Cole.”

Mission Goals

Goals articulate the ideal conditions that site

managers are striving to attain in perpetuity. The

goals assert the ideals that the Thomas Cole

NHS is protected, that site visitors are satisfied
 29

and informed, and that the site works with other

entities to foster stewardship of sites related to

the Hudson River School.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Site managers protect, preserve, and maintain

in good condition the landscapes, buildings, archeological sites, artifacts, and archives related to

the career of Thomas Cole and the Cedar Grove

estate, where he lived and worked.

• Thomas Cole NHS contributes to the knowledge and understanding of the cultural and

natural resources that relate to Thomas Cole, the

Hudson River School of painting, and the landscapes that were painted.

VISITOR USE AND INTERPRETATION

• The public learns about the art of Thomas Cole

and his influence on the Hudson River School

and 19th-century American culture.

• Thomas Cole NHS provides engaging, historically accurate interpretive and educational

programs that make the site’s stories and resources available to a wide range of audiences.

New Studio, c.1890. Courtesy of Vedder Memorial Library, Coxsackie, NY.
30 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

COOPERATIVE EFFORTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

• Thomas Cole NHS develops partnerships in

order to provide educational programs about

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School and

to foster stewardship of relevant cultural and

natural resources in the Hudson River Valley and

Catskill Mountains.

Interpretive Themes

The following themes were identified to guide

visitor interpretation:

THOMAS COLE’S LIFE AND CAREER

Thomas Cole was the most important American

landscape painter in the first half of the 19th century. Cedar Grove was his primary residence and

workplace from 1836 until his death in 1848.

Here, Cole painted some of his most important

works, including The Course of Empire, The Voyage of Life, andThe Cross and the World. Cole, in

addition to being the most influential landscape

painter of his time, was also a family man, poet,

architect, musician, Romantic nature-lover, and

cultural leader.

THOMAS COLE’S INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN

ART AND CULTURE

Thomas Cole had a major impact on American

art and culture during the second quarter of the

19th century. Cole was the preeminent painter of

his era. He helped develop the American belief

that the divine providence guiding the nation’s

destiny was manifest in the wonders of its landscape. Cole made the Catskills and Hudson Valley into symbols of national grandeur for his

generation. Besides influencing painting and poetry, Cole also influenced the way Americans

thought about preserving nature. He decried the

destruction of beautiful landscapes in poetry, essays, and some of his paintings.

THOMAS COLE’S RELATION TO THE HUDSON VALLEY

AND CATSKILL LANDSCAPE

Thomas Cole, through his paintings and his exploration of the region’s landscape, is considered

to have been the single most influential person in

establishing the Catskills and the Catskill Mountain House as outstanding 19th-century

American tourist destinations, according to

Roland Van Zandt’s book The Catskill Mountain

House (1966).

THE EVOLUTION OF CEDAR GROVE

Cedar Grove has changed from a 110-acre working farm to a 3.4-acre historic site. This theme

would follow the evolution of the estate from its

establishment by the Thomson family through

Thomas Cole’s lifetime to the period afterward

when his descendants maintained and eventually

sold Cedar Grove. This history tells the story of

agriculture at Cedar Grove and how the site has

been preserved over the years. Although much of

this history does not pertain directly to Thomas

Cole, it provides a context for understanding the

site and what it was like in Cole’s era.
 31

“Nature has spread for

us a rich and delightful

banquet—shall we turn

away from it? We are

still in Eden: the wall

that shuts us out of the

garden is our own

ignorance and folly.”

Thomas Cole, “American Scenery”

V. Management Alternatives

The Thomas Cole NHS GMP sets forth management alternatives that outline future conditions

at this NHS. These alternatives are the core of

the GMP. There are three alternatives: (1) Continuation of Current Management Practices

(NEPA requires that GMPs consider the alternative of making no changes to the current

management direction); (2) Thomas Cole and

Cedar Grove; (3) Thomas Cole’s Art and the

Region’s Landscape. These alternatives have

drawn upon research studies and discussions

with team members from the National Park Service, the board of the Thomas Cole NHS, and

the public.

Alternative One: Continuation of Current

Practices

CONCEPT

Under this alternative the Thomas Cole NHS remains essentially the same as it currently exists.

With the improvements that have been made at

this historical house in recent years, Cedar Grove

will be open to the public for visitation and will

interpret the life of artist Thomas Cole. It will

continue to operate as a national historic site.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

The visitor would be given an introduction to

Thomas Cole and his life at Cedar Grove in the

main house. The visitor would be able to view

existing interpretive panels and some historic

and contemporary Hudson River Valley art.

MAIN HOUSE

The main house will be the only place at the site

showing exhibits or offering docent tours. The

house would have rooms furnished to depict the

period that Cole lived there and space for exhibiting interpretive panels and works of art

connected to Thomas Cole and the Hudson

River School. The amount of space available for

exhibiting paintings would be limited. Without

climate-controlled high-security space, the Thomas Cole NHS would be unable to display

valuable works of art on loan from other institutions. The house could continue to display

contemporary landscape paintings of the region.

PAINTING STUDIOS

This alternative would allow the Thomas Cole

NHS to stabilize the Storehouse Studio, which is

Cole’s Storehouse Studio and

plantings of Florence Cole Vincent

(1876–1961) viewed from southeast,

c. 1960. Courtesy of Vedder Memorial

Library, Coxsackie, New York.
32 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

suffering structural problems. The building could

be used for operational purposes, but would not

be open to the public.

OTHER STRUCTURES

The site managers would continue to maintain

the restored 19th-century privy and the modern

storage shed at the site. The Greene County

Historical Society owns the Scott House, 36

Hudson Avenue, and the McCord House, 107

Spring Street. Site managers would make no significant changes in the appearance of those

buildings. The McCord House is currently used

as a residence for caretakers and would continue to be used for this purpose. The Scott

House is being used as living space for a caretaker and may be used in the future for office

and meeting space.

COLLECTIONS

The lack of exhibit and storage space would

make it difficult for the Thomas Cole NHS to

expand its collection of artifacts and paintings.

The site currently has a recently approved

Scope of Collection Statement. The Scope of

Collection Statement states that the site’s policy

is not to expand its collections substantially. If

the current direction at the Thomas Cole NHS

were to continue, some items would likely be

added to the collections.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The landscape at Cedar Grove would be preserved as it is at present and would be

maintained through a program of mowing and

pruning. No further garden planting would take

place, and no efforts would be made to return

the grounds to their appearance during Thomas

Cole’s tenure at Cedar Grove.

UNIVERSAL ACCESS

Public rest rooms on the ground floor of the main

house have universal access from the outside

north entrance to the house. The first and second

floors of the main house do not have universal access. In order to allow wheelchair accessibility to

the ground-floor rest rooms, the pathway to the

house needs to be regraded and resurfaced.

PARKING

The public would continue to park in the abutting

Temple Israel synagogue’s parking lot via informal

agreement and enter the site from that parking lot.

SITE BOUNDARY

The site boundary encloses the national historic

site’s 3.4-acre historic house, studio, and

grounds. Two contemporary residences (Scott

House and McCord House), which have been

purchased by the Greene County Historical Society for residential and administrative space, are

outside the site boundary.

MANAGEMENT AREAS

The 3.4-acre national historic site would have a

zone designated for visitor use (see management

zone map, p. 10). This zone includes the main

house, Storehouse Studio, New Studio site, and

grounds. Outside this visitor use zone and the

boundary of the National Historic Site, the

Greene County Historical Society owns the

McCord House and Scott House. Although not

subject to this GMP, the Greene County

Historical Society uses these structures for administrative and park support purposes and

would not open them to visitors. If a boundary

adjustment study is done for the Thomas Cole

NHS and these facilities qualify for inclusion,

they would be used for administrative support.

CARRYING CAPACITY

Site managers believe that the carrying capacity

of the main house is determined by the

fact that a maximum of 15 people can tour the

house at any given time. Additional people can

roam the grounds at the same time as tours.

From three years of experience in hosting visitors, Cedar Grove has seldom had more than 15

visitors at a time, unless they are part of a bus

group. In that case, an extra docent is used to

guide the extra visitors, and the grounds are able

to accommodate the overflow while they are

waiting for a tour of the house.

Under this alternative, visitation is expected to

remain the same because no new facilities will

be available.
 33

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Alternative One: Concept

• Allows for site to continue to show visitors Thomas Cole house and grounds.

• Allows for no significant effort to tell story of Cole’s art and its relationship to regional landscape.

Main house, outbuildings, and grounds are preserved as they currently appear.Maintain main house with its exhibits about Cole

and Cedar Grove, as well as contemporary Hudson

Valley paintings.

Stabilize Storehouse Studio structure so that it does

not deteriorate further.

Maintain grounds to be attractive to public and not

compromise existing resources.

Maintain 19th-century privy and modern storage

shed.

Summary of Alternative One

Resource Management

Limited collection of artwork and artifacts connected to Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove is

protected and displayed.

Exhibit and store collection so as to protect the integrity of its objects.

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Visitor orientation and interpretation provided at

main house.

Docents provide tour of main house with description of Cole’s life at Cedar Grove.

Exhibit panels in main house describe Cole’s career.

Visitor Use and Experience

Visitors seek out painting sites in region. Docents provide directions to painting sites.

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Partnerships are maintained with partners associated with Hudson River School.

Send visitors to Olana, Frederic Church’s home, and

develop shared programs.

Cooperative Efforts and Partnerships

CONNECTION TO OTHER ARTIST-RELATED SITES IN

THE REGION

The Thomas Cole NHS would continue to refer visitors to artist Frederic Church’s home

Olana by displaying its brochures. In order to

guide visitors to painting sites in the Catskills,

docents could provide directions to those sites.

SITE OPERATIONS

Currently the Thomas Cole NHS is managed

by a volunteer board and an executive director. Volunteer docents greet visitors and guide

them through the site.
34 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

CONCEPT

The guiding approach at the Thomas Cole NHS

would be to tell the story of Thomas Cole’s life

and the art he created at Cedar Grove through

buildings he lived and worked in, which include

the main house and the Storehouse Studio. In order to interpret the nearby landscape that

inspired Cole and other painters of the Hudson

River School, the site managers would develop a

brochure and map to guide visitors to specific

painting sites.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

The visitor would be given an introduction to

Thomas Cole and his life at Cedar Grove in the

main house. Exhibit panels would narrate his career and depict some of his artworks. Some space

would be available for exhibiting paintings by

Cole, associated Hudson River School artists,

and contemporary artists working under the inspiration of Cole and his colleagues. The

section of the Storehouse Studio where Cole

painted would be open to the public as part of

the docent tour.

The Thomas Cole NHS would encourage visitors

to visit nearby Olana, home of Cole’s pupil

Frederic Church and a State Historic Site. The

visitor would also be provided with brochure/

maps of the Hudson River Art Trail, which

would feature sites where Cole and other

Hudson River School artists conceived many of

their best-known canvases.

MAIN HOUSE

The main house will be the primary location for

visitors to tour and learn about Thomas Cole’s

life at Cedar Grove. Docent tours will be provided to all visitors, as has been done since the

opening of the Thomas Cole NHS. The house

would have rooms furnished to depict the period

that Cole lived there and space for exhibiting interpretive panels and works of art connected to

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. The

east rooms on the first and second floors and the

first floor gallery will continue to be available for

displaying paintings by Thomas Cole, his contemporaries, and current-day artists influenced

by the Hudson River School.

PAINTING STUDIOS

The Storehouse Studio was built as storehouse

space in 1839, but Thomas Cole used part of it as

a studio. Under this alternative, the building

would be restored to its appearance when Thomas Cole used it as a painting studio (1839–1846).

In accordance with the Historic Structures Condition Assessment prepared by the Northeast

Building Conservation Branch of the NPS, this

work would entail removing structural elements

that were added since then and restoring

elements known to exist in the 1840s. Documentation of the studio’s history would be used to

guide the restoration.

Docents would show the west section of the

Storehouse Studio to visitors and describe how

Thomas Cole used the studio from 1839 until

1846. Objects from the historic site’s collection,

including an easel and paint box, would be displayed in this space.

The site of the demolished New Studio would be

cleared of overgrowth and a wayside exhibit

erected to tell the story of the New Studio. Exploratory archeological research would be

undertaken to learn more about the New Studio

and provide background material for site tours.

OTHER STRUCTURES

Between the main house and the Storehouse Studio, there is a fancifully decorated 19th-century

privy, which has been recently restored. This

structure will be maintained in its current state.

A metal utility shed for storing lawn mowers

and other equipment, located at the rear of the

property on Pine Road, will be retained in its

current location to be used to store materials

and equipment.

Abutting the NHS boundary, the Greene County

Historical Society owns the Scott House, 36

Hudson Avenue, and the McCord House, 107
 35

Spring Street. Across the street from the main

house is the McCord House, which is currently

used as a residence for Cedar Grove caretakers.

The Scott House, which abuts the NHS on the

southeast, also houses caretakers. The suburbanstyle house would be used to support the

operations of the historic site such as a

caretaker’s/executive director’s living quarters,

office space to serve the Greene County Historical Society, collections storage, or curatorial,

workroom, and research space.

Abutting the north side of the Thomas Cole

NHS is Temple Israel, a 1977 structure on property that once belonged to Cedar Grove. The

Thomas Cole NHS has a positive relationship

with Temple Israel, with an agreement allowing

the Thomas Cole NHS to use the synagogue’s

parking lot. The Thomas Cole NHS could use

Temple Israel for meetings and conferences. If

Temple Israel ever closes or relocates and seeks

to sell its property, the Thomas Cole NHS would

seek to acquire it. The Thomas Cole NHS could

use this building for offices, meeting space, and

visitor services and overcome space constraints

imposed by the historic structures at the site. Acquiring Temple Israel would also help the

Thomas Cole NHS secure itself from developments that might compromise its historic

integrity and the capacity to host visitors at the

historic site. The purchase would also give the

Thomas Cole NHS control over the parking

area. The enabling legislation prohibits the use of

federal funds to purchase this property. In order

for the site to receive NPS assistance in developing Temple Israel as a visitor facility, a boundary

adjustment to include the Temple Israel property

in the NHS would be necessary.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The Cedar Grove site had approximately 110

acres when Thomas Cole lived there. The site

stretched east to the Hudson River and west past

Spring Street. By the time the Thomas Cole NHS

was established in 1999, the site had been

whittled down to 3.4 acres. Since then the

Greene County Historical Society has purchased

adjoining parcels, which total 2.1 acres, but which

have not been added to the NHS. The landscape

that exists at the Thomas Cole NHS has elements surviving from Cole’s era as well as features

added by descendants over the past 150 years.

The landscape at Cedar Grove would be preserved as it is at present and would be

maintained through a program of mowing and

pruning. No further garden planting would take

place, and no efforts would be made to return

the grounds to their appearance during Thomas

Cole’s tenure at Cedar Grove.

The evolution of Cedar Grove’s landscape would

be interpreted through interpretive displays or

other media. An illustration of the 1840s view

looking westward from the main house could be

mounted at the porch to provide a better sense,

not only of the Cedar Grove estate, but of the

surrounding community of Catskill as well.

The overhead utility lines running in front of the

house along Spring Street would be buried to enhance the site’s primary view. The utility lines

detract from the view from the porch out to the

Catskill Mountains.

The Thomas Cole NHS would acquire abutting

properties if and when they come up for sale.

Priority would be given to properties on the

block bounded by Spring Street, Hudson Avenue, Route 23, and Pine Road. By acquiring

abutting parcels, the site would be able to improve the visitor experience by creating more of

a continuous cultural landscape.

COLLECTIONS AND COLLECTION STORAGE

The Northeast Museum Services Center has

developed a Scope of Collection Statement for

the Thomas Cole NHS in order to inform and

implement the GMP, guide future acquisitions,

and describe the types of objects that should

be collected.

The Thomas Cole NHS collection contains artwork, tools, furnishings, photographs, reference

works, and personal items relating to Thomas

Cole’s life and work at Cedar Grove. Collections
36 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

are displayed in furnished rooms and formal exhibits. Since the purpose of the Thomas Cole

NHS is to interpret the art and life of Thomas

Cole, as well as his impact on the Hudson River

School of painting, collections should be limited

to artwork, artifacts, and archives directly related

to Thomas Cole, his connection to the Hudson

River School, and the history of Cedar Grove,

especially the period of Cole’s residence there.

The site managers would not pursue acquisition

of additional Thomas Cole paintings due to limited exhibit space and the lack of climate controls.

The “Trip Report: Collection for Storage for the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site,” from the

NPS Northeast Museum Services Center, recommends creating specific storage space for

collections over a five-to-ten-year period. The

120-square-foot first-floor room to the side of

the front parlor and the 110-square-foot former

second-floor guest room (also called Cole’s Winter Studio) could be used for storage. The trip

report calls for an additional 800 square feet of

open unobstructed space for collection storage

and 400 square feet for curatorial office, workroom, and research space. The main house

would be unable to provide this space, and budget constraints related to this alternative would

make it difficult to create appropriate storage in

the Scott and McCord houses. Therefore, under

this alternative, an off-site location would have to

be identified to provide space for collection storage, office, workroom, and research space.

UNIVERSAL ACCESS

Under this alternative, the site managers would

regrade and resurface paths on the property to

provide universal access to the grounds and to

the handicapped-accessible ground-floor rest

room in the main house.

PARKING

The public would continue to park in the Temple

Israel parking lot and approach the main house

from that parking lot. An agreement between the

Thomas Cole NHS and Temple Israel allows the

NHS to use the parking lot. The agreement can

be terminated by Temple Israel with a month’s

notice. The synagogue’s parking lot can accommodate up to 40 cars. Currently, there are 20-25

visiting vehicles on days the Thomas Cole NHS

is open. Buses use this parking area, but the limited space makes it difficult to turn around.

Buses are required to make a three-point turn to

turn around. A full turn-around could be laid out

to provide a 45-foot turning radius, adequate for

most buses and certainly for cars.

