Ridge Road

Ridge Road. . In 1878, Frederic Church purchased 50 acres north of this site (to the right) for hay fields and grazing. About six years later, he converted some of that open acreage to ornamental use with the creation of the Ridge Road. Wrapping around the northern edge of the property and along the escarpment below the house, the Ridge Road provided panoramic views of Mt. Merino, the Hudson River, and the Catskills to the north and west. Fence lines were kept below the viewer's line of sight so that the grazing cows appeared unrestricted in the landscape. Today, second-growth forest has been removed, making it possible to see the fields and views as Frederic Church and his guests saw them in the 19th century., Onset of severe arthritis in the 1870s greatly reduced Church's ability to paint, so he found artistic enjoyment in creating the landscape that would come to be known as Olana. In 1884, he noted his pleasure in building the Ridge Road: “I can make more and better landscapes in this way than by tampering with canvas and paint in the studio.” Many visitors to Olana still rejoice in the magnificent views from Church's well-planned roads. This is particularly true along Ridge Road., Sunset from Olana, Frederic E. Church, 1870. Scene looking directly west across the Hudson River to the Catskill Mountains., Church undertook selective clearing to enhance the scene. This 1895-1910 photograph of a view to the west from Ridge Road shows how different the area looked when Church created this view.