For the uninitiated, Kykuit is not your typical rich person’s house. The stone-encrusted mansion is both rustic and modest by turn-of-the-20th-century, tycoon standards. The Breakers it isn’t.
And that reflects the Baptist philosophy of John D. Rockefeller Sr. and his wife, the former Laura Spelman, who were not interested in the conspicuous consumption of the Vanderbilts.
But Kykuit (KY-cut) – from the Dutch for “lookout” – does boast some of the most spectacular sculpture gardens anywhere. And that reflects the influence of succeeding generations, specifically that of John D. Jr., who brought a classically flavored Beaux Arts touch to the estate, and his second son, Nelson, the onetime vice president and New York governor, who served as Kykuit’s last master. (It was he who bequeathed it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to be operated and maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and administered by Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown.)
Say what you want about Nelson as a pol – and there are experts who have plenty to say – but from an aesthetic point of view, no one can deny that he had a superb curatorial eye. As you wander the Inner Garden, with its bronze nymphs by Maillol, Nadelman and Lachaise, surely one of the most romantic spots in Westchester, or take in the abstractions by Calder and Moore that ring the property, keep in mind that every work was situated by Nelson himself. The sight lines are superb: He placed each object so that it is linked with other related works that can be easily seen from any of their vantage points. So you can spy the modern nymphs of the Inner Garden from the Temple of Venus, which harks back to John Jr.’s time, and vice versa.
But like any good curator, Nelson also makes intuitive connections that transcend the purely visual.
Just below the swimming pool terrace, he nestled two horizontal works – Jean Ipousteguy’s “Alexander Before Ecbatane,” a 1965 bronze made of moving parts in which the Macedonian conqueror seems to become war itself, and Gaston Lachaise’s “Dans la Nuit,” a 1935 bronze of a entwined nude couple. Love and war are inextricably linked.
When he received an Arts Award from what is now ArtsWestchester in 1977, Rockefeller remarked on the further juxtaposition of these two works with a pair of beefy 18th-century Italian garden sculptures depicting one of Alexander’s ancestors, Hercules.
“The thing to me is this shows the combination of old and new,” he said. “And as long as you don’t approach these pieces with some intellectual concern for logic, you are going to enjoy them. Or maybe you won’t enjoy them, but anyhow, just expose yourself to them and see if you don’t. But don’t make a decision too soon.”
It’s this kind of adventurous thinking, more than the commanding view or the expensive cars,make Kykuit a Westchester treasure.
Kykuit is open through Nov. 6, and tours are offered daily except Tuesdays.
Visitors can choose from four tours – Classic, Grand, Timesaver, and Selected Highlights.
The Classic, ideal for first-time visitors, is a shorter experience than the comprehensive three-hour Grand. Besides the mansion, both of these tours include time in Kykuit’s art galleries, terraced gardens, and Coach Barn, with its collection of horse-drawn carriages, vintage automobiles, and equestrian equipment. The 90-minute Timesaver is ideal for those on tighter schedules, while Selected Highlights maximizes time in the estate’s gardens. (For me, the gardens are the real selling point here.)
Visitors can buy tickets online in advance, choosing the exact tour, time, and date they want to visit. Tickets are on sale now at www.hudsonvalley.org. Ticket prices range from $21-$40; $13-$30 for Historic Hudson Valley or National Trust members. Advanced ticket buying is strongly recommended, particularly for weekend tours, which fill up quickly. Besides online at hudsonvalley.org, tickets may be purchased by calling 631-8200 (service charge additional) or stopping by the Kykuit Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor, 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow. All tours start at the Kykuit Visitor Center. The doors open at 9 a.m.
Visitors can also reach Kykuit via a special Metro-North Railroad package that includes discounted admission to both Kykuit and nearby Philipsburg Manor, plus rail fare.
For those interested in making a full weekend out of a visit, Tarrytown House Estate offers a special package that includes overnight accommodations and tickets to Kykuit, plus three Historic Hudson Valley properties – Philipsburg Manor, the Union Church of Pocantico Hills, and Washington Irving’s Sunnyside. Information: tarrytownhouse.com
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