Charles Herbert Moore, Oil Sketch of

Storehouse Studio, c. 1862. Courtesy of

Vedder Memorial Library, Coxsackie,

New York.
 37

Improvements to the parking lot are needed to

accommodate universal access and bus and

shuttle use, but the Thomas Cole NHS cannot

readily make the improvements because it does

not own the parking lot. Efforts should be made

with Temple Israel to provide universally accessible parking spaces.

If use of the Temple Israel parking lot proves infeasible in the future, parking space would have

to be created on or near the historic site. The

most likely fallback parking area would be the

rear portion of the Thomas Cole NHS, which the

Greene County Historical Society owns. It

would be accessed from Pine Road, which is a

little-used roadway. Although there are drawbacks because of the intrusion of parking into

the landscape, this area would be a backup parking place; the site managers could also pursue

off-site parking facilities. There also is a need for

overflow parking for special events. The Thomas

Cole NHS could make arrangements with nearby

institutional parking lots to accommodate overflow parking on special occasions.

SITE BOUNDARY

The legislative boundary encloses the national

historic site’s 3.4-acre historic house, studio, and

grounds. Two contemporary residences (Scott

House and McCord House), which have been

purchased by the Greene County Historical Society for residential and administrative space, are

outside the site boundary. The Greene County

Historical Society is interested in acquiring additional properties on the block bounded by

Spring Street, Hudson Avenue, Pine Road, and

the Rip Van Winkle Bridge approach (Route 23).

These properties would provide control of a

larger portion of the original Cedar Grove estate

and enhance the visitor experience.

In order to expend federal funds on additional

properties acquired by the Greene County Historical Society, the Thomas Cole National

Historic Site boundary would have to be enlarged. If additional land were acquired, a

boundary adjustment study should be done, which

would also assess inclusion of the Scott and

McCord houses (see Management Areas, below).

If the boundary were expanded, then federal expenditures could be made on that property.

MANAGEMENT AREAS

The 3.4-acre Thomas Cole National Historic Site

would have a zone designated for visitor use (see

management zone plan). This zone includes the

main house, Storehouse Studio, New Studio site,

and grounds. Outside this visitor use zone and

Postcard of Storehouse Studio, c.1910.

Courtesy of Vedder Memorial Library,

Coxsackie, NY.
38 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

the boundary of the national historic site, the

Greene County Historical Society owns the

McCord House and Scott House. Although not

subject to this GMP, the Greene County

Historical Society uses these structures for administrative and park support purposes and

would not open them to visitors. If a boundary

adjustment study is done for the Thomas Cole

NHS and these facilities qualify for inclusion, then

they would be used for administrative support.

CARRYING CAPACITY

The capacity of Cedar Grove should not exceed

the number of people who can be accommodated in the main house and Storehouse Studio

simultaneously. The historic site estimates that a

maximum of 15 people can tour the main house

at any given time because additional people

would overcrowd the house and make it difficult

for the guide to lead the tour and monitor the

visitors. The rehabilitated Storehouse Studio

could accommodate 15 in the historic studio

space. The carrying capacity of the site’s buildings is 30 people. The estimate of visitation at the

site if this GMP alternative is implemented is approximately 6,000. The capacity for a six-month

season opening four days a week/six hours a day

would be 18,720.

All visitors have detrimental impacts on structures

and landscape, and their impacts accumulate incrementally. The site managers will monitor

damage to the interiors of the structures and to

the landscape and make necessary repairs and

adjustments to visitor management practices.

CONNECTION TO OTHER ARTIST-RELATED SITES IN

THE REGION

The Thomas Cole NHS would continue to refer

visitors to Frederic Church’s home Olana by displaying its brochures.

Another important connection for the Thomas

Cole NHS is with sites in the region that inspired

him and other artists to paint their renowned

landscapes. Within a 15-mile radius of Thomas

Cole’s house in Catskill, NY, significant landscapes painted by Cole and other Hudson River

artists, including Frederic Church and Sanford

Gifford, survive intact. Legislation establishing

the Thomas Cole NHS directs the site to develop

an Art Trail of sites that inspired paintings by

Thomas Cole and his Hudson River School associates. In order to guide visitors to painting sites

in the Catskills, the Thomas Cole NHS would

develop a map and brochure with other interested organizations.

The Thomas Cole NHS would serve as the starting point of the Art Trail, which would go to

Catskill Creek and follow Route 23A up into the

Catskills. This road provides access to principal

sites on the proposed Art Trail. Kaaterskill Falls,

which is located just off the highway in this area,

was one of the most celebrated scenic places in

19th-century America. Off Route 23A, a 4-mile

trip on Route 18 brings the motorist to North and

South Lakes and the site of the Catskill Mountain House, another important scene for Hudson

River School paintings.

In undertaking the Art Trail brochure, the Thomas Cole NHS should seek input from such

organizations as the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Olana, the Mountain Top

Historical Society, state agencies, nonprofit museums and cultural organizations, and tourism

promotion agencies.

SITE OPERATIONS

Currently the Thomas Cole NHS is managed by

a volunteer board and an executive director. Volunteer docents greet visitors and guide them

through the site. Under this alternative, the Thomas Cole NHS would have two full-time

employees—an executive director and an administrative assistant. Interns would be used to

supplement the paid staff and volunteers.
 39

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Alternative Two: Concept

• Tells the story of Thomas Cole’s life at Cedar Grove.

• Rehabilitates existing structures in order to interpret Cole’s life at Cedar Grove.

Structures at Cedar Grove are open to the public. Rehabilitate main house and Storehouse Studio to

allow public visitation.

Summary of Alternative Two

Resource Management

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Visitor orientation provided at main house. Docent tour interprets Cole’s life at Cedar Grove.

Exhibit panels in main house describe Cole’s life at

Cedar Grove.

Visitor Use and Experience

Visitors see Cole’s Storehouse Studio. Docents lead visits to Storehouse Studio.

Selected objects from collection displayed in Storehouse Studio.

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Partnerships are enhanced to place Cole NHS in

broader historical context.

Develops painting site brochure in conjunction with

other cultural and tourism organizations.

Cooperative Efforts and Partnerships

Preserve cultural landscape as it exists. Maintain grounds to be attractive to public and not

compromise existing resources.

Exhibit art and artifacts connected to Thomas Cole. Exhibit artwork and artifacts on a limited basis in

main house.

Maintain collection of art and artifacts connected to

Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove.

Store collection to protect its integrity. Identify offsite location to store collection.

Public can visit painting sites in region. Cole NHS publishes brochure and map of regional

painting sites.
40 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the

Regional Landscape

CONCEPT

The primary goal of the Thomas Cole NHS

would be to interpret the artistic career and cultural influence of Thomas Cole at Cedar Grove,

and the inspiration of the surrounding landscape

of the Hudson River Valley and the Catskill

Mountains on his art. This would include interpreting Cole’s connection to other artists of the

Hudson River School, of which he is considered

the founder. The leading priorities of the GMP

would be restoring the Cedar Grove buildings

and grounds to their appearance during Cole’s

era, and interpreting Thomas Cole’s art and his

connection to the regional landscape.

The guiding approach at the Thomas Cole NHS

would be to tell the story of Thomas Cole’s art

through the buildings he lived and worked in,

which include the house, Storehouse Studio, and

New Studio. The site’s interpretive themes would

also include Cole’s influence on the Hudson

River School of landscape painting and on the

American nature conservation movement.

Cole’s letters indicate that he painted many of

his major works at Cedar Grove. He painted at

least some of the works in The Course of Empire

series in the main house; he painted the first Voyage of Life series in the Storehouse Studio; and

he painted many of his local landscapes both in

the house and the Storehouse Studio. He was at

work on The Cross and the World in the New Studio at his death. The main house, the Storehouse

Studio, and a new structure resembling the New

Studio offer an opportunity to interpret Cole’s

creative journey.

Another aspect of the Thomas Cole NHS mission is to interpret the surrounding landscape

that inspired Cole and other painters of the

Hudson River School. Within a 15-mile radius of

Cole’s house in Catskill, NY, significant landscapes painted by Cole and other Hudson River

artists, including Frederic Church and Sanford

Gifford, survive intact. These settings offer an

ideal opportunity for visitors to experience the

scenes that inspired this art. The Congressional

legislation establishing the Thomas Cole National Historic Site (PL 106-146) states that the

Cole historic site’s plan “shall include recommendations for regional wayside exhibits, to be

carried out through cooperative agreements with

the State of New York and other public and private entities.” This alternative would provide an

unparalleled opportunity to study American art

in its geographic context.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

Different areas of the Thomas Cole NHS will be

used to interpret different aspects of Thomas

Cole’s life and art. The Storehouse Studio, main

house, New Studio, and the grounds will each be

used to tell a different part of Thomas Cole’s

story. Off-location sites on the Hudson River Art

Trail and Frederic Church’s Olana can be used to

interpret other aspects of Cole’s work. Presently

the staff at the Thomas Cole NHS tells virtually

his entire story at the main house. As the other

components of the site become available for visitation, an interpretive plan needs to be

developed to present a complementary interpretation in the different areas.

The visitor would be given an introduction to

Thomas Cole and his life at Cedar Grove in

Cole’s Storehouse Studio, which would serve as

an orientation facility for visitors. The Storehouse Studio has two sections, one which served

as Cole’s studio and would be used to interpret

his art, and another area historically used for

storage, which would provide visitor services.

This facility would help establish visitor expectations, provide interpretation of the site, manage

the flow of visitors at the site, and guide visitors

to related sites.

At the Storehouse Studio, the visitor would be

able to view interpretive exhibits, which could

use a combination of media. The visitor would
 41

View from Main House toward the

Catskills. Courtesy of Greene County

Historical Society.
42 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

be able to see Cole’s restored work space in the

Storehouse Studio and visit the main house,

which would be interpreted to tell the story of

Cole’s artistic and domestic life there. Docents

would give tours of the Storehouse Studio and

the house (currently the house tours take approximately 30 minutes). The New Studio

structure would display art by Thomas Cole,

other Hudson River School artists, and contemporary works inspired by them. The grounds of

the Thomas Cole NHS would be interpreted to

explain life at Cedar Grove during Cole’s era, although information would be provided on the

evolution of the landscape since then. An interpretive display in the Storehouse Studio could

explain the changes made to the Cedar Grove estate over nearly two centuries. The Storehouse

Studio would also include a shop for books and

gifts related to Thomas Cole and the Hudson

River School as well as a unisex universally-accessible public rest room.

The authorizing legislation for the Thomas Cole

National Historic Site mandates that it connect

visitors with other sites in the area related to

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. The

Thomas Cole NHS would encourage visitors to

visit nearby Olana, home of Cole’s pupil Frederic

Church and a state historic site. The planned

new visitor center at Olana would provide additional interpretation of the Hudson River

School. At Cedar Grove, the visitor would also

be provided with brochure/maps of the Hudson

River Art Trail, which would feature sites where

Cole and other Hudson River School artists conceived many of their best-known canvases.

Northeast view of Storehouse Studio.

Courtesy of R.M. Toole, L.A.
 43

The proposed new gallery space in the New

Studio structure would provide the most appropriate venue for exhibitions of art.

The exhibition of and education about contemporary art related to the Hudson River School

would be secondary priorities to be undertaken

as resources permit. Contemporary art programs

could include exhibits, an artist-in-residence

program (artists could stay at the Scott House),

children and adult art education, an elderhostel,

and a summer graduate school internship or fellowship. The programs could include teaching

painting as well as art history. Exhibiting contemporary art from the Hudson Valley could be

undertaken as long as it does not detract from

the site’s primary mission to interpret Cole and

the Hudson River School.

Weir Farm National Historic Site, in Wilton, CT,

more actively promotes art education, but that

site has been maintained continuously as a gathering place for artists, and its mission is to

encourage ongoing artistic endeavors. Weir

Farm NHS was specifically established to promote art education. Art education at Cedar

Grove would entail substantial personnel, studio

and education space, and financial resources.

In developing the visitor experience, the Thomas

Cole NHS must take into account the interests of

different audiences, including students, art history specialists, adult tourists, and minority

groups. Interpretive techniques must be adjusted

according to which groups are targeted audiences. Some groups may be more interested in

Thomas Cole’s art, while others may be interested in Cole’s family life and the development of

the Cedar Grove estate. Whatever their interests,

they should be able to do things that will help

them learn about and remember the primary

themes of the historic site.

MAIN HOUSE

The house at the Thomas Cole NHS would be

preserved in its current configuration and be

used to interpret how Thomas Cole and his family lived at Cedar Grove. The rooms would have

historic furnishings and interpretive exhibits telling the story of Cole’s artistic and domestic life.

The small upstairs side room used by Cole as a

studio in winter months (the so-called Winter

Studio) would be used to tell about Cole’s approach to painting and the works that he

painted in the house. Cole worked there between 1836 and 1839, when the Storehouse

Studio was built. He painted some of The

Course of Empire series there.

The first-floor rear parlor currently holds panels

interpreting Cole’s life. These could be moved in

whole or in part to the Storehouse Studio, and

this parlor would become available for new interpretive uses. The second-floor rear room

currently functions as a special exhibitions gallery, which could be relocated to the art gallery

in the New Studio structure. This could open up

this room for new interpretive purposes. The recently restored ground floor, with the original

kitchen and storage rooms, is available for public

visitation.

PAINTING STUDIOS

The Storehouse and New Studios should be used

to explain the development of Thomas Cole’s

art. The Storehouse Studio was built as storehouse space in 1839, but Thomas Cole used part

of it as a studio. Although there is no record of

Cole having designed the Storehouse Studio, the

Historic Structures Report finds that it is highly

probable that Cole played a part in its design,

since he partly paid for its construction and considered himself an architect as well as an artist.

He originally considered it as temporary studio

space because he intended to erect his own

home and studio on 2.5 acres that he bought

from his wife’s uncle, John A. Thomson. Cole designed an Italianate-style house in 1841, but never

built it. Cole put off construction because of

“hard times and an adage which a knowing

friend of mine uttered—‘fools build houses and

wise men live in them.’” When Cole realized that

he would not build his own home and studio for

a while, he added an oversize north-facing dormer with large 12/12 light sashes for more even
44 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

lighting at the Storehouse Studio. Cole liked to

paint away from the main house, which was

crowded with household members.

The wood-framed Storehouse Studio has a 30-

foot by 60-foot U-shaped footprint

(approximately 1,740 square feet, with 300 square

feet being a later addition, which it is recommended to remove) with five bays and

one-and-a-half stories. The studio’s original

wood board ceiling found in the bay beneath the

added dormer is today concealed by a gypsum

board ceiling constructed even with the onestory ceiling at the west side of the studio. The

original ceiling has two layers of paint with a

layer of varnish over the first layer. The outer

layer of blue paint dates from the early 20th century, and the bottom layer of salmon-colored

paint, with the varnish, is from the 19th century.

The painted ceiling corresponds to a practice

among artists to paint studio ceilings to provide

more even light in their studios.

The Storehouse Studio was originally intended

to serve as a storehouse for the farm at Cedar

Grove. In later years, the space was used as a carriage house, antique shop, and may have been

occupied by farm workers. Today the studio has

two sections: the three bays on the east side have

storage space on the ground floor and secondfloor (the former antiques shop); the two bays on

the west side, which until recently were used as a

caretaker’s living quarters, were the original Thomas Cole studio space.

Interior view of Storehouse Studio

looking west during its years as an

antiques shop managed by Thomas

Cole granddaughter Florence Cole

Vincent, c. 1920. Courtesy of Vedder

Memorial Library, Coxsackie, NY.
 45

The building, which is in poor repair, must be

stabilized before it can be used to interpret

Cole’s career or provide visitor services. The

building is being restored to its appearance when

Thomas Cole used it as a painting studio (1839–

1846). In accordance with the Historic Structures

Condition Assessment prepared by the Northeast Building Conservation Branch of the NPS,

this work would entail removing structural elements that were added since then and restoring

elements known to exist in the 1840s. Existing

documentation of the studio’s history is being

used to guide the restoration.

The west section of the Storehouse Studio is being restored to interpret Thomas Cole’s studio,

while the east section will have a shop and visitor

welcome area on the ground floor. The second

floor will be used for storage space. Some of the

interpretive panels telling the story of Thomas

Cole at Cedar Grove, which are currently situated in the downstairs east parlor of the main

house, may be moved to the Storehouse Studio

to provide visitors an orientation to Thomas

Cole’s painting. The Thomas Cole NHS owns artifacts such as three Cole easels (two large easels

and a smaller traveling easel), his paint box, and

plaster busts sculpted by others. These artifacts

may be installed in the studio space. If security is

too great a concern, a replica easel could be installed. The visitor welcome area also could be

used for multimedia presentations about Cole

and his art.

Thomas Cole finally obtained a purpose-built

studio when he built the New Studio. He

moved in at Christmastime in 1846 and was able

to use it for 14 months before he passed away.

Cole designed the New Studio himself and located it on the only parcel at Cedar Grove that

he ever owned. The studio faced toward the

Catskill Mountains that were his inspiration. The

building, though less ornate than his original

drawings, followed the Italianate style. The design of the New Studio reflected Cole’s artistic

tastes near the end of his life. The design followed the Hudson River bracketed Italianate

style advocated by Andrew Jackson Downing in

Cottage Residences, or a Series of Designs for Rural

Cottages and Cottage Villas, and Their Gardens

and Grounds Adapted to North America (1842).

The New Studio had a hip-and-gable-shaped

roof, ornate cornice, matching entry portico, and

large double-hung windows.

For many years after Cole’s death, his family

maintained the building as an art studio, a shrine

to the great artist. Daughter Emily Cole (1843–

1913) used to paint china there. During the early

20th century, Cole’s granddaughter Florence

Cole Vincent used it with the Storehouse Studio

as “Thomas Cole Studios of Antiques.” Cole’s

great-granddaughter Edith Cole Silberstein sold

off the New Studio to a party that wanted to use it

as a vacation home. The building turned out to be

too unstable for habitation. It was demolished in

1973, and the property was reacquired by Edith

Cole Silberstein. Its demolition has had a negative

impact on the integrity of the Cedar Grove site.

