CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. LOCATION
The Catskill-Olana Scenic Area of Statewide Significance (SASS) consists of a portion of the Hudson River and its shorelands, an area approximately 5 1/2 miles long and three miles wide. Its northern boundary follows the northern boundary of the Village of Catskill on the west bank and crosses the Hudson to incorporate Rogers Island and the immediate eastern shore north of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Its southern boundary begins on the west bank at the intersection of Embought Road and NY Route 9W and follows Embought Road to the northern shore of Inbocht Bay, where it follows the shore of the bay east and crosses the Hudson to incorporate the mouth of the Roeliff Jansen Kill and associated bluffs south of the creek mouth on the east shore of the Hudson River. The boundary then continues east to Northern Boulevard in North Germantown and follows Northern Boulevard east to its intersection with NY Route 9G.
Along the west bank the western boundary begins at the northern boundary of the Village of Catskill and follows the ridgeline south along the Hudson River until just south of St. Anthony's Seminary where it skirts the mouth of the Catskill Creek and the adjacent land uses on the north side of the creek. The boundary then follows the northern edge of the mud flats westward, then turns south, west, then north, skirting the developed sections of the village to join the coastal boundary, incorporating the Embought area north of Inbocht Bay and portions of the Catskill Creek and Kauterskill Creek corridors west of the village.
South of the creek the boundary follows the northern edge of the mud flats on the south side of the Catskill Creek mouth, then follows the mean high water line on the Catskill Creek's southern shoreline, then turns south to pick up the southern end of West Main Street, then follows West Main Street south to Grandview Avenue, then west along Grandview Avenue to Broome Street, then south along Broome Street to the Catskill Village boundary, then west along the southern boundary of the Village of Catskill to the West Shore Railroad, then northeast along the railroad tracks to West Main Street, then west along West Main Street to the Catskill Village boundary, then along the Village boundary across the Catskill Creek to the coastal boundary on the north shore of the creek, then west along the coastal boundary to incorporate the Catskill and Kauterskill Creeks.
The included portions of the Catskill and Kauterskill Creeks are those portions west of the NY Route 9W bridge included in the coastal area. They extend upstream on the Catskill Creek two miles to the New York Route 23 bridge and 3/4 mile on the Kauterskill Creek from its confluence with the Catskill Creek west to the bridge carrying Cauterskill Road across the Kauterskill Creek.
Along the east bank the boundary incorporates Rogers Island and the adjacent steep banks of the Hudson River shoreline north of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The boundary runs south along the ridgeline on the east bank of the Hudson, then reaches east along the NY Route 23 bridge approach to incorporate the Olana State Historic Site and, south of Olana, follows N.Y. Route 9G south to Northern Boulevard in North Germantown. In the vicinity of Linlithgo the boundary reaches east of NY Route 9G, following the original 1981 coastal boundary.
The Catskill-Olana SASS is located in the Town and Village of Catskill, Greene County, and in the Towns of Greenport, Livingston and Germantown, Columbia County.
Consult the Catskill/Olana SASS map for the SASS boundaries.
II. DESCRIPTION
The SASS is comprised of eight subunits:
CO-1 Catskill Bluffs, CO-2 Ramshorn Marsh, CO-3 Kykuit, CO-4 Catskill Creek, CO-5 Rogers Island, CO-6 Olana, CO-7 Greendale, and CO-8 Roeliff Jansen Kill.
They constitute an area known as the home of two major artists of the Hudson River School of Painting, Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Thomas Cole, considered the father of the Hudson River School, America's first landscape painting movement, established his home and studio in Catskill in 1826. Although Cole produced major allegorical landscapes, his more natural landscapes were most popular. Many of the latter were inspired by American scenery, particularly in the Catskill region. His works include scenes of the Catskill Creek and Hudson River.
Frederic Church was Thomas Cole's only student. He was a young man just beginning his career when he studied at Cole's Catskill studio. In 1845 one of their sketching forays took them across the Hudson River to a promontory on the east shore upon which Church would one day compose a landscape reflective of his art and build his Persian castle, Olana. Church's early pencil sketch of the view from this hill is part of the collection at Olana of Church's works.
Church's career took him far from Olana; but after traveling to other areas of the United States as well as to South America, Europe, and the Middle East to gather the material for his paintings, Church returned to make his home on this hill overlooking the Hudson to take advantage of the views. It is likely that the association of this location with the artist's youth and Cole's tutelage drew him to return there.
The panoramic views available from Olana and its grounds are similar in composition to many of Church's most renowned works - vegetated foreground of great variety and interest framing a middle ground containing open pastures and water elements such as ponds and winding creeks, and a deep background encompassing majestic rivers and distant mountains. The paintings often were crowned by spectacular sunsets which may have been inspired in part by sunsets over the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. Such sunsets remain an attraction for visitors to Olana today.
Frederic Church spent more than half his life creating and perfecting the landscape and structures of his Olana estate; some of this work was carried out with the assistance of Calvert Vaux. Church saw a similarity in the roles of landscape architect and landscape painter and composed his natural surroundings as thoughtfully as he composed his paintings. He displayed his handiwork as dramatically as he displayed his paintings, constructing 7 1/2 miles of roads to open up views both within his property and to the surrounding landscape. Large windows placed on the south and west axes of the Olana castle frame views just as Church dramatically framed his paintings when they were exhibited in museums. The terraced lawn to the south of the artist's home provides a viewing platform still used by visitors to Olana to gaze upon this magnificent natural composition of hillside, trees, the majestic Hudson River and its western shorelands against the backdrop of the distant Catskills and Shawangunks.
Olana itself and the surrounding landscape of the Catskill/Olana scenic area remain a living expression of the subject that preoccupied mid-19th century naturalists, artists and writers - the intricate relationship between man and the natural world.
Other artists of the Hudson River School were also drawn to the area along with wealthy and renowned tourists searching for the sublime, the Romantic period's ideal of rural life and nature. Before railroads made traveling west to the Rocky Mountains relatively easy, the Catskills were considered the wilderness. Visitors arrived in Catskill by steamer and travelled first by stagecoach, then by narrow gauge railway inland to the mountains. The bridge that carried the train across the Catskill Creek remains and is used as a pedestrian bridge.
Water remains an important element in the landscape, from the broad expanse of the Hudson River balanced by the heart-shaped pond at Olana to the alternately meandering and tumbling waters of the Hudson's tributaries. Along the Hudson, the Catskill and Kauterskill Creeks and the Roeliff Jansen Kill, vegetated bluffs remain generally undisturbed. Although some recent construction has encroached upon their corridors, most of the structures visible on their banks are of 18th and 19th century architectural periods. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is the most prominent 20th century element in views of the Hudson River and serves as an important public platform for viewing the river corridor. Along the east bank run the railroad tracks which link the New York metropolitan area with northern New York State, another important vehicle for public access to the river corridor. Close-up views of wildlife and the interrelationship of water and land in the corridor are available from the trains.
