Site #1 Thomas Cole National Historic Site
The Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY marks the home and studios of the artist and environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801–1848). Thomas is recognized as the founder of the influential 19th-century art movement now known as the Hudson River School of American landscape painting. The historic campus includes the 1815 Main House, 1839 Storehouse Studio, the reconstructed 1846 New Studio designed by Thomas Cole, and gardens and grounds with views of the Catskill Mountains.
Visitors can enjoy the unparalleled view of the Catskill Mountain range that inspired Thomas from the Main House porch. In fact, he painted this subject more than any other. Thomas witnessed and painted the changes taking place in the landscape around him. At the time, this view was much less forested due to massive clear-cutting efforts to make way for the many mills, factories, and tanneries built up and down the Hudson River and Catskill Creek. In addition, the Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad passed through this view. Learn more about Thomas Cole here.
In the gardens, visitors will see the blooms that inspired another 19th-century artist who lived here. Emily Cole (1843–1913) was a professional artist and the youngest daughter of Thomas Cole and Maria Bartow. She and her father both called the Main House home and created work in the New Studio. Emily's painted botanicals on porcelain and paper documented in exquisite detail the flora of the gardens, many of which still bloom here on site today. To learn more about Emily Cole, visit our past exhibition The Art of Emily Cole.
The Main House and Studios are open by guided and self-guided tours, which are offered Wednesday through Sunday from May through October. The historic grounds are open free of charge every day from dawn to dusk. For more information visit thomascole.org/visit.
Plan Your Trip
Contact
Visit their Website
518.943.7465
Admissions
Admissions vary by season: thomascole.org/tickets
Visitors age 15 and under and Members are FREE
Parking
Yes
Restroom
Yes
Accessibility
Accessible with Assistance
Meets some ADA standards and has some barriers.
Many visitors with disabilities will require assistance.
thomascole.org/accessibility
Hours
Hours vary by season: thomascole.org/visit
Driving Directions: We recommend Google Map . Site coordinates: 42.22559 Lat., -73.861145 Long.
Location Notes: The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is located at 218 Spring Street in Catskill, New York, near the western entrance to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Take the New York State Thruway (I-87) to exit 21 (Catskill). Make a left at the traffic light, proceed 1,000 feet and turn left onto Route 23 East. Proceed 2 miles and turn right at the light onto Spring Street (Route 385). The Thomas Cole Site is on the left (use shared driveway with Temple Israel).
Photo / Painting Credits
Charles Herbert Moore, Cedar Grove, 1868, Oil on canvas. Thomas Cole National Historic Site.
Anonymous, The Main House at Cedar Grove, 2005-04-01 Photograph,100 x 900 px. Courtesy of the Thomas Cole House.
Anonymous. View from the West Porch, Cedar Grove, 2009, Photograph. Courtesy of the Thomas Cole House.
Charles Herbert Moore, Old Studio, c. 1860s, Oil on canvas, Thomas Cole National Historic Site.
Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Cole's House and Studio, Catskill, NY, 1843, Graphite on buff paper, Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, OL.1980.1413.
Thomas Cole, View on the Catskill, Early Autumn. Oil on canvas, 1836-37, 39 x 63 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift in memory of Jonathan Sturges by his children, 1895, 95.13.3.
Emily Cole, Untitled (Plate with Bee Balm), ca. 1910, painted porcelain, 8 1/2 in. diameter, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Gift of Edith Cole Silberstein, TC.2002.2.2.