Since the New Studio was such an integral feature of Cedar Grove and so important to

Thomas Cole’s presence there, a new building

should be constructed resembling the New Studio. The Historic Structures Report, which

contains substantial information about the construction and design of the New Studio,

concludes that sufficient documentation of the

exterior of the New Studio exists to inform these

construction plans. Less is known about the architectural details and furnishings of the

building’s interior at the time of Cole’s occupancy. Therefore, no attempt would be made to

re-create the interior in a historic manner that

might misrepresent its original appearance. The

architectural details for the exterior of the New

Studio structure would be based on Cole’s original plans, historic photographs, and information

obtained through a thorough archeological investigation of the site.

This new construction would be compatible with

the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Reconstruction” and NPS Management Policies.
46 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards permit

reconstruction if documentary and physical evidence is available to permit accurate

reconstruction and such reconstruction is essential to the public understanding of the property.

The NPS Management Policies permit reconstruction of missing structures if there is no

alternative that would accomplish the park’s interpretive mission, sufficient data exists for the

design, it occurs at the original location, and the

disturbance or loss of significant archeological resources is minimized (NPS Management Policies,

5.3.5.4.4 Reconstruction of Missing Structures).

The project team and site managers, the Greene

County Historical Society, have concluded that

understanding the landscape and improvements

at Cedar Grove during Thomas Cole’s era would

be difficult without the presence of Cole’s New

Studio. In addition, there is a need for a museum-quality art gallery, since neither the main

house nor the Storehouse Studio are set up for

large painting exhibits. The reconstructed New

Studio would also become a community asset,

able to host education programs and meetings.

The reconstructed New Studio would allow the

site to more effectively interpret the evolution of

Thomas Cole’s artistic career at Cedar Grove by

reconstructing the Italianate studio structure that

embodied Thomas Cole’s vision of the desirable

creative environment. Thomas Cole designed the

structure, which, as one of the first purpose-built

artist studios in America, influenced other leading artists, especially those in the Hudson Valley,

to build specially designed studios. Cole was

painting The Cross and the World series in the

New Studio when he died.

The Historic Structures Report “The Artist Studios of Thomas Cole, Cedar Grove, Catskill,

New York,” prepared by the Northeast Cultural

Resources Center, Building Conservation Branch

in 2002, made the following recommendation regarding the New Studio:

A) Following the procedural requirements and

standards for the reconstruction of a historic

structure found in Chapter 8 of DO-28 (Management of Historic and Prehistoric Structures),

the exterior of the New Studio can, if desired, be

reconstructed to its Cole-era appearance following a through archeological investigation of the

new studio site.

B) Due to the limited existing documentation of

the new studio’s historic interior appearance,

the interior of a reconstructed new studio

should not be designed in any manner that

might lead to the misrepresentation of the building as the original 1846 structure. Instead the

interior should be designed for contemporary

uses such as a gallery, a site visitor center, a

learning or research center, a limited curatorial

storage facility, or another contemporary use

deemed appropriate under the GMP.

In compliance with NPS Management Policies

(5.3.5 Treatment of Cultural Resources), the reconstructed New Studio would be clearly

marked as a reconstruction. This NPS Management Policy states:

As a basic principle, anything of historical appearance that the National Park Service

presents to the public in a park will be either an

authentic survival from the past, or an accurate

representation of that once existing there. Reconstructions and reproductions will be clearly

identified as such.

The proposed art gallery would exhibit the relatively small collection of paintings owned by

the Greene County Historical Society, which

owns paintings by other Hudson River artists

than Cole, including Charles Herbert Moore and

Benjamin Stone. The historic site does not have a

significant collection of Cole paintings to exhibit

to the public. Other institutions and individuals

have offered to loan paintings by Cole and

Hudson River School artists if the Thomas Cole

NHS provides high-quality security and climate

control for the gallery space. The house displays

works by painters other than Cole in various

rooms and may continue to display paintings if

climate controls are installed. The Northeast
 47

Museum Services Center has recommended

contracting for an assessment of the information

collected from monitoring devices and determination of equipment enhancements or

appropriate new equipment for improved environmental conditions in the main house. The

result should include procedural and equipment

modifications that are sensitive to the building

and collections while accommodating the needs

of the public.

The reconstructed New Studio, with an estimated 704 square feet (22 feet by 32 feet), could

serve interpretive and educational purposes,

providing gallery space and/or meeting space.

Paintings could be displayed along the walls and

on panels erected in the middle of the studio.

Meetings and classes would be constrained by

the small size of the structure. Even if there were

no exhibit panels in the middle of the space, no

more than 40 people could use the space at one

time (assuming approximately 100 square feet for

a vestibule and administrative space and 15

square feet per person at a meeting). The board

of the Thomas Cole NHS would have to develop

a more definitive strategy about obtaining paintings on loan from other institutions. Since the

building would be a reconstruction, state-of-theart climate control, security systems, and fire

suppression could be installed during construction. Because of the small building footprint, it

may be too small to accommodate a basement,

which, in any case would not have existed in

Cole’s time. Art curators and collection experts

warn against storage in underground areas because of potential water damage.

The Thomas Cole NHS would be unlikely to exhibit many of Cole’s works, so the site should

also develop some way of using videos and computers to help visitors appreciate the range and

influence of Cole’s work. Multimedia presentations would likely be best exhibited in the

Storehouse Studio.

Since Cole used a now-demolished outbuilding,

called “The Cottage,” as a studio between 1834

and 1839, further archeological and archival research should be done to learn more about that

building and incorporate those findings into the

interpretation of Cedar Grove.

For planning the uses of the Storehouse Studio

and New Studio, Samuel F. B. Morse’s home at

Locust Grove, in nearby Poughkeepsie, has a

new visitor center that may be instructive. The

visitor center has two galleries interpreting

Morse’s art and his invention of the telegraph.

One gallery (approx. 30 feet by 18 feet, with an

area of 540 square feet) has seven paintings and

several interpretive panels. An adjacent theater

shows a 10-minute video on Morse’s life. The

visitor center also has a large gift and book shop.

OTHER STRUCTURES

Between the main house and the Storehouse Studio, there is a decorated 19th-century privy,

which has been recently restored.

Within the boundary of the Thomas Cole NHS

there is a metal utility shed for storing lawn

New Studio from northwest, c.1960.

Courtesy of Edith Cole Silberstein.
48 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

mowers and other equipment located at the rear

of the property on Pine Road. There are no immediate plans to move this shed; but, if a

landscape treatment is adopted that would seek

to return the site to its appearance during Thomas Cole’s era, the shed could be removed and

its contents moved to the Scott House or another

off-site location.

Abutting the NHS boundary, the Greene County

Historical Society owns the Scott House, 36

Hudson Avenue, and the McCord House, 107

Spring Street. Across the street from the main

house is the McCord House, which is currently

used as a residence for Cedar Grove caretakers,

as is the Scott House, which abuts the NHS on

the southeast. In the future, the Scott House

could be converted to office space to serve the

Greene County Historical Society, store collections, and provide curatorial, workroom, and

research space.

Abutting the north side of the Thomas Cole

NHS is Temple Israel, a 1977 structure on property that once belonged to Cedar Grove. The

Thomas Cole NHS has a positive relationship

with Temple Israel, with an agreement allowing

the Thomas Cole NHS to use the Temple parking

lot and occasionally use the building for meetings. If Temple Israel ever closes or relocates and

seeks to sell its building, the Thomas Cole NHS

would seek to acquire it. The Thomas Cole NHS

could use this building for offices, meeting space,

and or/exhibits and visitor services and overcome space constraints imposed by other

structures at the site. This would enable the Thomas Cole NHS to concentrate on showing the

historic house and studios for interpretive purposes and not have to use them for meeting,

administrative, or visitor service functions. Acquiring Temple Israel would also help the

Thomas Cole NHS secure itself from developments that might compromise its historic

integrity and the capacity to host visitors at the

historic site. The purchase would also give the

Thomas Cole NHS control over the parking

area. Federal funds could not be used to purchase this property. In order for the site to

receive NPS assistance in developing Temple Israel as a visitor facility, a boundary adjustment to

include the Temple Israel property in the NHS

would be necessary.

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The Cedar Grove site had approximately 110

acres when Thomas Cole lived there. The site

stretched east to the Hudson River and west past

Spring Street. During the period of Cole’s residency, it was a working farm under the auspices

of John A. Thomson, Mrs. Cole’s uncle, who

owned the property. Mr. Thomson died in 1846,

and Cole’s wife Maria and her three sisters inherited the farm. Cole himself was not very

involved in the management of the farm. After

that Cole’s widow, their four children, and his

three sisters-in-law (who remained unmarried)

continued to reside there. Over time parcels at

Cedar Grove were gradually sold off, with a large

parcel being acquired for the Rip Van Winkle

Bridge approach during the early 1930s. Plans

called for taking the entire house for the bridge

approach, but Cole’s granddaughter Florence

Cole Vincent made sure the house was preserved. Unfortunately, the so-called “Cottage”

outbuilding, located north of the main house,

was removed. Cole used it as a residence and a

studio during his early years at Cedar Grove.

By the time the Thomas Cole NHS was established in 1999, the site had been whittled down

to 3.4 acres. Since then the Greene County Historical Society has purchased 2.1 acres of

adjoining property.

Since all that is left of the Cedar Grove grounds

is the immediate area around the main house, it

would be nearly impossible to restore the

grounds as the working farm it was during the

19th century. During Thomas Cole’s lifetime, the

3.4 acres around the historic house and studios

varied from lawn and woodland surfaces to orchards, driveways, work yards, kitchen gardens,
 49

and ornamental flower gardens. Since Cedar

Grove was a farm, certain areas close to the

house were a workaday landscape. Nevertheless,

ornamental shrubbery and flower beds were also

cultivated, notably on the south front of the

house and around the west side, where the driveway entered the property. The Spring Street

frontage was defined by walls and fencing, with

several gates giving access into the site for both

pedestrians and horse-drawn vehicles. Records

document that there were many trees on the site,

including a grove of cedars northeast of the main

house that gave the property its name.

After Cole’s death, much of the use and appearance of the landscape remained unchanged. The

ornamental areas and the grounds of Cole’s New

Studio evolved into a picturesque profusion of

bloom, as seen in period photographs and mentioned by several late-19th- and early-20thcentury visitors. These visitors also identified

plantings that were likely in place at the end of

Cole’s lifetime a half century or more earlier. The

old front garden was said to include crocus, hyacinths, daffodils, hollyhocks, poppies, roses,

lemon lilies, fraxinella, larkspur, valerian, asters,

petunias, anemones, oleanders, and verbenas.

Lilacs were located at the west end of the porch.

The area to the east end of the house had lilies of

the valley, yellow roses, rises, peonies, marigolds,

and chrysanthemums.

By the 1930s, a more elaborate ornamental landscape had been developed. The overgrown

Gate piers at Spring Street entrance

to Cedar Grove, c. 1890. Courtesy of

the Greene County Historical Society.
50 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

picturesque look was tidied up. Lawns were extended and maintained in a more refined way.

Northeast of the main house, ornamental shrubbery, such as then-fashionable hydrangeas and

shrub roses, were added and urns and sculptural

features (some from the antiques business operated by Florence Cole Vincent) were set up

where more informal and utilitarian landscape

elements had been previously. The flower garden

south of the house was enlarged and flower beds

were extended to areas east and northeast of the

main house. Although the kitchen garden beds

were partly retained, this activity was reduced.

The wall and fence demarcations along Spring

Street were removed at an unknown date, so that

the roadside landscape was more open and exposed. Trees close to the house and studios grew,

though some were removed. Photographs from

this period show the results of these alterations,

which can be attributed to the taste of Florence

Cole Vincent, who took over management of the

property even before her father Theodore Cole

died in 1928. She seems to have starting making

changes to the landscape around 1914.

The Thomas Cole NHS will seek to re-create the

cultural landscape of the 1830s and 1840s, when

Thomas Cole lived there. This landscape treatment will be informed by the research in the

Cultural Landscape Report, prepared by landscape architect Robert M. Toole. Such a

landscape treatment would entail replanting cedar trees. Driveways would be modest gravel

surfaces, and the kitchen garden south of the

Storehouse Studio would be replicated, although

planting historically appropriate vegetables could

be a secondary undertaking. A period treatment

of the landscape would also seek to replicate the

Spring Street frontage as detailed in the 1848

sketch by Frederic Church. The brick piers, stone

walls, and picket fencing would be reconstructed

on their original alignments. Archeological research would be important in establishing precise

locations for missing landscape components.

The Thomas Cole NHS will interpret the history

of the Cedar Grove estate through interpretive

displays. A photographic display, model diorama,

or other appropriate media could be used to depict the Cedar Grove estate and its agricultural

activities during the time of Cole’s residence. Interpretive displays should tell the story of Cedar

Grove after his death, including the role of Florence Cole Vincent in preserving the estate.

An illustration of the 1840s view looking westward from the main house mounted at the porch

could provide a better sense of not only the Cedar Grove estate, but the surrounding

community of Catskill as well.

The Thomas Cole NHS is interested in burying

the overhead utility lines running in front of the

house along Spring Street. These utility lines detract from the view from the porch out to the

Catskill Mountains. The site managers are

working with the utility companies to undertake

this project.

Another issue to be addressed is the possible

purchase of abutting properties in order to piece

together segments of the original estate. Although it would be impractical to reassemble the

entire 110-acre estate, the Thomas Cole NHS

might acquire abutting properties if and when

they come up for sale. Priorities should be properties on the block bounded by Spring Street,

Hudson Avenue, Route 23, and Pine Road. By acquiring abutting parcels, the site would be able to

improve the visitor experience by creating more

of a continuous cultural landscape.

COLLECTIONS AND COLLECTION STORAGE

To support the GMP planning process, the Thomas Cole NHS has developed a Scope of

Collection Statement with the guidance of the

Northeast Museum Services Center. One of the

main issues relates to the Greene County Historical Society’s being the parent organization of

the Thomas Cole NHS. Although the Thomas

Cole NHS has a measure of autonomy, much of

its collections and archives belong to the Greene

County Historical Society, which owns additional collections and properties (Bronck House
 51

and Vedder Library in Coxsackie, NY) besides

Cedar Grove. The Northeast Museum Services

Center has developed a Scope of Collection

Statement for the Thomas Cole NHS in order to

inform and implement the GMP, guide future acquisitions, maintain the integrity objects in the

collections, and describe the types of objects that

should be collected.

The Thomas Cole NHS collection contains artwork, tools, furnishings, photographs, reference

works, and personal items relating to Thomas

Cole’s life and work at Cedar Grove. Collections

are displayed in furnished rooms and formal exhibits. Few of the artifacts are in storage and not

on display. Since the purpose of the Thomas Cole

NHS is to interpret the art and life of Thomas

Cole, as well as his impact on the Hudson River

School of painting, collections should be limited

to artwork, artifacts, and archives directly related

to Thomas Cole, his connection to the Hudson

River School, and the history of Cedar Grove, especially the period of Cole’s residence there.

The Thomas Cole NHS should consider pursuing selected site-related objects and art-related

objects in the hands of living family members or

purchasers at the 1964 Cole house estate auction.

These objects should be from the Thomas Cole

period (1834–1848) and should serve interpretive

goals. The site may pursue Thomas Cole drawings and paintings. The number of works of art

to be collected will be determined by the site’s

ability to care for them properly, cost (the site

should not divert funds from the care of items

currently in the collection to purchase new objects), and its interpretive goals. Works of art by

Thomas Cole would be the first priority, though

they might cost the most. The GMP project team

believes that the best way to obtain paintings for

exhibition is by using short- or long-term loans

from other sites.

The Thomas Cole NHS has recently been

granted a long-term loan of Cole’s painting

Prometheus Bound by the Village of Catskill Library, which has long displayed it. Another

potential loan might include The Angels Ministering to Christ in Wilderness, which hung in the

main parlor at Cedar Grove until 1964, when the

Worcester Art Museum bought it at auction (the

museum keeps the painting in storage). The

Bronck House, which is owned by the Greene

County Historical Society, has Hudson River

School paintings by Jasper Cropsey and others

that might be better exhibited at the Thomas

Cole NHS. Other institutions and art collectors

have indicated they might loan works if appropriate climate-control and security features

were in place.

The “Trip Report: Collection for Storage for the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site,” from the

NPS Northeast Museum Services Center, recommends creating specific storage space for collections over a five-to-ten-year period. Some rooms

in the main house are currently used for storage.

A) A 110-square-foot former guest room could be

used for storing larger objects like trunks and

excess furniture.

B) An additional 120 square feet in a room to

the side of the front parlor could provide

storage space needed for smaller, sensitive objects and serve as a reference library and room

for docents.

C) The trip report calls for an additional 800

square feet of open unobstructed space for collection storage and 400 square feet for

curatorial office, workroom, and research

space. This space would have to be protected by

water-based fire suppression system (wet-pipe

system preferred).

This collection storage space could be created

over a five-to-ten-year period.

New space for collection storage and curatorial

offices could be provided in the modern Scott

House. The Scott House could be renovated to

provide this space, depending upon the housing

requirements for the site director or caretaker.
52 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

This structure could be equipped with appropriate HVAC and security systems. Basement areas

should not be used for storage because they may

be prone to flooding and dampness.

In developing a collection such as described

above, the Thomas Cole NHS will pursue a professional staffperson with responsibility for

maintaining and expanding the collection,

curating exhibits, and implementing the policies

called for in the Scope of Collection Statement.

This would entail physically maintaining the collection, creating and maintaining computerized

collection records, writing and enforcing exhibition and storage guidelines, planning future

collection storage, and recommending future acquisitions in accordance with the Scope of

Collection Statement.

UNIVERSAL ACCESS

The first and second floors of the main house do

not have universal access. A handicapped lift either next to the front steps or in the building

would not solve the problem of access over high

thresholds or access to the second floor. A lift

also might compromise the historic integrity of

the structure. As an alternative for visitors unable

to climb the steps, the NHS could exhibit a professional video tour of the first and second floors

of the main house in the visitor center in the

Storehouse Studio.