Catskill was originally the river landing for Old Katskill, a Dutch settlement on the creek four miles inland now known as Leeds. Cargo shipped from the landing initially consisted of agricultural products. After the American Revolution, New Englanders moving west in search of new opportunity joined with the Dutch to transform the landing into a bustling port. In 1800 Catskill's Main Street was the eastern terminus of the Susquehanna Turnpike which extended west to the Susquehanna River. As the village's economy grew, the harbor filled with sloops and became a major stop on the Hudson River Day Line. Flourishing industries included shipbuilding, milling, ice harvesting and quarrying of blue stone for the sidewalks of New York City as well as area municipalities. The Greene County seat since the county was founded in 1800, Catskill has been the focus of politics and trade for the county. Its collection of historic structures include grand residences overlooking the Hudson which reflect both the community's past importance and its continuing function as an area government and commercial center.
The variety of land uses is essentially the same today. On the east bank Catskill continues to be an important landing, but recreational boats rather than cargo vessels are docked in the safe harbor of the Catskill Creek. Despite some spread of development outward from the Catskill village center, a rural landscape surrounds the village, and in views from Olana the edge of the settled areas can be distinguished. On the west bank, Olana still reigns from its promontory over a predominantly pastoral landscape of forests, orchards and fields.
III. AESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE
The Catskill-Olana SASS is of statewide aesthetic significance because it exhibits an unusual variety as well as unity of major landscape components and striking contrasts between lines, forms, textures and colors in the landscape. The SASS is generally free of discordant features. Its many undisturbed natural features plus its historic associations and diverse cultural character render this area unique in the Hudson River coastal area, New York State and the nation. The SASS is publicly accessible, both visually and physically, and recognized by the public for its visual quality.
A. Landscape Character
1. Variety
The Catskill-Olana SASS exhibits an unusual variety of landforms including flood plains and steep ravines that rise 250 feet above the Catskill and Kaaterskill Creeks; Rogers Island and Ramshorn Marsh; forested bluffs along the Hudson River and the Roeliff Jansen Kill; plateaus and rolling farmland south of Catskill Village and the promontory of Church's Hill.
A variety of water features is present, the Hudson River and its coves, channels and inlets being the most prominent. The whitewater area of the upper Catskill Creek is a relatively rare water feature in the Hudson Valley region. The Catskill and Kauterskill Creeks flow through corridors characterized by their relative freedom from human disturbance. Small streams meander through marshes along the Hudson River, and tidal flats lie adjacent to the mouths of the Catskill Creek and the Roeliff Jansen Kill at their junctions with the Hudson River.
In addition to the natural water features, a heart-shaped pond on the Olana property, a dominant element in the middle ground of views to the south from the promontory, was created by Frederic Church to balance the lakelike expanse of the Hudson in the distance. Other ponds for watering livestock have been created on farms.
The variety of vegetative types is significant to the scenic quality of the SASS, defining the pattern of active farms and old fields in some areas and buffering the edges of the SASS from discordant features outside its boundaries. Hedgerows, forests, and tidal forested and emergent wetlands provide a variety of natural textures and colors. Historic farmsteads of tightly clustered farmhouses and outbuildings, pastures and cultivated fields with adjoining windbreaks punctuate the landscape and create a pleasant patchwork of farmland and woodland. The Olana property evidences the extensive planting undertaken by Church when he converted the cleared farmland of his newly purchased estate to the sweeping lawns and wooded slopes which frame vistas and enclose winding carriage roads today.
The SASS exhibits a variety of positive ephemeral characteristics: the ability of the land to support observable wildlife activities, the range of seasonal color change provided by the vegetation of both the marshes and the uplands, and tonal changes in the creeks caused by seasonal fluctuations of water flow. Waterfowl are frequently visible in the marshes and the tidal flats areas, particularly around Rogers Island where they are easily seen from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and enhance the experience of the landscape throughout the SASS. Of particular note are the sunsets displayed across the broad expanse of sky and valley visible from Olana. They often tinge the Hudson River and its marshes with warm tones, then cool, before receding behind the silhouette of the Catskills.
The interface of the cultivated and the natural landscape intrigued the painters of the Hudson River School who were influenced by the Romantic Period. The sublime agricultural landscape represented to them the ideals of an agrarian society, while the natural landscape provided a focus for their fascination with the concept of wilderness.
2. Unity
The SASS is unified by the Hudson River and the topography of its shorelands. On both sides of the Hudson there is an orderly progression from open river to marshlands to forested bluffs to plateaus to rounded hills and promontories. From Olana and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge the entire sequence is visible within a single viewshed. Vegetation helps unify the components, providing a continuum of texture in the landscape. The current land use pattern reinforces the landscape composition because with few exceptions the predominant agricultural, village and estate uses have not changed the underlying landscape forms. The area provides an example of human use in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape. The two sides of the Hudson River are unified by their uniquely strong historic and visual relationship best understood when viewed from Olana, but also evident when viewed from west to east and along the corridor of the Hudson.
3. Contrast
The Hudson River and its undulating shoreline are in striking contrast with the solidity of the forested islands and bluffs. The wildness of the marsh and tidal flats contrasts with the evidence of human interaction with the landscape, both current and historical. The meandering lines of the Ramshorn Creek contrast with the broad emergent wetlands of the Ramshorn Marsh, and the tidal creeks that divide Rogers Island provide a contrast of line against flat, open form. The steep ravines along the Catskill and Kaaterskill Creek provide an especially striking contrast of solidness against the fluidity of the streams. The SASS also is rich in color contrast, both during each season and from season to season, including the changing tone of the water surfaces and vegetation, the latter ranging from marsh grasses to forests to farm fields and transitional areas.
4. Freedom from Discordant Features
The SASS is generally free from discordant features. The farms and large homes are generally well maintained. The sharp, linear form of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge is out of keeping with the fluid form of the Hudson River and rich texture of the vegetated shorelands but, because of its simple, faceted design, avoids becoming a major discordant feature. Large blocky institutional structures are present along the bluff north of the Village of Catskill, but they are not dominant because they do not disrupt the predominantly horizontal form of the bluffs, the open space surrounding them is minimal and extensive areas of vegetation remain on the properties.
