thomas cole national historic site

The museum is primarily Cole's residence and studio and is not a particularly impressive historic house tour. It certainly pales in comparison in his student Frederick Church's place across the river. But Cole's importance as the founder of the Hudson River School was well presented by the video and docent tour. We were fortunate that there was a special exhibit featuring Cole and Church together in a small but well-lot studio. Not a must see but definitely worth it if you have some time.

Founder of the Hudson River School, Thomas Cole led the American artist movement that flourished in the mid-19th century. The place is very close to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. I got there around 10:45 on Sunday, December 28th. To my pleasant surprise, I found no living thing there during my entire stay. I owned the parking lot, read the information on the painter and the house, and spent about ten minutes walking around. On the porch facing the mountain, two paintings depicted the same place, but different views, because of the modernization in the region. I felt bit underwhelmed, since it pales before the house of his disciple Frederic Church on the other side of the Hudson River. But I came to appreciate the fact that the place is authentic. I suppose that Cole was not rich, and should not expect to see a mansion during the gilded age. Since I did not know him well, stay there long, or enter the house, my review is of limited value. But it is very genuine.

Lovely house, lots of antique furniture and the grounds are nice but not as lovely as some I have seen. They offer an open house once each year and that is a great time to visit.

The National Park Service does the absolutely best job of maintaining and managing homes of historical significance all over the USA. This is no exception. We loved our visit here and appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Thomas Cole and the Hudson Valley School of painting. It's located not far from Olana, also an NPS site and home of Frederic Edwin Church, another Hudson Valley School painter and student of Thomas Cole.

This is a "must-see" for anyone visiting this part of upstate New York. Thomas Cole was the founder of the Hudson River School art movement in the early 1800s in the U.S. His well-maintained original home (with his "rebuilt" studio next door, to be completed by 2015) is simple, but wonderful in its charm and atmosphere. You get transported to a time when the U.S. was much less congested and simpler than now. For anyone interested in art and history, this is definitely worth a visit. The movie in the Visitors' Center is highly informative.

We visited Cedar Grove, Thomas Cole's home, during an Autumn visit to see the stately homes of the Hudson River Valley. While this home is much more modest than Olana, it has great charm and a very impressive art collection, with many original paintings from Cole and his friend and pupil, Frederic Church. Seeing Cole's studio, on the grounds of the estate, was very special. The introductory movie was informative. Our young tour guide was outstanding. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and very interesting. Our guide at the Visitor's Center was a fount of information about Cole and other artists of the Hudson River School as well as the area where they found their inspiration.

Well-informed guide - worth a visit. Thomas Cole from Bolton, Lancs is the less celebrated of the two great artists the town gave to America: Thomas Moran is the other. Surprising amount of original memorabilia in the house.

The house is not as grand as nearby Olana, but it some ways more instructive; Olana was built after Church was well established. The Cole House belonged to a relative by marriage, and Cole lived there while he was struggling and then slowly being accepted.The reception area is very well appointed, with excellent books and other materials not only on the Hudson River School, but also hiking and other attractions in the area. The tour is very well done -- we both had a strong sense of how the family actually lived -- and the studio at the end was worth the entire cost of admission.The grounds are beautiful, a great place for a picnic, with superb views to the south and the west toward the mountains.We were there when there was a superb exhibition of works by Cole and Church, which demonstrated what an important influence Cole was in Church's development as an artist.If you want to really understand the Hudson River School and its artists, you can do no better than to start at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site.By the way, it is a very easy drive from Hudson just across the river -- less than ten minutes and a very straight shot to the west.

Thomas Cole, an English immigrant, settled in the United States as a teenager. Coming from a middle-class industrial background, it is interesting to learn about what type of life he plotted for himself and family in Catskill, NY. While visiting you'll learn about Cole and the Hudson River School, as well as a little about his first and only pupil, Frederic E. Church, who has a mansion across the river from Cole. The tour was very nice and the perfect length (just under an hour). We only had a few people on our tour, which was good because the rooms are very small. This home is modest and the grounds are as well, and even though its beautiful, it is a world of difference from Olana, but in a nice way. His studio was interesting to see and the gift shop had a nice selection. It's a short drive from Olana, so there's no reason not to do both. The only thing I would have enjoyed seeing done differently at the Cole house would be time after the tour to explore the home, so if there was more time between tours (like 30 min), that would be ideal. That way the guide would be around to answer questions and we could really look carefully at the artworks, because there are some beautiful ones there! It did feel a bit rushed at points. Of course, staggering tours (if they don't already do it) would require more staffing and more money, so it is understandable why these places might not do it. And as said, we enjoyed our trip regardless.

This house was very beautiful. I great view of the Catskill Mountains. Thomas Cole's painting were all over the house. It was a great tour.

Worth the trouble finding The house itself is not as impressive as Olana or the other mansions but the artwork sure is. There was a lot more of Church's work here than at Olana. They save the studio for the end of the tour, and wow: it alone is worth the $10 admission. Go a half hour early to see the movie before your tour. You can get there from downtown Catskill but it is not marked (Why???). The marked way is to leave 9G to go over the bridge to Hudson, the last exit before the bridge, take a right and it is on your left.

I love visiting the places where artists lived and worked. It infuses my own work with a sense of wonder and of shared perceptions. The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is a lovely period home; a small but beautiful garden adds to the experience of imagining this artist's way of seeing. Thomas Cole contributed to the American experience by "founding" the Hudson River school of painting; this place inspires us to see our world anew.

It was very interesting to see and to hear about the painter who started the Hudson River Valley Painting Movement. The house contained many paintings of his and a few of his contemporaries. Standing on the porch of the house you could see the view of the valley and mountains the her painted so much.

This was a thought provoking tour and presentation was very instructive. The docent was very informative. Get the Trail map so you can travel to the painting's location. the movie is good to view in the visitors center.

From the moment we walked into the admissions office we were warmly greeted by the delightful lady at the front desk. She kindly lent notepads to both me and another visitor and when we were leaving after our tour gave us discount coupons to Olana.Our guide in the house was extremely knowledgeable and also warmly welcoming.Certainly the views from the front porch and the excellent restoration of the house are major draws, but the staff made the experience a great one.