In order to provide universal access, the site

needs to regrade and resurface paths between

buildings, especially to the Storehouse Studio

and the New Studio structure, to accommodate

wheelchair access.

Workmen at Storehouse Studio, c. 1910.

Cole’s eldest son Theodore Cole (1838–

1928) is the man wearing the long coat

and hat. Courtesy of Vedder Memorial

Library, Coxsackie, New York.
 53

Public rest rooms on the first floor of the main

house are accessible from the outside north entrance to the house. A wheelchair-accessible

rest room would be constructed in the Storehouse Studio.

PARKING

The public would continue to park in and enter

the site from the Temple Israel parking lot. An

agreement between the Thomas Cole NHS and

Temple Israel allows the NHS to use the parking

lot and hold meetings in the synagogue. The

agreement can be terminated by Temple Israel

with a month’s notice. The parking lot can accommodate up to 40 cars. Currently, there are

20-25 visiting vehicles each day the Thomas Cole

NHS is open. Buses use this parking area, but the

limited space makes it difficult to turn around.

Buses are required to make a three-point turn to

turn around. A full turn-around could be laid out

to provide a 45-foot turning radius, adequate for

most buses and certainly for cars. This would enable cars and buses to exit the parking lot

without having to back out into the street, but it

would entail the removal of approximately 10

auto parking spaces. This loss of spaces could be

alleviated by using some of the wooded area at

the periphery of Cedar Grove to expand the

parking area.

Improvements to the parking lot are needed to

accommodate universal access and bus and

shuttle use, but the Thomas Cole NHS cannot

readily make the improvements because it does

not own the parking lot.

Efforts should be made with Temple Israel to

provide universally accessible parking spaces.

The parking area could also be improved by paving the gravel area of the parking lot and adding

pavement so that buses or shuttle vans can turn

around without making three-point turns.

If use of the Temple Israel parking lot proves infeasible in the future, parking space would have

to be created on or around the site. The criteria

for siting the parking area should take into account public access and the impacts on cultural

landscape resources, archeological resources,

views, and neighbors. The most likely fallback

parking area would be the rear of the Thomas

Cole NHS, which the Greene County Historical

Society owns. It would be accessed from Pine

Road, which is a little-used roadway. Although

there are drawbacks because of the intrusion of

parking into the landscape, this area would be a

backup parking place; the site managers could

also pursue off-site parking facilities. There also

is a need for overflow parking for special events.

The Thomas Cole NHS could make arrangements

with nearby institutional parking lots to accommodate overflow parking on special occasions.

SITE BOUNDARY

The Greene County Historical Society currently

owns 5.5 acres at the site, including the 3.4-acre

historic house and studio site (the legislated

boundary of the NHS) and two contemporary

homes on adjacent lots (Scott House and

McCord House) being used for residential and

administrative space. Greene County Historical

Society ownership is interested in acquiring additional properties on the block bounded by

Spring Street, Hudson Avenue, Pine Road, and

the Rip Van Winkle Bridge approach (Route 23).

These additional properties would provide control of a larger portion of the original Cedar

Grove estate and enhance the visitor experience.

Acquisition of these additional parcels by the

Greene County Historical Society would require

enlargement of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site boundary so that federal funds could

be used for projects on those parcels. At the time

this occurs, the boundary adjustment study

should examine inclusion of the Scott and

McCord houses, even if they will be part of the

administrative support zone.

MANAGEMENT ZONE

The 3.4-acre national historic site would have a

zone designated for visitor use (see management

zone plan). It includes the main house, Store-
54 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

house Studio, New Studio site, and grounds.

Outside this visitor use zone and the boundary

of the national historic site, the Greene County

Historical Society owns the McCord House and

Scott House. This is the administrative support

zone, and these buildings will be used for administrative purposes and will not be open to

visitors. If Temple Israel were added to the site, it

would become part of the visitor use zone and

the site boundary would be expanded. Any residences abutting the Thomas Cole NHS that are

acquired could become part of the visitor zone if

they were demolished, landscaped, and opened

to public access.

CARRYING CAPACITY

The carrying capacity of the Thomas Cole NHS

is determined by the capacity of the structures

open to the public. The historic site estimates

that a maximum of 45 people can tour the main

house per hour because additional people would

overcrowd the house and make it difficult for the

guide to lead the tour and monitor the visitors.

The rehabilitated Storehouse Studio could have a

carrying capacity of 20 in the historic studio

space and the visitor center/bookshop. The New

Studio structure could accommodate up to 40

for meetings, but it would be unlikely that more

than 20 persons at one time could view art exhibits in the New Studio comfortably; therefore

the capacity of the site’s buildings is 85 people.

Estimates of visitation at the site once the GMP

is implemented range from 10,000 to 15,000 (current visitation is 4,000). The carrying capacity for

a six-month season opening four days a week/six

hours a day would be 53,040.

The capacity could be expanded by increasing

the number of opening days. For instance, the

historic site could open six or seven days a week

during the six-month summer season and could

open on weekends in April and November. That

could increase the potential number of visitors

by 50%.

All visitors have detrimental impacts on structures and grounds, and their impacts accumulate

incrementally. The site managers need to monitor damage to the interiors of the structures

and to the landscape and make necessary repairs and adjustments to visitor management

practices.

CONNECTION TO OTHER HISTORIC

AND ART-RELATED SITES IN THE REGION

The Thomas Cole NHS is located within the

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area,

which has three major interpretive themes, including “Nature and Culture.” The heritage

area management plan specifically mentions

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School as

important elements of the theme “Nature and

Culture.” The Thomas Cole NHS could play a

prominent role in the programming of the

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area,

whose mission is to increase access to and interpret the nationally significant heritage

resources in the valley through thematic trails

and linkages. The national heritage area could

help place the Thomas Cole NHS in context

and encourage coordinated interpretation with

other properties that tell the story of artists in

the Hudson River Valley. A stronger relationship between the two organizations would be

beneficial to both.

Another natural partner for the Thomas Cole

NHS is the Olana State Historic Site, located

just across the Hudson River in Hudson, NY.

Olana was the home of Hudson River School

artist and Cole student Frederic Edwin Church

from 1860 until his death in 1900. It has been

owned as a state historic site by New York State

since 1966 and is a leading cultural attraction in

the Hudson Valley. The Thomas Cole NHS and

Olana promote each other to their visitors and

have worked on cooperative projects, including

a symposium for the 200th anniversary of Thomas Cole’s birth in 2001.

At a public meeting on the Thomas Cole NHS

general management plan on March 21, 2002,

Linda E. McLean, Historic Site Manager of the

Olana State Historic Site, said there should be
 55

many opportunities for the Thomas Cole NHS

and Olana to jointly interpret the history of the

Hudson River School during the 19th century.

Coordination might include joint tickets, brochures, and special events like the Thomas Cole

200th-birthday symposium in 2001.

Olana is planning to build a new visitor center to

enhance the visitor experience at Olana, display

art, and encourage a heightened appreciation of

Church and other Hudson River School painters, including Thomas Cole. The New York State

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic

Preservation and The Olana Partnership have

completed a Comprehensive Plan and

Environmental Impact Statement on the 24,000-

square-foot facility. Currently the cost of the

facility would be $11.3 million out of a $30.5 million capital campaign with endowment.

Significant fund-raising must take place before

plans move forward.

The proposed visitor center could create partnership opportunities for the Thomas Cole NHS

relating to programming, school programs, and

interpretation. In the future, when the visitor

center is open, there may be opportunities for

shared shuttle bus services, which The Olana

Partnership has studied.

Greene County obtained a grant from the

Hudson River Greenway Conservancy for the

Hudson River Valley to develop a 3,000-foot

walking trail in Catskill, NY, connecting the

RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary, Catskill Point,

Dutchmans Landing Park, the Beattie-Powers

Place (an 1831 Greek Revival house owned by the

Village of Catskill), and the Thomas Cole NHS.

This project would expand upon the

Puddingstone Path that currently links

Dutchmans Landing Park with the Beattie-Powers Place. The strategy is to continue the trail

across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Olana.

Thomas Cole, Catskill Creek, 1845.

Collection of the New York Historical

Society. S-157.
56 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Though still in the planning stages, this trail has

the potential to develop tourism in Catskill by

linking a set of important historic sites in the

local community—the restored Freight Master’s

Building at Catskill Point, the historic BeattiePowers Place, and the Thomas Cole NHS.

Long term, there may be an opportunity to reinstate ferry service between Hudson and the

Olana site at the east side of the Hudson River

that would connect with Catskill Point and,

thus, the Thomas Cole NHS. Each of the proposed trail projects would improve the

visibility and accessibility of the Thomas Cole

NHS. This would also provide the Thomas

Cole NHS an opportunity to interpret the

physical and social aspects of the Catskill

community as it was when Thomas Cole

lived there through interpretive brochures

and signage.

The Greene County Historical Society owns

the burial plot of Thomas Cole and his family

in the Thompson Street Cemetery a half-mile

away. The Thomas Cole NHS will direct visitors

at Cedar Grove to the burial site, but is reluctant

to erect trail signs or other obvious signs at the

cemetery for fear of inviting vandalism in the

cemetery, as the cemetery has suffered vandalism

in the past.

HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL ART TRAIL

Another important connection for the Thomas

Cole NHS is with sites in the region that inspired

him and other artists to paint their renowned

landscapes. Within a 15-mile radius of the Thomas Cole house in Catskill, NY, significant

landscapes painted by Cole and other Hudson

River artists, including Frederic Church and

Sanford Gifford, survive intact. Scenes painted

by other Hudson River School artists stretch up

and down the valley. Legislation establishing the

Thomas Cole National Historic Site resolves that

the Cole Historic Site’s plan shall “include recommendations for regional wayside exhibits, to

This current view of Catskill Creek

shows how scenes painted by Thomas

Cole have changed little since his era.

Courtesy of National Park Service.
 57

be carried out through cooperative agreements

with the State of New York and other public and

private entities.” The Hudson River School Art

Trail would interpret themes important to the

Hudson Valley and to American culture and environmental stewardship.

This project would have wayside interpretive

signs including pictures of paintings depicting

that site as well as background information on

the painting, the artist, and how the scene has

been preserved. These wayside interpretive

signs would serve as “captions on the landscape,” enhancing the visitor’s understanding

about the Hudson River landscape and the art

that it inspired.

The Thomas Cole NHS has developed a firstphase proposal for the trail drawing on the

National Park Service’s conceptual map of painting sites, which was originally published in the

National Park Service’s Thomas Cole Suitability/

Feasibility Study (1991). This project would erect

wayside interpretive exhibits at the six sites that

are most appropriate for viewing the Hudson

River-Catskill Mountain landscape. The project

would also erect trail markers on highways and

publish trail maps and brochures. The brochures

would be a primary tool for publicizing the trail

and helping visitors use it. It would provide directions for motorists and give hiking

information from parking sites. Supporters of an

unsuccessful TEA-21 grant proposal for the Art

Trail made to the State of New York Department

of Transportation included the New York State

Department of Environmental Conservation,

which maintains the Catskill Forest Preserve; the

New York State Division of Tourism; the Hudson

River Valley Greenway Communities Council/

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; and

the Greene County Tourism/Promotion Department. This proposal may be resubmitted to the

State of New York and other grant programs.

For the first phase, the Thomas Cole NHS would

serve as the starting point of the art trail, which

would go to Catskill Creek and follow Route 23A

up into the Catskills. This road provides access

to principal sites on the proposed Art Trail.

Kaaterskill Falls, which is located just off the

highway in this area, was one of the most celebrated scenic places in 19th-century America.

It was painted by Thomas Cole, Asher B.

Durand, and other Hudson River School artists.

Off Route 23A, a 4-mile trip on Route 18 brings

the motorist to North and South Lakes and the

site of the Catskill Mountain House, an important location for Hudson River School

paintings and 19th- and early 20th-century

tourism. A potential partner for the project is

the Mountain Top Historical Society, which

tells the story of the Catskill Mountain House

and its surroundings.

The transportation study (2002) done for the

Thomas Cole NHS made additional recommendations for developing the Art Trail at

particular sites:

Catskill Creek, Catskill—The best perspective

for viewing the site where Cole painted a

dozen works is from the bridge over Catskill

Creek. The painting site is easily recognizable. This painting site is located near the

intersection of Main Street/Old State Route

23 and U.S. Route 9W in Catskill. Vehicular

wayfinding and parking are problematic because there are several roads intersecting at

this point. The best opportunity for parking

would be to work out an arrangement to use

the adjacent parking lot at Tatiana’s Restaurant (which has developed a dining patio

overlooking Catskill Creek). A wayside exhibit could be erected at the bridge.

South Lake, North–South Lakes State Campground, Haines Falls—This site is

approximately 15 miles from the Thomas

Cole NHS and can be reached from State

Route 23 and State Route 18. Within the

Catskill Forest Preserve and Park, which is

owned and managed by the New York State

Department of Environmental Conservation,

South Lake is the scene of Thomas Cole’s

painting Lake with Dead Trees (1825). It has a

similar appearance today. Access to the site is
58 Thomas Cole National Historic Site
 59

through the campground access road and

parking lot, which is closed to cars during the

winter months. There is ample space for a

wayside exhibit.

View of Catskill Mountain House Site—Thomas

Cole and many other artists painted the

Catskill Mountain House site looking south

from Sunset Rock and the Catskill Escarpment. This vantage point is within the Catskill

Forest Preserve and Park. It would not be appropriate to place a wayside exhibit in this

relatively remote area, so an exhibit ought to

be located at the North–South Lakes State

Campground parking lot or the site of the demolished Catskill Mountain House, which has

interpretive signage. An art walking trail could

be laid out in this area because walking trails already exist there.

Kaaterskill Clove—One of Thomas Cole’s most

popular landscapes is The Clove, Catskill (1827).

The scene appears similar today. The problem

is getting public access to the place where Cole

painted from because it is on private property.

A wayside exhibit could be erected in a public

area near the site off Route 23A.

Kaatterskill Falls—This is the scene of Cole’s

early painting Falls of Kaaterskill (1826) as well

as Asher B. Durand’s memorial to Cole Kindred Spirits (1849). This site is on public

property in the Catskill Forest Preserve and

Park, but it is somewhat difficult to reach. The

falls can be reached from the bottom by parking at a small parking lot on State Route 23A

and then walking along the edge of the road

for several hundred feet, crossing the winding

road, and then hiking up a trail through rugged terrain to view the falls. Visitors can reach

the falls from above by driving through the

North–South Lakes State Campground to

Laurel House Road and hiking down to the

falls, a route which is not very safe.

The current pedestrian access below the falls

is not safe because pedestrians cross the highway at many unmarked locations. An alternative to this situation might include delineating

the highway crossing with a crosswalk and

signage or building a walkway outboard of the

current guardrail over the steep slope. Safety

improvements are also needed at the upper

locations to restrict pedestrian access near

rock faces.

Before embarking upon the Art Trail project, the

Thomas Cole NHS should work with a committee including the Hudson River Valley National

Heritage Area, Olana, state agencies, nonprofit

museums and cultural organizations, and tourism

promotion agencies to firm up plans for the trail.

With these groups, additional sites may be added

to the trail.

The Art Trail project would be complemented by

Thomas Cole NHS efforts to tie into the area’s

highway network by obtaining signs on the New

York Thruway and directional sites on state and

local roadways.

SITE OPERATIONS

Currently the Thomas Cole NHS is managed by

a volunteer board and a full-time executive director, enabling the site to provide better public

services and broaden the funding base. Volunteer docents greet visitors and guide them

through the site.

The preferred situation would be for the Thomas

Cole NHS to have at least five full-time employees—an executive director, administrative

assistant, education coordinator, curator, caretaker—and two seasonal employees. Interns

would be used to supplement the paid staff and

volunteers. It is not assumed that this budget and

staffing level would be reached immediately, but

would be built up to gradually.

The Thomas Cole NHS plans to expand its days

of opening from three days per week in 2003 to

four days in 2004 to five days in 2005. This would

allow it to have comparable operating hours to

Olana State Historic Site.
60 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Alternative Three: Concept

• Tell the story of Thomas Cole’s art and influence on American culture.

• Rehabilitates structures and landscape to resemble their appearance during Thomas Cole’s era.

• Brings visitors to sites in Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains that inspired Hudson River School art.

Summary of Alternative Three

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Structures at Cedar Grove resemble their appearance during Cole’s era.Maintain main house to appearance during 1840s.

Rehabilitate Storehouse Studio to its appearance

1839–1846.

Reconstruct New Studio exterior to have 1848 appearance.

Conduct archival and archeological research to learn

more about structures.

Resource Management

Landscape character at Cedar Grove is evocative of

conditions in 1840s.

Conduct archival and archeological research to

learn more about cultural landscape.

Carry out recommendations emanating from cultural landscape report, eg. reconstructing Spring

Street fence and gate, replanting kitchen garden, and

restoring historic paths.

Maintain and expand collection of artifacts and artwork related to Cole according to NPS standards.Adopt a Scope of Collections policy to inform acquisitions.

Acquire appropriate artwork and Cole-era artifacts.

Develop designated storage space in main house and

Scott House.
 61

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Orientation is provided at the outset of the visitor

experience.

Develop visitor center with brochure rack, book

store, displays, and multimedia presentation in

Storehouse Studio.

Visitor Use and Experience

Interpretation emphasizes Thomas Cole’s art and its

connection to the regional landscape and American

culture.

Develop docent tours of main house and studios that

explain Cole’s art and his cultural influence.

Develop multi-media exhibit on Cole’s art and influence.

Develop Hudson River Art Trail with brochure and

wayside exhibit at sites that inspired paintings.

Exhibit artwork by Cole, his Hudson River School

colleagues, and contemporary landscape artists.

Continue to exhibit artwork in main house.

Develop reconstructed New Studio interior as museum-quality gallery space for historic and

contemporary works.