The spread of single family homes into the pastoral landscape south of the Village of Catskill is discordant, however. Although an airstrip and a junkyard are present in the southern section of the Kykuit Subunit, they are not highly visible. The junkyard is screened from NY Route 9W when trees along the highway are in foliage, but is visible during the winter and could be better screened with the addition of evergreens. The airstrip is not visible from a public roadway, but is visible from the Hudson River. It does not dominate the landscape, however, because it is a private airstrip and a relatively small element on a broad plain.
B. Uniqueness
The Catskill-Olana SASS is unique because it is the landscape which inspired the first indigenous American painting movement. This landscape remains in a condition close to that which attracted the attention of the Hudson River School of painters and provides a unique opportunity to the public to gain, through experiencing this landscape, an understanding of the aesthetic vision of the artists and the scenic quality which inspired them, particularly Thomas Cole and Frederic Church. Idyllic pastoral landscapes and wilderness, such as found along certain portions of the Catskill and Kauterskill Creeks, were main themes in the Romantic period.
The presence of the historic mansion of Olana and its designed environs, the views shaped by the vegetation and the windows of the mansion, and the role of the landscape as the viewshed of Olana is also unique. The east and west shorelands of the Hudson River are intimately related through their contributions to the composition of the views from Olana and other public viewing locations such as the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The significance of the Catskill Creek and Ramshorn Marsh subunits of the SASS, when viewed from Olana, is based on attributes which comprise their internal landscape as well as on their importance to a nationally significant historic landmark where the view is quintessential.
At the Olana estate, the Hudson River School aesthetic, developed as the response of painters to a landscape, turns full circle to become a landscape shaped by a painter. Few sites better represent the Hudson River's unique blend of natural landscape as creatively shaped by human intervention than the Olana estate and the surrounding properties.
C. Public Accessibility
The Catskill-Olana SASS is accessible to the public via the Hudson River, State and local roads and public parks and historic sites.
The SASS is accessible from the Hudson River, which is heavily used for recreational purposes. The Catskill Creek is a popular harbor. Dutchman's Landing Park, just outside the SASS, has boat launches and provides panoramic views of the SASS to the northwest, north, northeast, east and southeast. As passenger vessel traffic increases on the Hudson, public accessibility to the river corridor will increase.
The western shore of the Hudson is somewhat accessible at the ends of Harrison Street and Williams Street in the Village of Catskill where the public can descend paths on the steep banks of the river to the water's edge. The National Audubon Society owns the northern portion of Ramshorn Marsh and provides informal public access to the marsh as well as organized field trips.
The Village of Catskill owns the Beattie-Powers Place located in the CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunit. The management plan for this estate proposes that access be limited to the upland areas to avoid erosion of the steep river banks. However, the property provides extensive views of the Hudson River and its eastern shore.
Sweeping views in all directions are also available from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a well-traveled gateway to both Greene and Columbia Counties. The bridge is also used by cyclists, joggers and walkers. A public park adjacent to the bridge, operated by the New York State Bridge Authority, provides seating and picnic tables and paths down the bluff to the Hudson.
The southwest portion of the SASS is highly visible, since it constitutes the middleground of the views to the southwest from the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. More than 250,000 tourists visit Olana annually to tour Frederic Church's home and experience Olana's designed landscape and impressive panoramic views to the west and southwest which extend to the Catskill and Shawangunk Mountains. Trails and carriage roads on the estate make the entire property accessible to the public.
The corridors of the Catskill, Kauterskill and Roeliff Jansen Creeks are visible from the numerous bridges which cross them and from the local public roads that follow their banks in many places. On West Main Street along the Catskill Creek in the Village of Catskill is located land owned by the Catskill Public Schools which is used informally by the public for fishing and launching small boats into the Catskill Creek. The northern portion of Ramshorn Marsh is owned by the National Audubon Society which provides public access through educational programs.
D. Public Recognition
Frederic Church was the most popular and best-known American painter in the country in the mid-1800's. The views from Olana inspired much of his painting,influencing American appreciation of sublime and picturesque landscapes and leading to a movement for preservation of aesthetically significant landscapes. His paintings, many of which are of the views from Olana, hang in major museums throughout the world. Thousands of visitors flock to this State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark each year to tour the mansion and see the Church paintings exhibited there. Visitors spend time on the lawns enjoying the panoramic views available from the promontory and walking the trails.
The works of Thomas Cole, the father of the Hudson River School, are also well known and are part of public and private collections. Both men gained inspiration for their work from the landscape surrounding their homes and studios. Many of Cole's landscapes focus on pastoral scenes of the area, the Hudson River, Catskill Creek and the Catskill Mountains.
Other artists of the Hudson River School also did paintings of the area, including William H. Bartlett, Asher B. Durand and Sanford R. Gifford (a native of Hudson).
The views available from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge caused it to be designated as a Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. Homes located on the bluffs in the viewshed of the bridge are part of the East Side Historic District listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
The Olana property and its viewshed, extending north to Mount Merino and south to County Germantown Landing Road are designated under Article 49 as the Olana Extension to the Mid-Hudson Historic Shorelands Scenic District.
A portion of the Ramshorn Marsh and all of Rogers Island are both protected preserves, the Marsh being owned by the National Audubon Society and the island, by the State of New York. Their vegetation and wildlife values make a critical contribution to the scenic quality of the Hudson River corridor seen from the bridge. Also protected through conservation easements is the farm south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge at the foot of the Olana hill.
The Scenic Hudson Land Trust holds the easements.
IV. IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Whether within or outside a designated Scenic Area of Statewide Significance (SASS), all proposed actions subject to review under federal and State coastal acts or a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program must be assessed to determine whether the action could affect a scenic resource and whether the action would be likely to impair the scenic beauty of the scenic resource.
Policy 24 provides that when considering a proposed action, agencies shall first determine whether the action could affect a scenic resource of statewide significance. The determination would involve:
(1) a review of the coastal area map to ascertain if it shows an identified scenic resource which could be affected by the proposed action, and
(2) a review of the types of activities proposed to determine if they would be likely to impair the scenic beauty of an identified resource.
Impairment includes:
(i) the irreversible modification of geological forms; destruction or removal of vegetation; modification, destruction or removal of structures, whenever the geologic forms, vegetation, or structures are significant to the scenic quality of an identified resource;
(ii) the addition of structures which because of siting or scale will reduce identified views or which because of scale, form, or materials will diminish the scenic quality of an identified resource.
