Today lectures, concerts, and other public events are held here. Originally the central door opposite the fireplace served as the front entrance. Visitors drove up to a porte-cochere, crossed the open sun porch, and entered immediately into the heart of the house. As automobiles became more prevalent, Mrs. Babcock found it necessary to move the entrance to the east wing to gain greater privacy. The cast limestone facing on the walls provides textural contrast to the white-painted paneling of the staircase which extends to the second floor.
Doric pilasters enhance the major entryways.
The marble chimney-piece captures the feel of a great hall, although the inglenook in which it is located is associated with more modest bungalows in the Arts and Crafts tradition. Church studied with the founder of the Hudson River School. The scene is painted as an homage to the Native Americans driven from the forests of the Catskill Mountains a hundred years earlier. This room combines the furnishings of two generations. Most of the larger pieces are from the earlier period.