Objective Potential Action Resulting from Objective

Partnerships are enhanced to encourage an understanding of Thomas Cole’s influence on the Hudson

River School and American culture.

Develop partnership with Olana to explain relationship between Cole and Frederic Church, as well as

partnerships with other organizations interpreting

Hudson River School art.

Cooperative Efforts and Partnerships

Partnerships are enhanced to encourage appreciation of the landscapes that inspired the art of

Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School.

With other interested organizations, develop

Hudson River Art Trail with brochure and wayside

exhibit at sites that inspired paintings.
62 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Element Common to Each Alternative -

Relationship between the Thomas Cole NHS

and the National Park Service

In recent years, the National Park Service has

relied increasingly on partnerships with other

entities to carry out the preservation and interpretation of nationally significant cultural and

natural sites. One of the forms of NPS partnerships involves working with a designated

“affiliated area.” There are 24 affiliated areas, including the Thomas Cole NHS, which is owned

and managed by a subsidiary board of the

Greene County (NY) Historical Society. Affiliated areas have high historic or scientific value.

They are federally designated and are eligible for

NPS technical and financial assistance, but they

are neither owned nor administered by the NPS.

Since the designation of the Thomas Cole NHS

in 1999, the NPS has provided technical assistance to the Thomas Cole NHS, primarily

through the work of the general management

plan, which got underway in 2001. The NPS has

provided assistance with historic preservation

research and planning, developing collection

policies, archeological work at the site, transportation planning, and technical advice on management practices gleaned for other NPS sites.

Once the GMP is finalized and submitted to

Congress, the relationship of the Thomas Cole

NHS and the NPS may develop along the following lines:

The Thomas Cole NHS will be recognized for

its affiliation with the NPS by being able to mark

the site, printed materials, and its website with

the NPS logo. The Thomas Cole NHS will secure a presence on the NPS website.

The Thomas Cole NHS could be eligible for federal funding through line-item construction

appropriations or National Park Service appropriations in annual federal NPS budgets. The

Secretary of the Interior would enter into a cooperative agreement to assist in the preservation

of the site and in research and development of

interpretive and educational programs regarding

the Thomas Cole NHS as well as the nearby

landscapes that Cole and other Hudson River

artists painted.

The NPS, through its lead contact at the

Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS, in nearby Hyde Park,

NY, would share management information and

direct the site to appropriate technical assistance

for planning, research, archaeology, building restoration, landscape restoration, natural resource

management, collection management, interpretation, exhibitory, education, or other areas in

which it has expertise. NPS services could be

provided by the Northeast Regional Office,

Northeast Museum Services Center, Building

Conservation Branch, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Harpers Ferry Center, and

other NPS entities. Funding would have to be secured for more than minimal technical assistance

from NPS staff.

Staff and board members of the Thomas Cole

NHS would be eligible to participate in relevant

NPS regional, national, and international conferences, training workshops, and meetings. Staff

and board members would be able to participate

in NPS training opportunities in such areas as resource protection, interpretation, education,

safety, environmental compliance, and operations.

Alternatives Considered but Not Proposed

1. MAKING THE THOMAS COLE NHS A CENTER FOR

INTERPRETING THE ENTIRE HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL.

This would entail substantial exhibit space for

paintings, which it would be difficult to provide

at the Thomas Cole NHS. In any case, the proposed 24,000-square-foot Olana Visitor Center

might be better equipped to fulfill that function

because it would have adequate museum-quality

space for painting exhibits. Not only is the Thomas Cole NHS too small to cover the Hudson

River School comprehensively, it lacks the staff

and financial resources to undertake the task.

The Thomas Cole NHS does have the capacity to

interpret the influence that Thomas Cole had on

other artists, including Frederic Church and

Asher B. Durand. The Thomas Cole NHS could
 63

Treasurer Dr. Raymond Beecher at

gala opening, July 14, 2001. Photo:

© Richard N. Philp.

include appropriate material in interpretive panels, art exhibits, and docent tours and could refer

visitors to other sites connected with the Hudson

River School.

2. USING THE OLANA VISITOR CENTER AS THE PRIMARY VISITOR CENTER FOR THOMAS COLE NHS.

While the proposed Olana Visitor Center could

interpret the Hudson River School, refer visitors

to Thomas Cole NHS, coordinate transit services, and undertake cooperative projects with

Thomas Cole NHS (Thomas Cole could be included in exhibits at the new visitor center), it

does not make sense for the Thomas Cole NHS

to use the Olana Visitor Center for its visitor services and interpretation. Serving as the visitor

center for the Thomas Cole NHS has not been a

goal of the Olana State Historic Site Final Comprehensive Plan. The two historic sites each have

different needs and resources. On-site visitor facilities are essential to the operation of the

Thomas Cole site, and the Thomas Cole NHS

has the facilities on-site to provide the desired

range of visitor services.

3. MAKING THE FULL HISTORY OF THE CEDAR GROVE

ESTATE A MAJOR INTERPRETIVE THEME.

The historic house, its use over almost two centuries, and the domestic and agricultural life of

Cedar Grove should not be a main story because
64 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

the Congressional designation of the National

Historic Site states that the site should focus on

the story of Thomas Cole, his art, and the surrounding landscape that inspired him. In any

case, the main house does not have enough

original artifacts, either from Cole’s period or

later years, to fully interpret the house. The 110-

acre estate from the 1840s has been reduced to a

3.4-acre historic site.

The Thomas Cole NHS could make the history

and domestic life of Cedar Grove a secondary

theme because knowledge of the site’s history

would enable visitors to understand better Cole’s

experience there and how the site has been preserved since then. Interpretive panels could give

the full history of the Cedar Grove estate and/or

a diorama could depict Cedar Grove circa 1848

and explain the changes to the site since then.

4. REASSEMBLING THE ENTIRE CEDAR GROVE PARCEL.

The Cedar Grove estate had as much as 110 acres

during the 1840s. Today’s Thomas Cole NHS has

3.4 acres at Cedar Grove with an additional adjoining 2.1 acres. It would be impractical to

repurchase significant tracts that were once part

of Cedar Grove because of exorbitant costs and

thoroughfares cutting through the property. Reassembling the larger Cedar Grove estate would

not be necessary for interpreting Thomas Cole’s

career, his art, and his influence on the Hudson

River School. Nevertheless, the Thomas Cole

NHS could acquire parcels immediately abutting

the site in order to enhance the integrity of the

core property.
65

VI. Affected Environment

Natural Resources

TOPOGRAPHY

The Thomas Cole NHS Cedar Grove estate has

shrunk considerably from 110 acres in Cole’s time

to 3.4 acres today (two abutting lots with modern

houses which belong to the Greene County Historical Society have an additional 2.1 acres). The

3.4-acre site is set on the back crest of the

Hudson River’s lateral highlands between 160

feet and 180 feet in elevation above the Hudson

River, which is about one-half mile to the east.

The site is relatively flat.

SOILS

The soil type at the Thomas Cole NHS site is

Nassau-Farmington, which is shallow, gently

sloping to very steep, well-drained and somewhat excessively drained, medium-textured soil

on hills and ridges. This parcel of land is not

prime farmland.

FLOODPLAIN AND WETLANDS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA) website of flood hazard maps for the

United States indicates that the Thomas Cole

NHS is located in Zone X, which is an area determined to be outside the 500-year floodplain.

From these maps, it is apparent that the 500-year

flood zones are located just along the banks of

the Hudson River. The banks slope up rapidly

from the shoreline to the Thomas Cole NHS at

an elevation between 160 and 180 feet.

There are no wetlands at the Thomas Cole NHS.

VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

Most of the site is covered by open lawns with

clusters of trees, shrubs, and brambles near the

borders of the property. The site contains large

clusters of lilacs, honeysuckle, and forsythia.

Borders of hydrangea outline a former garden.

“Thomas Cole was the

most famous painter of

his time. What he painted is valuable because

nobody had done it quite

so well before him.”

William Kennedy,

Albany Times-Union, 1964

Thomas Cole’s daughter Emily Cole in

New Studio, c.1910. Courtesy of the

Albany Institute of History & Art

Library, CV 553/II/8/2.
66 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Ancient wisteria vines next to the house have

been trimmed back, but would quickly return to

frame the front entrance if allowed to grow on

trellises. Other vines include climbing roses and

grapevines grown on arbors. Mature deciduous

trees remaining from the woodlot behind the

house include oaks, maples, cedars, and black

cherry. One remaining apple tree recalls the orchard that Cedar Grove once maintained. Closer

to the main house are mature honey locust,

white pine, and spruce trees. Much of the layout

and many of the plantings resemble the situation

when Thomas Cole lived there. Research indicates there was a vegetable garden there in Cole’s

time and more elaborate flower gardens in the

late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This is a suburbanized setting with typical small

suburban animals on the property, such as

squirrels and small birds. The relatively small

site is bordered by houses and roadways, so it

would be unlikely to have a habitat for rare and

endangered species. According to the New York

Natural Heritage Program, the Thomas Cole

NHS site has “no records of known occurrences

of rare or state-listed animals or plants, significant natural communities, or other significant

habitats, on or in the immediate vicinity of the

site.”

AIR QUALITY

The Thomas Cole NHS is located in a Class II

clean air area. Greene County has been monitored for attainment of the standard (Clean Data

Areas) for ozone and carbon monoxide. According to the Clean Air Act, maximum allowable

increases of sulfur dioxide, particulate matter,

and nitrogen oxide beyond baseline concentrations established for Class II areas cannot be

exceeded. These Class II increments will allow

modest industrial activities within the vicinity of

the site.

Cultural Resources

HISTORIC LANDSCAPE

In Thomas Cole’s period, Cedar Grove was a

farm estate of about 110 acres. Today, the Thomas

Cole NHS has 3.4 acres. This landscape of Cedar

Grove has evolved over the past two centuries.

Some plantings, including lilac shrubs and a

spruce tree near the main house, date to the mid19th century. Most plantings are newer, and

some are quite recent. The driveways and pathways that existed on the site during Cole’s era

have been modified and even covered over, but

traces of them are still evident. Although a working farm well into the 20th century, Cedar Grove

long had flower gardens and grass areas near the

main house. Farther away from the house was a

farm garden, which no longer exists. A woodlot,

with some trees dating to Cole’s era, still exists

on the eastern portion of the property.

The public roadway providing access to Cedar

Grove, called Spring Street, has been realigned

over the past 150 years and the wall, picket fence,

and gate that fronted on Spring Street have long

been dismantled.

The remainder of the original 110-acre estate has

been largely developed for residences.

HISTORIC STRUCTURES

Three structures remain on the property. The

main house was erected in 1815 and has received

various additions (the latest being in 1870) and

renovations over the years (the most recent

renovation, to open the building as part of the

NHS, being completed in 2001). The Storehouse

Studio, where Cole painted important works,

was built in 1839. It has been used as an art studio, a storehouse, an antiques shop, and a

residence. The structure is in deteriorating condition and requires stabilization and appropriate

treatment within the next few years to avoid loss.

A restored privy dating to the mid-19th century

stands near the house.

ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES

Archeological resources, the physical evidence of

past human activity, form an important part of

the NHS’s resource base. There are archeological

resources throughout the historic site connected

with the Cedar Grove estate, which has roots
67

with the Thomson family stretching back to 1787.

There was European settlement in the area back

to 1684 and the presence of American Indians

before that.

Archeological investigations have focused on the

area of the flower garden. This investigation confirmed photographic analysis of the location of

paths and flower beds on the site. Archaeology is

needed to confirm analysis of other parts of the

grounds described in the Cultural Landscape

Report. These include archeological resources

around the main house and the Storehouse Studio. The rehabilitation of the Storehouse Studio

has required an archeological survey as part of

the plans and Section 106 compliance. The foundations of the New Studio, which was built in

1846 and demolished in 1973, still exist on the

grounds and must be investigated. The stone wall,

gate, and picket fence that once lined Spring

Street are not in evidence, but archeological evidence of those elements should be pursued.

COLLECTIONS

The Thomas Cole NHS has collections of furniture, artwork, and Cole-related artifacts. These

are the property of the Greene County Historical

Society, which also operates another historic

house and a library. The number of artifacts and

furniture from Cole’s era is limited because they

were sold off over the years, particularly at an

auction in 1964.

The collection includes domestic objects, a limited number of paintings by Thomas Cole and

other artists including Charles Herbert Moore

and Benjamin B. G. Stone, historic reproductions

of Cole’s works, and Cole’s painting tools and

reference objects. The archives include personal

papers of Cole and family members, historic

Upstairs “Lavendar” room in

Storehouse Studio when it was used

as an antiques shop, c. 1920. Courtesy

of Vedder memorial Library,

Coxsackie, New York.
68 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

photographs of the site, and records of the

preservation and administration of Cedar

Grove in recent years.

Socioeconomic Environment

LOCAL ECONOMY

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is located in the Village of Catskill, NY, which is an

incorporated part of the Township of Catskill,

which in turn is part of Greene County. Greene

County is situated on the west bank of the

Hudson River and includes much of the northern Catskill Mountains. The Village of Catskill

is located directly on the Hudson River, where

Catskill Creek flows into the river.

The Village of Catskill, which serves as the

Greene County seat, is 2.83 square miles and

has a population of 4,392 (including 19% nonwhite). It has 2,048 housing units. The Town of

Catskill has 64 square miles and a population of

11,849 (10% non-white). The number of housing

units is 5,700.

Greene County has an area of 653 square miles,

with 14 townships and 5 incorporated villages.

The county population in 2000 was 48,195. The

county grew by 7% during the 1990s and by almost 50% since 1970. Economic forecasters

Woods & Poole project that the population in

Greene County will grow at the fastest rate of

any county in New York State between now and

2015. Much of this demographic growth stems

from new residents seeking to enjoy life in the

Hudson River Valley. The number of second

homes and retirement homes is growing.

Over 1,500 persons attended the

gala opening of the Thomas Cole

National Historic Site and celebration of Thomas Cole’s 200th

birthday, July 14, 2001.Photo: ©

Richard N. Philp.
69

There were 19,851 jobs in Greene County in 2001

and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. In 1999, the

per capita income of Greene County residents

was $18,931, while the statewide average was

$23,389; 8.6% of the county’s families living below the poverty level, while the statewide average

was 11.5%.

The economy in this area and throughout the

Hudson River Valley is evolving into more of a

service-based, and tourism- and second-home–

oriented economy. Interest in improving the

quality of life and developing cultural projects is

increasing in Catskill, Greene County, and the

Hudson Valley. The development of the Thomas

Cole NHS fits this trend.

TOURISM IN THE HUDSON VALLEY

A study by Marist College and the Hudson River

Greenway Council, “Impact of Visitors to Historic Sites in the Hudson River Valley: A

Marist-Greenway Survey of Visitors” (1997),

found that between 1.5 and 2 million tourists visited the 50 historic sites in the Hudson Valley in

1996. The estimated direct expenditures by tourists in the Hudson Valley was between $70 million

and $130 million, with the total economic impact

being between $140 million and $160 million.

The Marist College study found that visitors to

historic sites in the Hudson Valley are well educated—62% have college degrees and 32% have

graduate degrees. About two-thirds have an income of more than $50,000, and about half are

over 50 years old. About 31% of heritage visitors

in the Hudson Valley are from New York State,

with 14% coming from New York City. Other areas of visitor origin are: 12% from other

Northeastern states, 25% from the Middle Atlantic region, 28% from the rest of the United

States, and 4% from outside the country.

Heritage tourism has been on the rise across the

country. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIAA), 45% of adults visit

historic sites while on vacation, and 41% visit cultural attractions. Historic sites rank second as

family vacation destinations after ocean beaches

and ahead of cities and theme parks. Forty percent of families visit historic sites on vacation.

The Marist College survey found that Hudson

Valley visitors were very interested in specific aspects of historical significance. The most highly

ranked aspects were the Hudson River itself

(47% indicated interest), gardens (44%), architecture (42%), landscape architecture (34%), and

art history (28%).

Of 40 historic sites surveyed in the Hudson Valley, three that may be comparable in certain

respects to the Thomas Cole NHS are the Martin

Van Buren National Historic Site, in nearby

Kinderhook; the Home of Franklin Roosevelt

National Historic Site/Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, in Hyde Park; and Olana

State Historic Site, across the Hudson River in

the town of Hudson. The Martin Van Buren

NHS and Franklin Roosevelt NHS are homes of

former presidents. Olana is the historic home of

painter Frederic Church.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THOMAS COLE NHS

In 2001, 2002, and 2003, an average of 4,000 visitors came to the Thomas Cole NHS. The visitors

to the Thomas Cole NHS made a positive economic impact on the local community, according

to the National Park Service’s Money Generation

Model 2. The Money Generation Model 2 allows

national park sites to estimate the economic impacts related to visitation at their sites. The

Thomas Cole NHS has not yet surveyed its visitors to learn where they come from and how

much they spend, as Olana, Martin Van Buren

NHS, Roosevelt NHS, and other historic

Hudson Valley sites have done. Therefore, in order to estimate a breakdown of visitor origins

and average visitor expenditures at Thomas Cole

NHS, this study uses visitor profile data from

Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site in

nearby Hyde Park, NY.

A base number of 4,000 visitors at the Thomas

Cole NHS spend an estimated $119,580 annually
70 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

in the surrounding community for meals, rooms,

shopping, and services. The breakout of expenditures by categories of visitor is shown below.

The total economic impact of direct and indirect spending was $182,400 and personal

income was $62,400. The expenditures of visitors to Thomas Cole NHS generated 3 jobs in

the local tourism industry.

The formula for determining the economic impact of National Park sites comes from Daniel J.

Stynes, Dennis B. Propst, Wen-huei Chang, and

YaYen Sun, National Park Service, Estimating

National Park Visitor Spending and Economic Impacts: Money Generation Model Version 2 (report

prepared for the National Park Service by Michigan State University, Department of Park,

Recreation and Tourism Resources, East Lansing, MI, 2000). The source for the RooseveltVanderbilt NHS visitor and visitor expenditure

data is “Money Generation Model – Version 2”

http://www.prr.msu.edu/mgm2/. The employment and spending multipliers were taken from

Table E2. Multipliers for Small Metro Areas

(Page E-1). The student proportion of 15% is

separated out from the Regional Day-tripper

category and is based upon the percentage of

student visitation at the Women’s Rights NHS

in Seneca Falls, NY. Except for students, which

are counted as one party each, the visitor parties are assumed to have two persons.