Policy 24 sets forth certain siting and facility-related guidelines to be used to achieve the policy, recognizing that each development situation is unique and that the guidelines will have to be applied accordingly. The guidelines are set forth below, together with comments regarding the applicability to this Scenic Area of Statewide Significance. In applying these guidelines to agricultural land it must be recognized that the overall scenic quality of the landscape is reliant on an active and viable agricultural industry. This requires that farmers be allowed the flexibility to farm the land in an economically viable fashion, incorporating modern techniques, changes in farm operation and resultant changes in farm structures. Policy 24 Guidelines include:
SITING STRUCTURES AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT SUCH AS HIGHWAYS, POWER LINES, AND SIGNS, BACK FROM SHORELINES OR IN OTHER INCONSPICUOUS LOCATIONS TO MAINTAIN THE ATTRACTIVE QUALITY OF THE SHORELINE AND TO RETAIN VIEWS TO AND FROM THE SHORE;
COMMENT: The undulating interface of water and land at the shoreline of the Hudson River is an important component of the SASS scenic quality. The siting of uses in a manner which would change or screen the character of that interface or cover significant portions of the water surface so as to obliterate the relationship between water and land would significantly impair the scenic quality of the SASS. Siting of extensive areas of dockage and moorings could adversely affect the contrast between water surface and land forms.
Other than the presence of the railroad tracks on the eastern shore and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the shoreline of the SASS is either in a natural state or in low intensity uses such as large estates. The introduction of industrial and commercial facilities in areas not presently so used would change the character of the shorelands and impair the scenic quality of the SASS.
The pattern created by the streams meandering through the Ramshorn Marsh and the contrast between the marsh and the bordering upland is a particularly critical feature of the southern portion of the SASS. Actions which changed the character of the relationship between the marsh, the streams and the upland; altered the course of the streams; or changed or obliterated the interface between the marsh and the streams or upland would impair the scenic quality of the SASS.
The transition pattern that takes place on both shores, especially in the areas of Ramshorn Marsh and Rogers Island, contributes to the unique character of the SASS. In the southern portion of the SASS it is the relationship between the Ramshorn Marsh and the adjacent upland farmland that is unique. If development were allowed to encroach upon the Ramshorn Marsh, the pastoral upland component of this relationship would be lost. In the northern portion of the SASS it is the transition between Rogers Island and the vegetated bluffs that is unique. An encroachment of development on the bluffs would alter the natural character of the bluffs and change that relationship.
The Hudson River surrounds Rogers Island and flows in channels through the marshlands at high tide and exposes mud flats at low tide. This changing relationship and varying shoreline definition feature prominently in the scenic quality of the island. Changes in these conditions would impair the scenic character of the island and its contribution to the scenic quality of the SASS.
Both sides of the Hudson River include steep bluffs that figure prominently in views from the Hudson and from one side of the Hudson to the other. The locating of structures on the edge of these bluffs or at their highest point would introduce discordant elements into these views and impair their scenic quality.
CLUSTERING OR ORIENTING STRUCTURES TO RETAIN VIEWS, SAVE OPEN SPACE AND PROVIDE VISUAL ORGANIZATION TO A DEVELOPMENT;
COMMENT: The majority of the SASS is open space, either in forests, old fields, marshlands, estate lawns or the pastures and orchards of working farms. Historic farmsteads and estate houses punctuate, but do not dominate the landscape. More recent development tends to cluster at the roadside or in population centers, creating an edge between developed and open areas. If new development were sited so as to spread into these open areas or take the place of the varied vegetation types, the textures, colors, contrast and expansiveness of the natural landscape character and their interrelationship would be lost, impairing the scenic quality of the SASS.
INCORPORATING SOUND, EXISTING STRUCTURES (ESPECIALLY HISTORIC BUILDINGS) INTO THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME;
COMMENT: The SASS is a unique natural and cultural landscape. It is replete with historic structures which tell of its rich history. Houses on the west bank of the Hudson are included in the Village of Catskill's East Side Historic District. Olana is a State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. Historic farmsteads date back to the Colonial period. The loss of historic structures would alter the cultural character of the landscape, remove focal points from views and diminish the level of contrast between the natural landscape and the cultural landscape, thus impairing the scenic quality of the SASS.
REMOVING DETERIORATED AND/OR DEGRADING ELEMENTS;
COMMENT: The SASS is generally free of discordant features, and structures are generally well maintained. Outside of the SASS boundaries in the viewshed of Olana are located structures which are discordant with the landscape because of their scale, color or materials. Generally they introduce a metallic or industrial element into a predominantly natural landscape. Removal may not be possible, but diminishing their dominance through a change in color and lighting of the structures or the addition of screening where possible could enhance the scenic quality of the viewshed. The addition of similar structures in the viewshed or within the SASS boundaries would impair the scenic quality of the SASS.
MAINTAINING OR RESTORING THE ORIGINAL LAND FORM, EXCEPT WHEN CHANGES SCREEN UNATTRACTIVE ELEMENTS AND/OR ADD APPROPRIATE INTEREST;
COMMENT: The landform of the SASS is primarily in an undisturbed state and is the unifying factor in the SASS. The contrast in elevation and the juxtaposition of water and land contributes to the scenic quality of the SASS. The failure to maintain existing landforms and their interrelationships would reduce the unity and contrast of the SASS and impair its scenic quality.
MAINTAINING OR ADDING VEGETATION TO PROVIDE INTEREST, ENCOURAGE THE PRESENCE OF WILDLIFE, BLEND STRUCTURES INTO THE SITE, AND OBSCURE UNATTRACTIVE ELEMENTS, EXCEPT WHEN SELECTIVE CLEARING REMOVES UNSIGHTLY, DISEASED OR HAZARDOUS VEGETATION AND WHEN SELECTIVE CLEARING CREATES VIEWS OF COASTAL WATERS;
COMMENT: The variety of vegetation and its consequent variety of texture and color in the SASS make a significant contribution to the scenic quality of the SASS. Marsh vegetation in the Ramshorn Marsh and on Rogers Island, open farm fields and orchards, hedgerows, lawns and forests all provide interest and contrast to the landscape. The wildlife supported by this vegetation adds ephemeral effects. Vegetation helps structures blend into the predominantly natural landscape and plays a critical role in screening facilities and sites which would otherwise be discordant elements in the SASS.
Removal of marsh vegetation or disruption of relationships between the marsh vegetation, the water of streams and the Hudson River, and upland vegetation would significantly impair the scenic quality of the SASS. Such a loss of vegetation in the Ramshorn Marsh would alter the character and reduce the scenic quality of the views from Olana. The addition of vegetation is some instances would screen further discordant elements in the Olana viewshed and bring the views even closer to the character which attracted the artists of the Hudson River School of Painting. Restoration of Frederic Church's original planting plan could open more views from Olana to the west and northwest. Removal of trees on the forested bluffs along the Hudson would change the character of the river corridor and impair its scenic quality.
USING APPROPRIATE MATERIALS, IN ADDITION TO VEGETATION, TO SCREEN UNATTRACTIVE ELEMENTS;
COMMENT: The SASS is generally free of discordant elements. Some are present outside the SASS in the viewshed of Olana and are discordant because of their scale, color, reflective quality and materials. Industrial and commercial development can be made sensitive to the scenic quality of the area through use of a scale, form and materials which are compatible with existing land use and architectural styles and can be absorbed into the landscape composition. The failure to blend new structures into the natural setting, both within the SASS boundaries and in the viewshed of the SASS, would impair the scenic quality of the SASS.
USING APPROPRIATE SCALES, FORMS AND MATERIALS TO ENSURE THAT BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH AND ADD INTEREST TO THE LANDSCAPE.
COMMENT: Structures located within the SASS generally are compatible with and add interest to the landscape because they are of a scale, design and materials that are compatible with the predominantly natural landscape. Most of the structures are historic in nature, including the houses in the Village of Catskill's East Side Historic District, the Olana mansion and other estate structures and the farmsteads that punctuate the pastoral landscape. Construction of new buildings which are incompatible with the cultural fabric of the SASS as represented in these historic structures would impair the scenic quality of the SASS.
Catskill-Olana Scenic Area of Statewide Significance
Index to Catskill-Olana Subunits
CO-8 Roeliff Jansen Kill Subunit
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Catskill Bluffs subunit stretches north and south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge along the west side of the Hudson River. The subunit's northern boundary follows Hamburg Road east and extends directly across the Hudson to Rogers Island. Its eastern boundary is a common boundary with the CO-5 Rogers Island subunit and the CO-7 Greendale subunit. Its southern boundary skirts the development on the northern bank of the Catskill Creek, just south of St. Anthony's Friary. The top of the bluff parallel to the Hudson forms its western boundary. The subunit is located in the Town and Village of Catskill, Greene County, and the Town of Greenport, Columbia County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheets, numbers 1 and 2, for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The subunit's landform is a steep coastal bluff rising 100 to 180 feet along the Hudson River. The bluff is higher in its northern section and gradually diminishes as it nears the confluence of the Catskill Creek. Vegetation consists of mature woodlands with lawn openings. The Hudson River is about 1800 feet wide in the area and has a straight shoreline.
B. Cultural Character
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is the most significant structure in the subunit, but it is does not contribute to the scenic quality of the subunit because its hard edges and industrial material are not in keeping with the natural character of the Hudson's corridor. Large historic homes and institutional buildings are interspersed among the woodlands. The homes are set into the hillside and surrounded by trees which help them blend into the landscape. In some places the lawns have been extended to the Hudson, reducing the variety of vegetation. The institutional structures are well maintained; but their massive, block-like appearance introduces a discordant, though not dominant feature. The movement of traffic on the Bridge can be distracting, but the dominant Hudson River has a quieting effect on the scene.
One of the estates, the Beattie-Powers Place, is owned by the Village of Catskill. Willed to the village, its use is limited to passive recreation, including nature trails and bird watching. An array of adaptive uses for the main house is under consideration.
C. Views
Views from the Catskill Bluffs subunit are diverse and include long views up and down the Hudson River and to the Catskill Mountains as well as full views of the Hudson and Rogers Island. Views vary between 90 and 180 degrees in width. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a focal point in views to the north, especially from the Hudson River. Views from the Bridge are extensive in all directions. To the east the Olana mansion is visible atop Church's Hill, particularly in views from the Bridge and from the Beattie-Powers Place.
III. Uniqueness
There are no unusual or unique features in the subunit.
IV. Public Accessibility
The subunit is accessible to the public via the Hudson River, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge parkland operated by the NYS Bridge Authority, and paths leading down the bluffs from the ends of Harrison Street and Williams Street in the Village of Catskill. The subunit is highly visible from the Hudson River, to passengers on the railroad trains that run along the eastern shore and to both pedestrians and occupants of vehicles on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. The sidewalk along the bridge is a recreation way used by both joggers and walkers. The subunit also forms the middle ground of views from the west porch of Olana and from the trails along the western side of the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark property, located in the CO-6 Olana subunit on the eastern shore of the Hudson.
V. Public Recognition
The subunit is part of the views to the west from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. Some of the houses on the south side of the bridge are part of the East Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
The Catskill Bluffs subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it contains a variety of scenic elements including woods, open lawns and historic houses which are unified by the underlying landform of the coastal bluff. The historic houses nestled in the vegetation contrast with the natural features of the bluff and the broad river. The subunit is accessible via the Hudson river, paths down the bluffs at the ends of Harrison Street and Williams Street in the Village of Catskill and at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge parkland operated by the NYS Bridge Authority. The subunit is highly visible to the public. The landscape is significant to Catskill and is part of the views from the Olana State Historic Site, located in the CO-6 Olana subunit, and from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. The historic houses on the bluffs are included in the East Side Historic District listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit extends 3 miles along the west side of the Hudson River just south of the Catskill Creek. Its northern boundary is the mean high tide line along the southern bank of the Catskill Creek at its confluence with the Hudson. The southern boundary lies along Embought Road and the eastern most portion of the north shore of Inbocht Bay. Its western boundary is a common boundary with the CO-3 Kykuit subunit, and its eastern boundary is a common boundary with the CO-8 Roeliff Jansen Kill subunit. The subunit is located in the Town of Catskill, Greene County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheets, numbers 1 and 2, for the subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit is a large flood plain measuring 3 miles long by nearly 1 mile wide. The northern boundary includes the sheer rock promontory which forms the southern bank of the Catskill Creek. At the western boundary the land rises from the flood plain to gently rolling hills. The Ramshorn, Dubois, Burget and Mineral Spring Creeks cut through the hills and flow into the flood plain. The vegetation is a mix of marsh grasses, maturing second growth, and mature deciduous woods. At this location the Hudson widens up to a mile. Its coastline curves gradually and contains several small coves, islands, and tidal flats.
B. Cultural Character
On the tops of the hills bordering the marshlands several farms overlook the Hudson River, their historic farmsteads dating from the colonial period. One wooded drumlin is named Kikuit, a Dutch word meaning beacon hill. Fires on the hill were used to warn early settlers of approaching danger.
When the subunit is viewed from the east bank, additional upland farms framed by the distant Catskill Mountains are visible along the banks of the Hudson. The rolling farm fields of the agricultural landscape provide a pleasing contrast to the natural low-lying marshlands. Wildlife in the marshes and farm animals contribute ephemeral effects. The subunit is generally free of discordant features.
C. Views
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit offers full views of the Hudson River and the steep wooded eastern banks and upland farms of the CO-3 Kykuit subunit. Within the subunit itself are found long views across the open marshlands and tidal flats. The subunit is located from 2 to 4 miles southwest of the Olana State Historic Site and forms part of the middle ground of the well-known views from the site. It is also visible from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road. The smokestacks of the cement plants visible in views to the southwest from the subunit are discordant features in the viewshed.