LAND USE

The property at the Thomas Cole NHS is zoned

by the Village of Catskill R–1–One Family Residence District for residential use. This zoning

permits single-family residences and religious

and park uses. The historic site use at the Thomas

Cole NHS is a nonconforming use. Nearby property at the junction of Spring Street and Route 23

is zoned for commercial uses. The Village of

Catskill has stated that proposed changes to the

site would not require special zoning permission.

Visitor Expenditures

Type of Visitor Visitors Parties Expenditure/Party Night Total Expenditures

Overnight (10%) 400 200 $180 $36,000

Regional Day-trippers (54%) 2,160 1,080 55 59,400

Local Day-trippers (21%) 840 420 49 20,580

Students (15%) 600 600 6 3,600

Total 4,000 2,300 $119,580
71

The Thomas Cole NHS GMP is undertaking an

Environmental Assessment (EA) rather than an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is

required for all major federal actions, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.

Alternative One: Continuation of Current

Practices

Alternative One would represent no change in

the operations and visitor experience at the Thomas Cole NHS over the existing conditions.

IMPACTS ON VISITOR EXPERIENCE

Visitors would obtain an understanding of Cole’s

life and the development of Cedar Grove during

the docent-led tour of the main house. Visitors

would be able to view exhibit panels interpreting

Cole’s life, as well as selected Hudson River

VII. Environmental Assessment – Impacts of Alternatives

School art by artists of the 19th century and the

contemporary era. The visitors would be able to

tour the grounds and look at the Storehouse Studio from the outside. The opportunity to view

original art of Thomas Cole and other Hudson

River School painters would be limited because

the site would not have a museum-quality space

to exhibit the art.

IMPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES

Historic structures and cultural landscape features

would be preserved and protected for future generations under the current management.

IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Since no additional facilities or programs would be

provided at the Thomas Cole NHS, there would

be no additional impacts on natural resources.

Thomas Cole, The Course of the

Empire—Destruction, 1836.

Collection of the New York Historical

Society. 1858.4.

Thomas Cole “was a

poet, a gifted essayist,

prolific letter-writer,

theorist, and traveler.”

Theodore Stebbins,

A New World: Masterpieces of

American Painting, 1760–1910
72 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

IMPACTS ON SITE OPERATIONS

The Thomas Cole NHS would have a paid professional executive director, who would provide

consistent operational management. Additional

staff could be added, depending upon finances.

But the lack of additional investment, facilities,

and services at the site would not lead to significantly enhanced programming.

IMPACTS ON VISITATION AND

THE SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Since there would be no changes to the operations and visitor experience at the Thomas Cole

NHS, no new visitors would be attracted to the

Thomas Cole NHS. A base number of 4,000 visitors at the Thomas Cole NHS spent an estimated

$119,580 annually in the surrounding community

for meals, rooms, shopping, and services. Visitor

expenditures would generate three local jobs in

the tourism industry.

IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING

Since there would be no increase in visitation at

the Thomas Cole NHS, there would be no increase in traffic around the site and no increased

demand for parking.

NON-IMPAIRMENT OF RESOURCES

Under Alternative One, the historic site’s resources and values would not be impaired

because there would be no major adverse impacts on a resource or value whose conservation

is (1) necessary to fulfill specific purposes identified in the establishing legislation of the Thomas

Cole National Historic Site, (2) key to the natural

or cultural integrity of the site or to opportunities for visitor enjoyment, or (3) identified as a

goal in the historic site’s general management

plan or other relevant National Park Service

planning documents.

Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

IMPACTS ON VISITOR EXPERIENCE

This alternative would improve the interpretive

opportunities over the current situation. By restoring the Storehouse Studio it would allow

visitors to see the studio where Cole painted between 1839 and 1846. The Hudson River School

Art Trail brochure would help visitors to view

scenes that Cole and his followers painted in the

Catskill Mountain landscape. Visitors would

have fewer educational experiences than under

Alternative Three. The site would not have space

for a visitor center, a multimedia presentation

about Thomas Cole’s art and cultural influence,

educational programs, or museum-quality gallery

space for exhibiting art.

IMPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES

Historic Structures

The house at Cedar Grove and the Storehouse

Studio would be preserved and protected for future generations. The projected increase of

visitation from 4,000 persons per year to 6,000

would be within the carrying capacity of the

structures. Any plans for work on these historic

structures will be reviewed by appropriate state

and federal agencies for Section 106 compliance.

Landscape

Cultural landscape features would be preserved

and protected for future generations under the

current management practices.

Archaeology

The rehabilitation of the Storehouse Studio

would entail limited archeological research before proceeding with that project. This research

would lead to the protection of archeological resources as well as contributing important

information for the rehabilitation. For research

and interpretive purposes, a limited archeological survey would be done on the site of the New

Studio. Though no effort would be made to reconstruct this structure, the archeological

research could provide new information about

New Studio that could be used in interpreting

Cole’s life at Cedar Grove.

Collections

This alternative would continue the preservation

and maintenance of the collection in space not
73

open to the public in the main house. Longerterm, off-site space would be needed for storage

and would probably have to be rented. This

would have the disadvantage of separating items

from the collections in several different places.

IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCES

The Thomas Cole NHS does not currently

monitor air quality, nor has the site’s air quality

been assessed. Because of the relatively small

number of visitors attracted to the site, including

even the projected increase due to the implementation of the GMP, a negligible effect on air

quality is anticipated.

During rehabilitation activities at the Storehouse

Studio, there will be a minimal and temporary

increase in noise, dust, and vehicle exhaust at the

site. Mitigation measures will be undertaken to

minimize temporary impacts.

Since there are no wetlands on the site, there will

be no impacts on wetlands.

No threatened or endangered species, critical

habitats, or floodplains are found on the site.

Therefore, no impacts on these types of resources should occur. The overall condition of

wildlife on the site would remain unaffected by

the implementation of the plan.

IMPACTS ON SITE OPERATIONS

This management alternative would enable the

Thomas Cole NHS to have a staff of two employees and allow it to carry out the measures

in this GMP alternative. The Scott House,

owned by the Greene County Historical Society, would be used for administrative purposes,

freeing up space currently used for administrative purposes in the main house to be used for

historic interpretation.

IMPACTS ON VISITATION AND

THE SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

The Thomas Cole NHS averaged around 4,000

visitors in its first three years of operation. As

the Thomas Cole NHS gains publicity, rehabilitates the Storehouse Studio, and obtains

year-round paid professional staff, the potential

for increased visitation should rise. It is estimated that attendance could rise by 50% a year

to 6,000 visitors.

The total economic impact of direct and indirect (expenditures by tourism-oriented business

on goods and services in the community)

spending would be $272,642 and personal income would be $93,272. The expenditures of

visitors to Thomas Cole NHS would generate

four jobs in the local tourism industry and an

additional two jobs supplying goods and services to tourism businesses.

It is estimated that approximately 4,000 people

(two persons per auto) would travel the Hudson

River Art Trail, as described in a brochure published by the Thomas Cole NHS (see more

detailed analysis in Alternative Three).

Visitor Expenditures

Type of Visitor Visitors Parties Expenditure/Party Night Total Expenditures

Overnight (10%) 600 300 $180 $ 54,000

Regional Day-trippers (54%) 3,240 1,620 55 89,100

Local Day-trippers (21%) 1,260 630 49 30,870

Students (15%) 900 900 6 5,400

Total 6,000 3,450 $179,370
74 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING

The traffic impacts from upgrading the Thomas

Cole NHS and attracting 2,000 new visitors annually would be negligible, given the large

amounts of traffic already on Route 385 and

Route 23/Rip Van Winkle Bridge approach, as

measured by the New York State Department of

Transportation. The traffic impact would entail a

net increase of approximately 850 car trips and 8

bus trips (approximately 40 students per bus)

per year. This is based on the fact that there are

already 4,000 visitors to the site, with a net 2,000

new visitors. Of these, 300 would be students,

taking approximately eight buses; with two persons to a car, the remaining 1,700 visitors would

equate to 850 car trips, or 1,700 trips each way.

These levels of increase would not be perceptible to neighbors.

The increase in vehicles coming to the Thomas

Cole NHS would increase the demand for parking, which is accommodated at the Temple Israel

parking lot located next door. The synagogue’s

parking lot has the capacity to accommodate additional vehicles. Given that there are 40 parking

spaces (30 spaces if a bus turnaround is created)

and an average visit could take up to two hours,

there could be a capacity of 90–120 cars per day

in the parking lot. The current average per day is

20–25 cars. Under Alternative Two, the additional

850 cars per year would translate to approximately 8 cars per day, which could be

accommodated easily by the parking lot. Eight

new bus trips would be accommodated over the

26-week season.

These are the impacts as long as the Thomas

Cole NHS is able to park cars in the Temple Israel parking lot. If the NHS can no longer use

the Temple Israel parking lot, then it will create a

lot at the rear of the 3.4-acre Cedar Grove site,

where there is space there for parking. This

parking lot would use space that is currently

covered by trees, grass, and undergrowth. It

would take away open space and detract from

the historic landscape.

NON-IMPAIRMENT OF RESOURCES

Under Alternative Two, the historic site’s resources and values would not be impaired

because there would be no major adverse impacts on a resource or value whose conservation

is (1) necessary to fulfill specific purposes identified in the establishing legislation of the Thomas

Cole National Historic Site, (2) key to the natural

or cultural integrity of the site or to opportunities for visitor enjoyment, or (3) identified as a

goal in the historic site’s general management

plan or other relevant National Park Service

planning documents.

Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the

Regional Landscape

IMPACTS ON VISITOR EXPERIENCE

This alternative would bring about a major improvement in interpretive and educational

opportunities over the current situation. It

would provide a more comprehensive overview

of Cole’s life, artistic career, and influence on

American culture. By restoring the Storehouse

Studio it would allow visitors to see the studio

where Cole painted between 1839 and 1846. This

building would also house visitor services, interpretive exhibits, and a bookshop. The new

building resembling the New Studio would provide gallery space for displaying paintings. The

Hudson River School Art Trail would permit

visitors to view scenes that Cole and his followers painted in the Catskill Mountain landscape.

Improvements for visitors with disabilities would

provide greater access to site resources. Barrierfree entrances to the Storehouse Studio and

demolished New Studio would enable visitors

with disabilities to visit these buildings. Since it

would be difficult to universal access in the main
75

house, it is proposed to show a video tour of the

main house in the Storehouse Studio, which

would provide universal access.

IMPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES

Historic Structures

The Thomas Cole house and the Storehouse Studio would be preserved and protected for future

generations. A new building on the site of the

New Studio, which has been demolished, would

be built from historic plans to resemble the original building on the exterior; but the interior

would have the appearance of a contemporary

gallery space. The projected increase of visitation

from 4,000 per year to between 10,000 and

15,000 could be accommodated at the site, although management changes would have to be

made to accommodate the upward figure of

15,000, which would only come about with an

aggressive marketing effort. Any plans for work

on these historic structures will be reviewed by

appropriate state and federal agencies for Section

106 compliance.

Landscape

Rehabilitation of the cultural landscape as described in the plan would improve visitor

understanding of the cultural landscape. Any significant rehabilitation of the landscape to restore

it to its appearance during Thomas Cole’s era

would require a cultural landscape treatment

plan and archeological research before proceeding in order to ensure the protection and

understanding of archeological resources. The

projected increase of visitation from 4,000 per

year to between 10,000 and 15,000 could be accommodated at the site, although management

changes would have to be made to accommodate

the upward figure of 15,000, which would only

come about with an aggressive marketing effort.

Any plans for changes to the landscape will be

reviewed by appropriate state and federal agencies for Section 106 compliance.

Archaeology

The proposed building reconstruction and landscape rehabilitation work could impact

archeological resources, so archeological research would be required before proceeding

with these projects. This research would lead to

the protection of archeological resources as well

as contributing important information to the

preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction

work. Measures will be taken to mitigate disturbance of archeological resources.

Collections

This alternative would improve preservation and

maintenance of the collections. The new building on the New Studio site would create space

for exhibiting art and artifacts, as the building

will have climate control and security systems.

The bulk of the collections not on display will

be stored initially in space not open to the public in the main house. Storage and curatorial

space may be made available in the Scott House

if it is renovated.

IMPACTS ON NATURAL RESOURCES

The Thomas Cole NHS does not currently

monitor air quality, nor has the historic site’s air

quality been assessed. Because of the relatively

small number of visitors attracted to the site, including even the projected increase due to the

implementation of the GMP, a negligible effect

on air quality is anticipated.

During construction activities, there will be a minimal and temporary increase in noise, dust, and

vehicle exhaust at the site. Mitigation measures

will be undertaken to minimize temporary impacts.

Since there are no wetlands on the site, there will

be no impacts on wetlands.

No threatened or endangered species, critical

habitats, or floodplains are found on the site.
76 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Therefore, no impacts on these types of resources should occur. The overall condition of

wildlife on the site would remain unaffected by

the implementation of the plan.

IMPACTS ON SITE OPERATIONS

This management alternative would enable the

Thomas Cole NHS to have a staff of at least four

employees, allowing it to carry out the measures

in this GMP alternative. The NHS could undertake a full range of programs, comparable to

other historic sites in the region. Depending on

the success of site renovations and programs, the

operations budget could increase further.

IMPACTS ON VISITATION AND THE SOCIOECONOMIC

ENVIRONMENT

Taking into account the heritage tourism visitation trends in the Hudson Valley indicates that

there is a large potential market for visiting the

Thomas Cole NHS. The Thomas Cole NHS averaged around 4,000 visitors in its first three

years of operation. As the Thomas Cole NHS obtains year-round paid professional staff, a

marketing program, partnerships with other organizations, and new exhibits and facilities at

Cedar Grove, the potential for increased visitation should rise markedly. Recent attendance

(2001) at neighboring comparable historic sites

suggests that visitation at the Thomas Cole NHS

could increase substantially (see table below).

Visitation at the Thomas Cole NHS could eventually approximate that at either Martin Van

Buren NHS (15,582) or Weir Farm NHS (16,820).

The Martin Van Buren House, called

Lindenwald, is a national historic site less than

25 miles from Catskill, NY. Weir Farm, in

Wilton, CT, is a former artist colony site that

might have comparable appeal to Thomas

Cole’s Cedar Grove.

After the new Olana Visitor Center is opened

and the historic house is restored, The Olana

Partnership (“Market Analysis for the Olana

State Historic Site,” ConsultEcon, Inc./Office of

Thomas J. Martin, 2001) projects that visitation at

this historic house could double to 48,000; visitation of the grounds could reach 225,000; the

Visitor Center could attract 268,000 (with 40,000

only visiting the center and the remainder visiting the house and/or grounds). The increased

visitation at Olana and its new visitor center could

have a significant impact on visitation at the Thomas Cole NHS, which is located just across the

Rip Van Winkle Bridge, less than a mile away.

Home of FDR National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NY 127,422

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, NY 83,062

Olana State Historic Site House, Hudson, NY 24,000

Olana Grounds 139,000

Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, CT 16,820

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, Kinderhook, NY 15,682

Visitor Attendance, Comparable Historic Sites

Historic Site Annual Attendance (2001)
77

Two scenarios for visitation at the Thomas Cole

NHS once the general management plan is

implemented project the following:

1. Conservative Scenario—10,000 annual visitors;

2. Aggressive Marketing Scenario (comparable

to Van Buren and Weir Farm)—15,000 annual

visitors.

The Conservative Scenario would occur most

likely with the full implementation of Alternative

Three. The Aggressive Marketing Scenario

would require an aggressive marketing campaign,

a relatively large staff, and an expanded visitor

season, each of which would be costly and

would entail additional budget expenditures.

To estimate economic impacts, both scenarios

employ the same distribution of visitors by category and visitor expenditures as the Home of

FDR and both use the Money Generation Model 2.

Conservative Scenario: 10,000 Visitors

If Thomas Cole NHS has 10,000 annual visitors,

an estimated $298,950 would be spent in the surrounding community for meals, rooms,

shopping, and services. The table below lists

expenditures broken down by visitor category.

The total economic impact of direct and indirect

spending would be $454,400 and personal income would be $155,450. The expenditures of

visitors to Thomas Cole NHS would generate

seven jobs in the local tourism industry and

three additional jobs with businesses providing

goods and services to the tourism industry.

Aggressive Marketing Scenario: 15,000 Visitors

If Thomas Cole NHS has 15,000 annual visitors,

an estimated $448,425 would be spent in the surrounding community for meals, rooms,

shopping, and services. The table below lists

expenditures broken down by visitor category.

Visitor Expenditures, Conservative Scenario

Type of Visitor Visitors Parties Expenditure/Party Night Total Expenditures

Overnight (10%) 1,000 500 $180 90,000

Regional Day-trippers (54%) 5,400 2,700 55 148,500

Local Day-trippers (21%) 2,100 1,050 49 51,450

Students (15%) 1,500 1,500 6 9,000

Total 10,000 5,750 $298,950

Visitor Expenditures, Aggressive Marketing Scenario

Type of Visitor Visitors Parties Expenditure/Party Night Total Expenditures

Overnight (10%) 1,500 750 $180 135,000

Regional Day-trippers (54%) 8,100 4,050 55 222,750

Local Day-trippers (21%) 3,150 1,575 49 77,175

Students (15%) 2,250 2,250 6 13,500

Total 15,000 8,625 $448,425
78 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The total economic impact of direct and indirect

spending would be $681,600 and personal income would be $233,180. The expenditures of

visitors to Thomas Cole NHS would generate

eleven jobs in the local tourism industry and an

additional four jobs supplying goods and services to tourism businesses.

Hudson River Art Trail Visitation

The number of people who would use the Art

Trail is estimated to be approximately 15,000

each year, based on the following analysis. Some

of these visitors also will have visited Thomas

Cole NHS and/or Olana, and others will only

follow the Art Trail. According to New York State

Department of Transportation traffic counts,

3,500 cars (2000 data) are the annual average

daily total traveling on the 5.53-mile stretch of

Route 23A from Route 32A in Palenville to

County Route 25. This is the main access route

for motorists traveling from the Thomas Cole

Historic Site, in Catskill, to Hudson River painting sites in the Catskill Preserve and the

North-South Lakes State Campground. If 1% of

the cars traveling this road during April–October

visited Art Trail sites, the number would amount

to 7,700 (3,500 autos per day x 220 days x 1%).

With an average of two passengers per car, the

number of trail visitors would total 15,400.

The order of magnitude of this estimate is confirmed by the attendance data for the historic

homes of Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. In

2001–2003, an average of 4,000 people visited the

Thomas Cole Historic Site. Olana, in Hudson, NY,

annually attracts approximately 25,000 visitors to

the house and another 139,000 to the grounds.

IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC AND PARKING

The traffic impacts from upgrading the Thomas

Cole NHS and attracting between 6,000 and

11,000 new visitors annually would be negligible,

given the large amounts of traffic already on

Route 385 and Route 23/Rip Van Winkle Bridge

approach, as measured by the New York State

Department of Transportation. The range of traffic increases on Route 385 would be between

0.55% and 0.9%. On the Route 23 bridge approach it would be between 0.09% and 0.18%.

The traffic impact under the Conservative Scenario (10,000 visitors) would entail a net increase

of 2,250 car trips and 40 bus trips (approximately

40 students per bus) per year. This is based on

Scenes painted by Thomas Cole over

150 years ago still look similar today.

Cole’s View, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill

Preserve, New York. © Hardie

Truesdale, 1991.
79

the fact that there are already 4,000 visitors to

the site, so there would be a net new 6,000 visitors. Of these, 1,500 would be students, taking

approximately 40 buses; with two persons to a

car, the remaining 4,500 visitors would equate to

2,250 car trips (round trips), which would double

to 4,500 trips each way.

The Conservative Scenario would result in an

annual increase in traffic on Route 385 (in front

of the Thomas Cole NHS) of 0.5% and on Route

23 from the Route 385 intersection and the approach to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge of 0.09%.

This is based on 930,750 annual vehicle trips on

Route 385 and 4,966,920 annual vehicle trips on

the Rip Van Winkle Bridge approach.

The traffic impact under the Aggressive Marketing Scenario (15,000 visitors) would entail a net

increase of 4,375 car trips and approximately 60

buses (approximately 40 students per bus) per

year. There would be 11,000 net new visitors to

the site. Of these, 2,250 would be students, taking

about 60 buses; with two persons to a car, the

remaining 8,750 visitors would equate to 4,375

car trips per year (round trips), or 8,750 trips

each way.

The Aggressive Marketing Scenario would result

in an annual traffic increase of 0.9% on Route

385 and 0.18% on the stretch of Route 23 from

the Route 385 intersection to the Rip Van

Winkle Bridge.

These levels of increase would not be perceptible to neighbors.

The increase in vehicles coming to the Thomas

Cole NHS would increase the demand for parking, which is accommodated at the Temple Israel

parking lot located next door. The Temple Israel

parking lot has the capacity to accommodate additional vehicles. Given that there are 40 parking

spaces (30 spaces if a bus turnaround is created)

and an average visit could take up to two hours,

there could be a capacity of 90–120 cars per day

in the parking lot. The current average per day is

20–25 cars. Under the Conservative Scenario, the

additional 2,250 cars per year would translate to

approximately 23 cars per day, which could be

accommodated by the parking lot. Under the Aggressive Marketing Scenario, there would be an

average of an additional 44 cars per day. This

number of cars could be accommodated in the

parking lot, though there would be crowding. One

Thomas Cole, The Clove, Catskills,

c. 1827. Oil on canvas, 25” x 33”.

Courtesy of the New Britain Museum of

American Art, New Britain, Connecticut.

Charles F. Smith Fund. 1945.22.

Photography credit: Michael Agee.
80 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

way to lessen the crowding would be to spread

the increased visitation over a greater number of

days. The visitation season could be increased

from approximately 100 to 150 days or more.

The 40 additional buses would be scheduled to

visit the site mostly during the week at times when

the site would not be open to the general public

and there would be few cars in the parking lot.

These are the impacts as long as the Thomas

Cole NHS is able to park cars in the synagogue

parking lot. If this should become no longer

available, the NHS will create a parking lot at the

rear of the 3.4-acre Cedar Grove site. This parking lot would use space that is currently covered

by trees, grass, and undergrowth. It would take

away open space and detract from the historic

landscape. There is space there for parking, but

it would be unable to accommodate the volumes anticipated in this alternative. The site

managers would need to study other off-site

parking alternatives.

NON-IMPAIRMENT OF RESOURCES

Under Alternative Three, the historic site’s resources and values would not be impaired

because there would be no major adverse impacts on a resource or value whose conservation

is (1) necessary to fulfill specific purposes identified in the establishing legislation of the Thomas

Cole National Historic Site, (2) key to the natural

or cultural integrity of the site or to opportunities for visitor enjoyment, or (3) identified as a

goal in the historic site’s general management

plan or other relevant National Park Service

planning documents.

Summary of Impacts of Alternatives

Alternative 1: Alternative 2: Alternative 3:

No Change Cole & Cedar Grove Cole’s Art & Landscape

Visitor Experience and

Interpretation

Existing site continues current

practices.

Interpret Cole’s life at Cedar Grove

by restoring Storehouse Studio for

public access. Publish Art Trail

brochure.

Interpret Cole’s artistic career by

restoring Storehouse Studio and

erecting a new building on the New

Studio site. Develop Art Trail to

painting sites in region. Open visitor and shop facilities. Initiate

educational programs.

Cultural Resources

Natural Resources

Transportation

Socioeconomic

Historic structures and cultural

landscapes will be preserved as

they are.

Restore Storehouse Studio for public visits and preserve other historic

structures and cultural landscape.

Archeological testing at Storehouse

Studio and research at New Studio

site.

Restore Storehouse Studio as it appeared in Cole’s time and create

visitor and shop facilities. Erect

new building on New Studio site

for gallery and meeting space. Restore landscape to historical period

appearance. Conduct archeological testing at cultural landscape,

Storehouse Studio, and New Studio to protect resources and

obtain artifacts.

No additional impacts on natural

resources.

No additional impacts on natural

resources.

No additional impacts on natural

resources.

No additional traffic. Negligible additional traffic. Negligible additional traffic.

Maintain existing base visitation of

4,000 visitors with annual expenditures of $119,580.

Increase visitation to 6,000 with

annual expenditures of $179,370.

Increase visitation to 10,000–15,000

with range of expenditures

$298,950–$448,425.
81

VIII. Consultation and Public Involvement

The NPS requires public consultation and civic

engagement in preparing general management

plans. The project team included the members of

the Thomas Cole NHS Board of Governors as

well as various National Park Service staff. It is

important to point out that the site is owned and

managed by a Board of Governors that has been

created by the Greene County Historical Society.

The Board of Governors has long been active in

preserving and managing the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and is integrally involved in

the local community. They have enlisted several

dozen volunteers and raised significant amounts

of private donations to fund the rehabilitation

and operation of the main house at Cedar Grove.

The Board of Governors has been active in the

local tourism marketing efforts and has maintained close relations with local government. The

Thomas Cole NHS also has a 31- member Board

of Advisors, including local citizens and art history experts from around the country.

In order to involve important local interests, the

project team also included Carmella Montello,

Executive Director, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area/Hudson River Greenway

Communities Council; Richard Brooks, Greene

County Legislature; Linda McLean, Manager,

Olana State Historic Site; Sara Griffen, President,

The Olana Partnership; and George

Rodenhausen, Trustee, The Olana Partnership.

Representing the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) was James Gold, Director, Bureau of

Historic Sites, New York State Office of Parks,

Recreation and Historic Preservation.

As the State Historic Preservation Officer

(SHPO), the New York State Office of Parks,

Recreation and Historic Preservation was notified by letter of the Thomas Cole NHS draft

GMP; and the Thomas Cole NHS will continue

to consult with the New York Office of Parks,

Recreation and Historic Preservation in imple-

 Board of Governors Chairman Robert

Stackman greets attendees at gala

opening, July 14, 2001. Photo: ©

Richard N. Philp.

Cole’s concerns about

his environment ranked

among the “earliest

articulations of a

conservationist ethos

in nineteenth-century

America.”

David Schuyler,

Apostle of Taste: Andrew Jackson Downing, 1815–1852
82 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

menting the GMP. As far as tribal consultation is

concerned, it has been determined that there are

no listed sacred Indian sites at the Thomas Cole

NHS. The draft GMP has been sent to area

tribes for comment.

State and local agencies offering support for a

preliminary proposal for the Art Trail included

the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which maintains the

Catskill Forest Preserve; the New York State Division of Tourism; the Hudson River Valley

Greenway Communities Council/Hudson River

Valley National Heritage Area; and the Greene

County Tourism/Promotion Department. On

local zoning and planning issues, NPS staff obtained input from Village of Catskill Building

Inspector Al Schnare and Zoning Board Chair

Florence Fieldman.

The GMP planning process and opportunities

for public input were reported on in the Cedar

Grove: The National Historic Site quarterly newsletters for 2002 and 2003. The newsletter is

distributed to over 500 people, including all relevant area public officials, business leaders, and

leaders of related nonprofit organizations. The

newsletters updated local leaders and the public

on progress with the plan, including the description of key issues, and invited the public to

provide input.

The GMP planning process was discussed before

the 100+ attendees at the October 13, 2001 symposium “Thomas Cole: 200 Years of the

American Vision.”

All individuals and organizations on the broadbased 500-person newsletter mailing list were

sent invitations to attend the March 21, 2002

public meeting, which was held to identify issues

that members of the public wanted to see addressed in the GMP. The public meeting was

publicized in the Catskill Daily Mail (3/21/02) and

the Kingston Daily Freeman (3/8/02).

The March 21, 2002 public meeting took place at

the restored Freight Master’s Building at Catskill

Point, in Catskill, NY. Thirty people attended, including Joseph Izzo, Catskill Town Supervisor;

Pat Delaney, Catskill Village Trustee; Richard

Brooks, Greene County Legislature; and legislative aides to State Assemblymen John Faso and

Joel Miller. Public meeting participants provided

ideas about how the Thomas Cole NHS should

proceed with its GMP. Some of the key questions

that were raised included:

1. Historic Structures—What more restoration

work should be done on the main house?

2. How should the deteriorating Storehouse

Studio, where Cole painted important works

such asThe Voyage of Life series, be restored?

Should the Storehouse Studio be shown as it

might have looked in Thomas Cole’s time?

Should the building be used to provide visitor

services? The New Studio, which Cole built

in 1846, was demolished in 1973 because of its

poor repair. Should it be reconstructed? If so,

how should it be used?

3. Visitor Center—Should additional visitor

facilities be provided at the Thomas Cole

NHS? The purpose of a visitor center would

be to help establish visitor expectations, provide additional interpretation, and manage

the flow of visitors at the site.

4. Cultural Landscape—How should the

grounds of the 3.4-acre estate (once 110 acres)

be interpreted and maintained? This plan

should decide what period of the Cedar Grove

estate should be interpreted to the public.
83

5. Transportation and Public Access—How

can the site be made accessible to public access? What should the parking facilities be?

Are there transit options for the Thomas Cole

NHS? How can the site be linked with Olana,

sites in the village of Catskill, and Hudson

River School painting sites in the Catskill

Mountains? Pedestrian and bike linkages between these sites and the Catskill Greenway

and the village center should also be studied.

6. Collections—What artifacts should the

Thomas Cole NHS collect and why? Should

the site exhibit and/or own paintings? Would

they be historic and/or contemporary paintings? What gallery facilities are needed to

display paintings?

7. Hudson River Art Trail—How should a

trail of painting sites be developed and interpreted to the public?

8. Thomas Cole NHS Partners—How can the

Thomas Cole NHS develop partnerships that

enhance the experience at Cedar Grove and

more effectively interpret Cole’s career and

art? What entities are possible partners?

9. Interpretative Themes—What should the

interpretive themes be for the Thomas Cole

NHS? How should Cole’s influence on

American culture and environmentalism be

treated? Should the history of the Cedar

Grove estate be interpreted?

10. Role of Education—What kinds of educational programs should be offered? What

should be the role of contemporary artists?

What facilities would be needed?

Following this public meeting, a synopsis of the

issues raised was sent to the members of the

Board of Governors and the Board of Advisors

of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site for

further comments. Several members submitted

written comments.

Between April and October, 2002, the project

team developed draft alternatives for the plan. In

October 2002, copies of the draft alternatives

were sent to members of the Board of Governors

and Board of Advisors for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site to obtain their comments. A

special meeting was held with the Board of Governors to discuss the draft alternative on October

9, 2002. Several comment submittals were received and addressed in the draft GMP. Another

meeting was held for input from the Board of

Governors and Board of Advisors on September

21, 2003.
84 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

North elevation of Cole’s New Studio,

c. 1970. Courtesy of Vedder memorial

Library, Coxsackie, New York.
85

1 Thomas Cole, “O Cedar Grove, whene’er I think to part,” Thomas Cole’s Poetry: The Collected Poems

of America’s Foremost Painter of the Hudson River School, ed. Marshall B. Tymn (York, PA: George

Shumway Publisher, 1972; originally written 1834), p. 73.

2 Cole, “I stood among the mountain heights, alone!” Thomas Cole’s Poetry, p. 107.

3 Sandra S. Phillips and Linda Weintraub, eds. Charmed Places: Hudson River Artists and Their

Houses, Studios, and Vistas (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1988), p. 66.

4 Ellwood C. Parry, The Art of Thomas Cole: Ambition and Imagination (Newark, DE: University of

Delaware Press, 1988), p. 365.

5 David Schuyler, Apostle of Taste: Andrew Jackson Downing, 1815–1852 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins

University Press, 1996), p. 225.

6 Thomas Cole, “American Scenery,” in Hudson Valley Lives: Writings from the 17th Century to the

Present, ed. Bonnie Marranca (Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press, 1991), pp. 377–378.

7 Hans Huth, Nature and the American: Three Centuries of Changing Attitudes (Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1957), p. 122.

8 See report of the Painting and Sculpture Theme Study Workshop held in June 1991.

9 Joshua C. Taylor, Fine Arts in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979), p. 85.

10 Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., Painter and Poet in the Land, A New World: Masterpieces of American

Painting, 1760–1910 (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1983), p. 65.

IX. Endnotes

“Cole... exulted in

nature’s variety, and

identified her changing

moods.”

Theodore Stebbins,

A New World: Masterpieces of

American Painting, 1760–1910
 87

X. Appendices

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation

THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ACT

Public Law 106-146

106th Congress

An Act

To establish the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the State of New York as an affiliated area of the National

Park System.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title.—This Act may be cited as the “Thomas Cole National Historic Site Act’”.

(b) Table of Contents.—The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Definitions.

Sec. 3. Findings and purposes.

Sec. 4. Establishment of Thomas Cole National Historic Site.

Sec. 5. Retention of ownership and management of historic site by Greene

County Historical Society.

Sec. 6. Administration of historic site.

Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC.2. DEFINITIONS.

As used in this Act:

(1) The term “historic site” means the Thomas Cole National Historic Site established by section 4 of this Act.

(2) The term “Hudson River artists” means artists who were associated with the Hudson River school of landscape painting.

(3) The term “plan” means the general management plan developed pursuant to section 6(d).

(4) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(5) The term “Society” means the Greene County Historical Society of Greene County, New York, which owns

the Thomas Cole home, studio, and other property comprising the historic site.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:

(1) The Hudson River school of landscape painting was inspired by Thomas Cole and was characterized by a

group of 19th century landscape artists who recorded and celebrated the landscape and wilderness of America,

particularly in the Hudson River Valley region in the State of New York.

(2) Thomas Cole is recognized as America’s most prominent landscape and allegorical painter of the mid-19th century.

Cole, in addition to

being the most

influential landscape

painter of his time, was

also a family man, poet,

architect, musician,

Romantic nature-lover,

and cultural leader.
88 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

(3) Located in Greene County, New York, the Thomas Cole House, also known as Thomas Cole’s Cedar Grove,

is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

(4) Within a 15 mile radius of the Thomas Cole House, an area that forms a key part of the rich cultural and

natural heritage of the Hudson River Valley region, significant landscapes and scenes painted by Thomas Cole

and other Hudson River artists, such as Frederic Church, survive intact.

(5) The State of New York has established the Hudson River Valley Greenway to promote the preservation,

public use, and enjoyment of the natural and cultural resources of the Hudson River Valley region.

(6) Establishment of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site will provide opportunities for the illustration and

interpretation of cultural themes of the heritage of the United States and unique opportunities for education,

public use, and enjoyment.

(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this Act are—

(1) to preserve and interpret the home and studio of Thomas Cole for the benefit, inspiration, and education of

the people of the United States;

(2) to help maintain the integrity of the setting in the Hudson River Valley region that inspired artistic expression;

(3) to coordinate the interpretive, preservation, and recreational efforts of Federal, State, and other entities in

the Hudson Valley region in order to enhance opportunities for education, public use, and enjoyment; and

(4) to broaden understanding of the Hudson River Valley region and its role in American history and culture.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE.

(a) Establishment.—There is established, as an affiliated area of the National Park System, the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the State of New York.

(b) Description.—The historic site shall consist of the home and studio of Thomas Cole, comprising approximately 3.4 acres, located at 218 Spring Street, in the village of Catskill, New York, as generally depicted on the

boundary map numbered TCH/80002, and dated March 1992.