III. Uniqueness
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit is unique because of the relationship between the Ramshorn Marsh and the upland farms. The presence of working farms adjacent to such extensive marshlands and tidal flats is not found elsewhere in the Hudson Valley. The subunit presents an example of a compatible relationship between a pastoral landscape and a natural landscape. The subunit's role as the middle ground in the views from the Olana State Historic Site located in the CO-6 Olana subunit is also unique.
IV. Public Accessibility
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit is accessible via the Hudson River, local roads and the streams which meander through the marsh. The subunit is visible from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road located in the CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunit to the north, from the Hudson River and the trains on the east shore and from the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark located in the CO-6 Olana subunit. The northern portion of Ramshorn Marsh is a nature sanctuary owned by the National Audubon Society. The Scenic Hudson Land Trust recently acquired 153 acres of land adjacent to the sanctuary. Together, the two protected parcels totaling 353 acres represent almost half of the marsh, and were dedicated in late June 1993 as the RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary. Canoeists can enter the creeks on the National Audubon Society property and traverse the marsh by water.
V. Public Recognition
The subunit itself is not well known by the public, but it figures prominently in views from Olana which are well recognized as among the most famous views along the Hudson River and are considered to be of national significance. Olana is a State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a designated Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law because of the views available from its roadway and sidewalk.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
The Ramshorn Marsh subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it contains a variety of water forms and vegetation, including coves, islands and tidal flats; rolling upland; marsh grasses and deciduous woods. The subunit is unified by the horizontal nature of the landscape composition and the natural succession occurring in the vegetation. The contrast between the Ramshorn marshlands and the rolling upland farms is unique. The subunit also makes a unique contribution to and figures prominently in the views to the west and southwest from the Olana State Historic Site which are seen and appreciated by thousands of visitors and area residents annually. It is accessible from the Hudson River and local roads and is highly visible from Olana, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Hudson River and the railroad trains on the east shore. Although discordant features are present in the views to the south from the subunit, the subunit itself is generally free of discordant features.
CATSKILL SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Kykuit subunit is located primarily to the south and west of the Village of Catskill. Its northernmost portion lies in the Village of Catskill just west of Ramshorn Marsh, the northern boundary skirting the densely settled village center. The northern boundary follows Grandview Avenue west to Broome Street, south along Broome Street to the Catskill Village boundary, then west along the southern boundary of the Village of Catskill to the West Shore Railroad, northeast along the railroad tracks to the Catskill Village boundary, then west along West Main Street to the coastal boundary. Along the Catskill Creek the northern boundary is a common boundary with the CO-4 Catskill Creek subunit. Embought Road forms the southern boundary. The western boundary of the subunit is contiguous with the coastal boundary along NY Route 9W. The eastern boundary is a common boundary with the CO-2 Ramshorn Creek subunit. The subunit is located in the Town and Village of Catskill, Greene County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheets, numbers 1 and 2, for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The subunit's landform is composed of hills and ravines, creating a varied topography. Vegetation consists of farmland and woodlands which dominate the landscape and contribute a rich mixture of patterns and colors. Mature and distinct hedgerows line many of the large fields, while larger scattered woodlots separate others.
B. Cultural Character
Land use in the subunit is predominantly farming, but new development is encroaching on this rural landscape from the north, changing its historic character. The farmsteads are laid out in historic patterns of tightly clustered buildings surrounded by open fields and woodlots. The farm fields are well maintained, but there are some discordant features present, including a junkyard and an airstrip. The junkyard is screened from NY Route 9W by vegetation when the trees are in foliage, while the air strip is not visible from public roads, but can be seen from the Hudson River.
C. Views
Views from the Kykuit subunit are pleasantly varied. To the west dramatic views of the Catskill Mountains are clearly visible. From the eastern edges of the subunit partial views are available of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Hudson River and its eastern shore. Within the subunit itself, a variety of foreground and distant views extends across meadows framed by woodlands. The landscape composition of well-maintained farms and woods is unified by the pastoral and natural character of the land use.
III. Uniqueness
The subunit is not unique. The farms and woods are lush, but the encroaching development reduces the scenic quality of the landscape. The subunit forms the most distant portion of the middleground in views from the Olana State Historic Site which are unique.
IV. Public Accessibility
There is some public access to the subunit via NY Route 9W and Embought Road which border the subunit but do not enter it. Portions of the subunit are visible from these roads.
V. Public Recognition
Public recognition of the subunit is limited to local residents and travelers of NY Route 9W and Embought Road. The subunit is better known as part of the distance in the views from the Olana State Historic Site located in the CO-6 Olana subunit on the east side of the Hudson River.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
Although not a distinctive subunit, the Kykuit subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it connects distinctive subunits. Its importance is also derived from the contribution it makes to the middleground of views from the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark in the CO-6 Olana subunit on the eastern shore of the Hudson River. The subunit is noteworthy in that it exhibits a variety and pleasing contrast of land uses in the mix of well maintained small farms and woodlands on rolling hills. The vegetation provides a rich mixture of patterns and colors, while the dominant farm and woodland pattern is fairly consistent and unifies the landscape. The subunit is accessible and visible in part from NY Route 9W and Embought Road.
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Catskill Creek subunit encompasses the Catskill and Kauterskill Creek corridors west of the Village of Catskill. The eastern boundary of the subunit is the Catskill Village boundary as it crosses the Catskill Creek. The remaining boundaries are contiguous with the coastal boundary. The subunit extends upstream on the Catskill Creek for two miles to the New York Route 23 bridge and includes approximately 3/4 mile of the Kauterskill Creek west of its confluence with the Catskill Creek, up to the bridge carrying Cauterskill Road across the Creek. The boundaries include the wooded banks and rocky cliffs up to 250 feet in elevation along the creeks. The subunit is located in the Town of Catskill, Greene County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheet number 1 for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The Catskill Creek subunit includes the confluence of the Catskill Creek and the Kaaterskill Creek and encompasses the immediate corridors of both creeks. The creeks meander through a narrow flood plain and in some locations rush between wooded banks and sheer cliffs which rise up to 250 feet above the rocky beds. Some whitewater areas exist where the Catskill Creek bed is constricted in the western portion of the subunit. The vegetation is varied, including woodland and scrub with woodland dominating.