SEC. 5. RETENTION OF OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF HISTORIC SITE BY GREENE COUNTY

HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The Greene County Historical Society of Greene County, New York, shall continue to own, administer, manage,

and operate the historic site.
 89

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION OF HISTORIC SITE.

(a) Applicability of National Park System Laws.—The historic site shall be administered in a manner consistent

with this Act and all laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System, including the Act of August 25,

1916 (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.; commonly known as the National Park Service Organic Act), and the Act of August 21, 1935

(16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.; commonly known as the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act).

(b) Cooperative Agreements.—

(1) Assistance to Society.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the Society to preserve the

Thomas Cole House and other structures in the historic site and to assist with education programs and research

and interpretation of the Thomas Cole House and associated landscapes.

(2) Other assistance.—To further the purposes of this Act, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements

with the State of New York, the Society, the Thomas Cole Foundation, and other public and private entities to

facilitate public understanding and enjoyment of the lives and works of the Hudson River artists through the

provision of assistance to develop, present, and fund art exhibits, resident artist programs, and other appropriate activities related to the preservation, interpretation, and use of the historic site.

(c) Artifacts and Property.—The Secretary may acquire personal property associated with, and appropriate for, the

interpretation of the historic site.

(d) General Management Plan.—Within two complete fiscal years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the

Secretary shall develop a general management plan for the historic site with the cooperation of the Society. Upon

the completion of the plan, the Secretary shall provide a copy of the plan to the Committee on Energy and Natural

Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives. The plan shall include

recommendations for regional wayside exhibits, to be carried out through cooperative agreements with the State

of New York and other public and private entities. The plan shall be prepared in accordance with section 12(b) of

Public Law 91-383 (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et seq.; commonly known as the National Park System General Authorities Act).

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.

Approved December 9, 1999.

LEGISTLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 658 (S. 140):

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 106-138 (Comm. on Resources).

SENATE REPORTS: No. 106-89 accompanying S. 140 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources).

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Vol. 145 (1999):

Sept. 13, considered and passed House.

Nov. 19, considered and passed Senate.
90 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Appendix B: Cost Estimates

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site (NHS) was established in 1999 and opened to the public in 2001. The

Thomas Cole NHS has developed the following budget estimates for needs identified in the general management

plan process. The projects whose costs are estimated are consistent with PL 106-146, the Thomas Cole National

Historic Site Act (1999), which established the Thomas Cole NHS and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to:

• “enter into cooperative agreements with the [Greene County Historical] Society to preserve the Thomas

Cole House and other structures in the historic site and to assist with education programs and research and

interpretation of the Thomas Cole House and associated landscapes.”

• “enter into cooperative agreements with the State of New York, the Society, the Thomas Cole Foundation,

and other public and private entities to facilitate public understanding and enjoyment of the lives and works

of the Hudson River artists through the provision of assistance to develop, present, and fund art exhibits,

resident artist programs, and other appropriate activities related to the preservation, interpretation, and use

of the historic site.”

• “acquire personal property associated with, and appropriate for, the interpretation of the historic site.”

The Act also stipulates that “The plan shall include recommendations for regional wayside exhibits, to be carried

out through cooperative agreements with the State of New York and other public and private entities.”
 91

Stabilize Storehouse Studio—Stabilize building, but do not prepare it for public viewing $90,000–110,000

Planning Costs (35% of Adjusted Net Capital Costs) 31,500–38,500

Total Capital Cost 121,500–148,500

Five-Year Property Preservation and Maintenance 135,000–165,000

Five-Year Education, Interpretation, and Research Program 90,000–110,000

Total $346,500–423,500

Alternative One: Continuation of Current Practices

Initiatives Budget Estimate

Rehabilitate Storehouse Studio—Rehabilitate building and prepare studio space for public viewing. $270,000–330,000

Planning Costs (35% of Adjusted Net Capital Costs) 94,500–115,500

Total Capital Cost 364,500–445,500

Art Trail Guide 9,000–11,000

Five-Year Property Preservation and Maintenance 180,000–220,000

Five-Year Education, Interpretation, and Research Program 315,000–385,000

Education Program: 135,000–165,000

Interpretive Program and Exhibits: 135,000–165,000

Research Program: 45,000–55,000

Total $868,500–1,061,500

Alternative Two: Thomas Cole and Cedar Grove

Initiatives Budget Estimate
92 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Complete House Renovation—Complete restoration on Thomas Cole’s house, begun in 1999. $270,000–330,000

855,000–1,045,000

Erect New Building on New Studio Site—Reconstruct Cole’s New Studio as a gallery and meeting space 675,000–815,000

180,000–220,000

180,000–220,000

Planning Costs (35% of Adjusted Net Capital Costs) 756,000–920,500

Total Capital Cost 2,916,000–3,550,000

Five-Year Property Preservation and Maintenance 225,000–275,000

Five-Year Education, Interpretation, and Research Program 675,000–825,000

Education Program: 270,000–330,000

Interpretive Program and Exhibits: 315,000–385,000

Research Program: 90,000–110,000

Total $3,816,000–4,650,000

Alternative Three: Thomas Cole’s Art and the Regional Landscape

Initiatives Budget Estimate

Restore Cedar Grove Landscape—Develop historically based treatment of the landscape at Cedar Grove;

includes $20,000 for Cultural Landscape Plan

Develop Art Trail—Develop historic trail markers and interpretive wayside exhibits at sites where

Cole and other artists painted landscapes in Catskill, NY, and Catskill Mountains; phase one would

cost approximately $120,000, with the second phase costing approximately another $80,000.

Restore Storehouse Studio—Restore Cole’s Storehouse Studio (1839-1846) for interpretive and visitor

uses; $250,000 already committed from Athens Generating Plant funds and $200,000 from Save

America’s Treasures. This project also includes exhibits, possibly including a multimedia presentation.
 93

Appendix C: Compliance with Federal, State, and Local Laws, Executive Orders,

and Regulations

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site will comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and executive orders,

including those listed here, upon implementing its general management plan.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT COMPLIANCE

The Thomas Cole NHS GMP is undertaking an Environmental Assessment (EA) rather than an environmental

impact statement (EIS), which is required for all major federal actions, under the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969. The Thomas Cole NHS is an affiliated site of the national park system managed by a local

nonprofit organization, the Greene County Historical Society; and there will be no major federal action or significant impacts at the site.

As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the draft general management plan and environmental assessment (DGMP/EA) will be on public review for a minimum of 30 days. The

final general management plan and environmental assessment (FGMP/EA) will respond to or incorporate the

public comments in the draft document. Following the completion of the comment period, the NPS will determine if any significant issues or concerns have been raised that necessitate the preparation of an environmental

impact statement (EIS). If that has not occurred, the NPS will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

Through the issuance of a FONSI, the NPS will document the selected alternative and set forth any stipulations

for implementation of the GMP, thereby completing the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.

The environmental assessment is a programmatic statement, presenting an overview of potential impacts relating

to the proposed program for each management option. More detailed plans may be developed for individual actions. These more detailed plans would have to support the program under the preferred management option

and would be subject to a more detailed review of environmental impacts, possibly involving project-specific

NEPA compliance.

CULTURAL RESOURCE COMPLIANCE

The National Park Service is mandated to preserve and protect resources through the service’s Organic Act of August 25, 1916, and through specific legislation such as the Antiquities Act of 1906, NEPA, and the National Historic

Preservation Act. Cultural resources at the Thomas Cole NHS will be managed in accordance with these acts and

in accordance with Chapter 5 of NPS Management Policies, 2001 Edition, Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource

Management, Director’s Order 2: Park Planning, and Director’s Order 12: Conservation Planning, Environmental

Impact Analysis and Decision Making.

In accordance with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 USC 4151 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29

USC 701 et seq.), and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards, all facilities and programs developed at Thomas

Cole NHS will be made as accessible as possible given the site’s historic preservation constraints.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470, et seq.), requires that federal agencies having direct or indirect jurisdiction—including permits, approvals, or funding—over undertakings

take into account the effect of those undertakings on National Register properties and allow the Advisory Council
94 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

on Historic Preservation (ACHP) an opportunity to comment. Actions recommended in the GMP alternatives

only require Section 106 review if federal funds are expended, since the historic site is owned by a private entity,

the Greene County Historical Society. It is anticipated that some federal funds and some private funds will be used

to pay for the recommended undertakings. If federal funds are used the NPS will work with the New York State

Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Advisory Council to meet the requirements of Section 106 review.

The following list indicates those undertakings that are subject to further consultation and the stage of planning at

which consultation is most likely to be completed:

NATURAL RESOURCE COMPLIANCE

Clean Air Act, as amended (42 USC 7401 et seq.)—Thomas Cole NHS, in Greene County, NY, is located in a Class

II clean air area. Greene County has monitored attainment of the standard (Clean Data Areas) for ozone and carbon monoxide. According to the Clean Air Act, maximum allowable increases of sulfur dioxide, particulate matter,

and nitrogen oxide beyond baseline concentrations established for Class II areas cannot be exceeded. These Class

II increments will allow modest industrial activities within the vicinity of the site. The Thomas Cole NHS will

work with the State of New York to ensure that all site activities meet the requirements of the state air quality

implementation plan.

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 USC 1531 et seq.)—Section 7 requires all federal agencies to consult

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by

the agency does not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or critical habitat. Prior to implementation of any of the proposals set out in this GMP, the Thomas Cole NHS will consult with the USFWS pursuant to

Section 7.

Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management—All federal agencies are required to avoid construction within the

100-year floodplain unless no other practical alternative exists. Flood maps published by the Federal Emergency

Management Administration (FEMA) indicate that no part of the Thomas Cole NHS is located in the 100-year

floodplain. Therefore, the Thomas Cole NHS is not affected by this regulation.

Actions

Rehabilitate Storehouse Studio

Reconstruct New Studio

Rehabilitate cultural landscape

Compliance Requirements

Requires SHPO review; historic structures report;

archeological evaluation report

Requires SHPO review; historic structures report;

archeological evaluation report

Requires SHPO review; cultural landscape report;

treatment plan; archaeology compliance
 95

Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands—All federal agencies are required to avoid, wherever, possible making impacts upon wetlands. There are no wetlands on the site.

Analysis of Impacts on Prime and Unique Agricultural Lands in implementing the National Environmental Policy

Act (45 FR 59189)—A memorandum dated August 11, 1980 from the Council on Environmental Quality requires

federal agencies to assess the effects of their actions on soils classified by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation

Service as prime or unique farmlands. This policy was developed to minimize the effect of federal programs in

converting prime, unique, or locally important farmland to nonagricultural uses. There are no farmlands at the

Thomas Cole NHS. Therefore, prime or unique farmlands will not be examined further.

SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT COMPLIANCE

Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income

Populations—The National Park Service is required to consider the impacts of its actions on minority and low-income populations and communities, as well as the equity of the distribution of benefits and risks of those

decisions. There may be socially or economically disadvantaged populations existing within the site’s region. The

management alternatives proposed in the draft GMP offer the potential to make a positive impact on the region’s

overall economic health and vitality. Economic impacts from employment and associated earnings are expected to

be positive. Furthermore, the management alternatives would not result in disproportionately high and adverse

environmental effects, including human health, economic, and social effects, on minority or low-income communities. There are no air or water pollution impacts that would affect human health. There would be no change in

types or character of land use in the surrounding area that could affect minority or low-income communities.

None of the alternatives in this document would create significant impacts on minority or low-income populations. Therefore, this issue will not be examined further in this analysis.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990—There are specific requirements for disabled access to parking facilities, pathways, and buildings. The accessibility requirements apply to government facilities (Title II) and to private

entities that provide public accommodations (Title III). An element of this GMP/EA has been developed to ensure

appropriate access to persons with special needs or disabilities.

STATE AND LOCAL REGULATIONS

The Thomas Cole NHS will work with the State of New York and the Village of Catskill to determine how local

regulations apply to any proposed development.
96 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Appendix D: Selected Bibliography

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

American Paradise: The World of the Hudson River School. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987.

Bryant, William Cullen. “On the Life of Thomas Cole: A Funeral Oration Delivered before the National Academy

of Design, New York, May 4, 1848.” http://www.catskillarchive.com/cole/wcb.htm.

Bryant, William Cullen. “To Cole, the Painter, Departing for Europe,” (1829). http://www.4literature.net/

William_Cullen_Bryant/.

Callow, James T. Kindred Spirits: Knickerbocker Writers and American Artists, 1807–1855. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1967.

Cole, Thomas. “American Scenery,” Hudson Valley Lives: Writings from the Seventeenth Century to the Present, ed.

Bonnie Marranca. Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press, 1991, pp. 373-385.

Cole, Thomas. “The Wild,”The Hudson River in Literature: An Anthology, ed. Arthur G. Adams. New York:

Fordham University Press, 1988, pp. 223-24.

Harris, Neil. The Artist in American Society: The Formative Years, 1790–1860. New York: Simon and

Schuster, 1966.

Kennedy, Bill. “Sold to the Man by the Tent Pole,’” Albany Times-Union, September 28, 1964.

McGown, Alice L. “Cedar Grove: The Residence of Thomas Cole.” Masters thesis, Columbia University, 1985.

McGrath, Robert L. Special History Study: Art and the American Conservation Movement. Boston, MA: National

Park Service, Northeast Museum Services Center, 2001.

National Park Service, North Atlantic Regional Office, Thomas Cole House Reconnaissance Study (June 1980).

National Park Service, North Atlantic Regional Office, Thomas Cole Suitability/Feasibility Study (September 1991).

Noble, Louis Legrand. The Life and Works of Thomas Cole, ed. Elliot S. Vesell. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap

Press of Harvard University Press, 1964; orig. 1853.

Novak, Barbara. Nature and Culture: American Landscape and Painting, 1825–1875. New York Oxford University

Press, 1980.

Parry, Ellwood C. The Art of Thomas Cole: Ambition and Imagination. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press,

1988.

Phillips, Sandra S., and Linda Wientraub, eds. Charmed Places: Hudson River Artists and Their Houses, Studios,

and Vistas. New York: The Edith C. Blum Institute, Bard College, and the Vassar College Art Gallery in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 1988.

Truettner, William H., and Alan Wallach, editors. Thomas Cole: Landscape into History. New Haven CT: Yale University Press; Washington, DC: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1994.

Van Zandt, Roland. The Catskill Mountain House. Hensonville, NY: Black Dome Press Corp., 1991; orig. 1966.
 97

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Management Plan. Albany, NY: Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, Inc., 2001.

Olana State Historic Site Final Comprehensive Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Greenport, NY:

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Olana Partnership, 2002.

Stynes, Daniel J., Propst, Dennis B., Chang, Wen-Huei, and Sun, YaYen. National Park Service. Estimating National Park Visitor Spending and Economic Impacts: Money Generation Model Version 2. Report prepared for the

National Park Service by Michigan State University, Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Resources, East

Lansing, MI, 2000.
98 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Appendix E: List of Preparers and Advisors

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PROJECT TEAM

James C. O’Connell, Project Manager, Northeast Region, Boston Office

Marjorie Smith, Landscape Architect, Northeast Region, Boston Office

Terrence D. Moore, Chief, Park Planning and Special Studies, Northeast Region

Sarah Peskin, Director, Special Planning Projects, Northeast Region, Boston Office

Sarah Olson, Superintendent, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site

Carol Kohan, Deputy Superintendent, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ADVISORS

Marie Rust, Regional Director, Northeast Region

Robert W. McIntosh, Jr., Associate Regional Director for Planning and Partnerships, Northeast Region

David Clark, Program Manager, Environmental Protection, Northeast Region

Lisa Sasser, Project Manager, Northeast Cultural Resources Center, Building Conservation Branch

John Scott, Architectural Conservator, Northeast Cultural Resources Center, Building Conservation Branch

Lisa Nowak, Landscape Architect, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation

Laurel A. Racine, Senior Curator, Northeast Museum Services Center

Giles Parker, Senior Curator/Deputy Director, Northeast Museum Services Center

Steven Pendery, Senior Archaeologist, Northeast Region Archaeology Program

Jim Harmon, Archaeologist, Northeast Region Archaeology Program

Michael Haynie, Northeast Region Archaeology Program

Rachel Sexton, Northeast Region Archaeology Program

CONSULTANTS

Jane Crosen, Editor

Francie Randolph, Graphic Designer, Randolph Design / Heritage Partners

Ron Thomson, Interpretive Planner

Robert Toole, Landscape Architect, R.M. Toole

Kyle Zick, Landscape Architect, Carol R. Johnson Associates

THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND STAFF

Robert H. Stackman, Chairman

Dr. Raymond Beecher, Treasurer

Sasha Chermayeff

Robert Hallock

Dr. Olga Santora

Carol Savage

Sybil Tannenbaum

Jack Van Loan

Barbara Weber

Elizabeth B. Jacks, Executive Director
 99

THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE BOARD OF ADVISORS

Debra Allen

Charles Bannon

David Barnes

Byron Bell

Kent Barwick

Rodrick Blackburn

William Brandow

Lynne Hill Bohnsack

Joseph Carini

Debra DeWan

J. Theodore Hilscher

Robert A. Lahm

Mary Ellen Hern

Annette Margolis

Stephen May

Dr. W. Barksdale Maynard

Peter Ostrander

Mark McCarroll

Dr. Elwood Perry III

Richard N. Philp

Stephen Shadley

Edith Cole Silberstein

Ira Spanierman

Mark Teague

Charles C. Vail

Dr. Elliot S. Vesell

Carol Wallace

Dr. Allen Wallach

Allan T. Wenzell

Dr. David Seamon

Frank Racette

LOCAL ADVISORS

Linda McLean, Manager, Olana State Historic Site

Sara Griffen, President, The Olana Partnership

George Rodenhausen, Trustee, The Olana Partnership

James Gold, Director, Bureau of Historic Sites, NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Carmella Montello, Executive Director, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area/Hudson River Greeenway

Richard Brooks, Greene County Legislature
100 Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The National Park Service cares for special places

saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

Experience your America
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

218 Spring Street

Catskill, NY 12414

tel. 518-943-7465

fax: 518-943-0652

http://www.thomascole.org