B. Cultural Character
The Catskill Creek subunit is in a relatively undisturbed state compared to most creek corridors in the Hudson River coastal area. It contains few cultural features. Local roads lined with a few houses border short portions of the creeks. Cauterskill Road passes along the south side of the Kaaterskill Creek, and West Main Street follows the Catskill Creek for a short distance. A narrow railroad bed through which trains once passed carrying passengers between Catskill Landing and the Catskill Mountain House site to the west lies along the northeastern bank of the Catskill Creek. There remain some ruins of former mills and dams that once harnessed the water power of the creeks.
The ephemeral characteristics of seasonal changes along the creeks and the flash of running water as it makes it way over the rocks and through the gorges are significant components of the subunit's scenic character.
The creek corridors are generally free of discordant features. From the creeks few vestiges of civilization are visible, and the creek beds are generally free of litter. The support structures of the overhead bridges of the NY State Thruway and of large utility lines, however, are discordant features in this predominantly natural landscape that have made a significant visual impact on their immediate environs. Otherwise, the tumbling creeks and their steep wooded banks are primarily undisturbed.
C. Views
Views from the Catskill Creek subunit are quite short and narrow through the steep wooded banks and winding creek beds. The views of the winding creeks, the flood plains and the steep banks have a pleasing natural composition. From the tops of the creek banks there are partial views of the Catskill Mountains to the west. Some homes on the east bank of the Catskill Creek are visible along with woods and hills.
III. Uniqueness
The Catskill Creek subunit is not unique. Its dramatic natural settings are not common, however. The wilderness character of the ravines through which the creeks flow, the whitewater areas of the Catskill Creek and the undisturbed state of the creeks adjacent to population centers are quite unusual in the Hudson River coastal area.
IV. Public Accessibility
The dramatic natural settings of the creek corridors are visible from the NYS Thruway and NY Route 23 as well as from local roads, particularly West Main Street and Cauterskill Road. The old railroad bed is used informally as a hiking path, and visitors can also access the area by paths that begin near the Route 23 bridge.
V. Public Recognition
Public recognition of the Catskill Creek subunit is limited primarily to local residents. Regular travellers on the New York Thruway and NY Route 23 are likely to recognize the glimpses of the creek corridors available from these highways. The creek corridors have been the subject of paintings by artists of the Hudson River School, including Thomas Cole and Frederic Church.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
The Catskill Creek subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it contains a variety of landforms in the flood plains, wooded banks and steep cliffs of the dramatic creek corridors. These landforms contrast with the whitewater and meandering stretches of the creeks themselves. These are unified by the primarily undisturbed natural character of these corridors. Portions of the subunit are visible from local roads, particularly West Main Street and Cauterskill Road. Because there has been little encroachment by development on this natural landscape, the subunit is generally free of discordant features other than the highway bridges and power line crossings, the negative impact of which is limited to their immediate environs.
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Rogers Island subunit encompasses Rogers Island and the immediate shorelands of the Hudson River to the east of the island. Its eastern boundary follows the ridgeline on the Hudson's east shore south to the NY Route 23 bridge approach. Its western boundary, a common boundary with the CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunit, and its southern boundary, a common boundary with the CO-7 Greendale subunit, follow the mean high tide line around the perimeter of the island. The subunit is located to the north and south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the Town of Greenport, Columbia County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheets, numbers 1 and 2, for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
Rogers Island is a flat, tree covered island located close to the eastern shore of the Hudson River. The original, natural portion of the island has some topographic relief of up to 30 feet and supports an older growth of dense, deciduous trees and understory vegetation. The more recent portions of the island, which were created by deposition of dredge spoils and natural accretion, are much flatter with a mix of lower and upper marsh vegetation. The shoreline form of the island is complex, consisting of coves, channels and inlets. The Hudson River surrounds the subunit and figures prominently in its landscape character.
B. Cultural Character
The cultural character of the subunit is dominated by the Rip Van Winkle Bridge which looms over the island. Conversely, the Rogers Island dominates the immediate foreground of scenic views from both sides of the bridge, creating an undisturbed natural setting for vehicles travelling in both directions.
Rogers Island has symbolic value as a preserved, wild, natural area rich in wildlife. It is an important habitat, and the blinds of duck hunters are seasonal additions to the cultural landscape. Ephemeral effects consist of the wildlife of the island and flats and the recreational boats which are frequently anchored just off the island during the boating season.
The Rip Van Bridge creates a stark visual contrast to the natural setting of the subunit by introducing a hard, linear, manufactured form in contrast to the irregular textured patterns of the island. This contrast is somewhat jarring; but, because of the simple, faceted design of the bridge and the visual clarity of the contrast, avoids becoming a major discordant feature.
C. Views
The great majority of views within the subunit are gained from the aerial vantage point of the heavily-travelled bridge. The natural portion of the island is a featured foreground element. This reduces the role of the bridge in the landscape, since it serves as a viewing platform rather than as an element of the scene, and heightens the perceived visual quality of the subunit and the surrounding landscape. The aerial perspective of the views also heightens the visual role of the complex shoreline, the Hudson River and the dramatic background scenery of Church's Hill and the Catskill Mountains. The dense vegetation of the island unifies the visual setting. In views from the Hudson and the island, the bridge provides a dramatic, if at times severe, visual contrast.
III. Uniqueness
The Rogers Island subunit is not unique. It is a typical flat island in an uncommon setting.
IV. Public Accessibility
A State-owned wildlife management area, Rogers Island is accessible to the public from the Hudson River at tide levels that flood the flats. Rogers Island is highly visible from the well-travelled Rip Van Winkle Bridge and Hudson River.
V. Public Recognition
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a Scenic Road designated under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law because of the views available from the bridge, including those of Rogers Island.
VI. Reasons for Inclusion
The Rogers Island subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it exhibits variety in its lower and upper marsh vegetation and its complex shoreline of coves, channels and inlets. Contrast exists in the juxtaposition of the vegetated island with the extensive flats exposed at low tide. This natural environment also contrasts with the imposing Rip Van Winkle Bridge which looms above the island. The island is unified by its undisturbed character and natural setting. Rogers Island is a State owned wildlife management area which is accessible to the public from the Hudson River. It also is visible from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and figures prominently in the views which caused the bridge to be designated as a Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law.
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Olana subunit encompasses approximately one square mile and consists entirely of the Olana State Historic Site. Part of its western boundary is a common boundary with the CO-7 Greendale subunit. Its northwestern boundary follows NY Route 23, and its southern boundary is contiguous with the coastal boundary. The subunit is located directly east of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the Town of Greenport, Columbia County. Consult the Catskill-Olana SASS map sheet number 2 for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The subunit's landform consists of a dramatic hill 475 feet high that is accentuated by the Olana mansion at its pinnacle and the designed landscape on its slopes. The heart-shaped pond at the foot of the hill was created by Frederic Church to balance the water element of distant Hudson River in the views from the top of the hill. The forests, pasture and specimen trees of the estate complement the dramatic natural setting. Church carried out an extensive tree planting program on what was open agricultural land when purchased by the artist.
B. Cultural Character
The subunit encompasses Olana, a renowned and beautiful Hudson River estate built by Frederic Church, a major painter of the Hudson River School. The name Olana is a variation of the Persian Olane, and the mansion reflects a strong Persian influence in its design. The landscape of the grounds was designed by Church to be a living canvas dominated by the Persian/Victorian hilltop mansion and the sweeping fields and meadows on the hillside. The mansion and its towers punctuate the hilltop and provide a dramatic focal point in views from the surrounding landscape. Through his incorporation of the heart-shaped water element on his property to balance the Hudson River outside his property, Church created a composition that transcends property lines and recognizes the inherent contribution of the surrounding landscape to the design of his personal domain. Carriage roads and trails weave through the property, providing the visitor with an intimate experience of the landscape. Wildlife on the property contributes ephemeral effects to the landscape.
As the home of Frederic Church, the Olana estate has very strong historic, symbolic and aesthetic significance. Selected and shaped by one of the Hudson River School's most important practitioners, the Olana landscape symbolizes the unique blend of the natural and the designed, the picturesque and the sublime that formed the essence of the Hudson River School aesthetic. The mansion, designed by Church, reflects a Persian influence and is unique in itself. The structure's form, its orientation on the hill and its ornamentation all were the subject of the artist's careful attention.
The subunit itself is free of discordant features. There are some discordant features in the viewshed outside the subunit, however, that reduce to some degree the historic integrity of the views from Olana. Radio towers and cement plants are visible to the south and southwest. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge and its distracting traffic intrude in views to the west, particularly from the trails. The institutional structures and parking lots of the Columbia-Greene Community College are visible in the middle ground in views from the trails on the eastern slope of Church's Hill.
C. Views
The meadows extending down the steep hill from the mansion were designed by Church to frame the dramatic views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains to the southwest and west. The views extend over five miles down the Hudson and over twenty miles to the Catskill Mountains. Although distant, the Hudson River plays a major role in the setting, its broad expanse and undulating shoreline adding variety and ephemeral qualities of ever changing reflected color and light. Originally, views were also available to the west, north and northwest, and future restoration of the designed landscape may once again open these views.
The dense woodlands now surrounding the mansion to the east, north and west shelter the estate grounds from views of recent development surrounding the subunit. Carriage roads and trails provide intimate views of the landscape and constantly changing compositions featuring the mansion, the pond and landscape outside the property. Views of orchards and farm fields to the west are framed by the woodlands. The mansion is oriented to take advantage of the views, and their compositions are artfully framed by ogee curves, stained glass and decorative borders of windows and doorways of the mansion.
III. Uniqueness
The Olana subunit is unique. The property is a designed landscape of extraordinary importance that recognizes its connection to the landscape beyond its borders. The views from Olana are some of the most dramatic and famous in the Hudson River Valley. The quality of these views is a result of several factors. First, the views stretch over a great distance, extending over five miles down the Hudson and over twenty miles to the Catskill Mountains. Second, the distant views are masterfully framed by a designed foreground landscape of meadows, specimen trees, ponds and dense woodland. Third, the mansion and surrounding woodlands provide foreground detail, interest and refuge from which to view the dramatic distant landscape. These elements together create a masterful, constantly changing panorama. The variety of vegetation, texture and prospect provides contrasts of open areas and wooded environs, designed landscape with natural areas, and the elaborate historic mansion with the simplicity of the sweeping lawns. All are united by the topography. The carriage roads and the internal compositions all lead to the crowning mansion.
IV. Public Accessibility
Olana is owned by the State of New York. The site is highly accessible because it is open to the public on a year round basis, bringing visitors for its recreational values as well as its historic, cultural and scenic values. Church's hill and mansion are also visible from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and from the Hudson River and its west bank, including the Beattie-Powers Place village park and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge park located in the CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunit.
V. Public Recognition
Olana is a State Historic Site operated by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and visited by thousands of people each year. It is also is a National Historic Landmark and an important regional year-round recreational facility offering activities of both a passive and active nature. The Olana property is part of the Olana Extension to the Mid-Hudson Historic Shorelands Scenic District designated under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. Olana is also a focal point in the view to the east from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
The Olana subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because it is a unique landscape in an exceptional setting. As Frederic Church's hilltop estate, Olana's historic mansion and designed landscape is a work of art by a noted Hudson River School landscape painter. The incorporation of the superlative views of the Hudson Valley into the design of both the mansion and the grounds establishes an intrinsic connection between the property and the land outside its borders.
The estate grounds and the views from the estate were represented in several of Church's paintings, and they are highly recognized by the public for their scenic, historic and artistic values. The property is in public ownership and is highly accessible. It is both a State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. Olana is also part of the Olana Scenic District designated under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. It is visible from the Hudson River and its western shore and from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49. The subunit is free of discordant features.
CATSKILL-OLANA SCENIC AREA OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE
I. Location
The Greendale subunit is located directly south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and stretches more than 1.5 miles along the east side of the Hudson River. Its northern boundary follows the NY Route 23 bridge approach, and its southern boundary is a common boundary with the CO-8 Roeliff Jansen Kill subunit, south of the Livingston Town line. Its eastern boundary follows NY Route 9G, and its western boundary is a common boundary with the CO-2 Ramshorn Marsh and CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunits. The Greendale subunit is located in the Towns of Greenport and Livingston, Columbia County. Consult the Columbia-Greene SASS map sheets, numbers 1 and 2, for subunit boundaries.
II. Scenic Components
A. Physical Character
The landform is composed of long, oval hills, up to 220 feet high, running parallel to the Hudson River and steep wooded valleys 110 feet deep along streams. A rectangular pattern of orchards and fields, located on the tops and upper slopes of the hills, contrasts with the underlying rounded hills. The vegetation consists primarily of apple orchards and densely wooded swales. The width of the Hudson River varies from 1,000 to 2,000 feet, its shoreline bordered with tidal flats and embayments and broken by small streams. The railroad embankment gives a long, gently curving character to the shoreline.
B. Cultural Character
Land use is a mix of the pastoral and the urban. Attractive farmsteads and well-managed orchards share the landscape with the well-traveled NY Route 9G highway. Oak Hill and several other large homesteads overlook the Hudson, and summer homes are located in the woods along the river. Oak Hill is located at what was the northwest corner of Livingston Manor. The house was built in 1794 by a son of the third and last Lord of the Manor and continues to serve as a country seat for the family.
Greendale Landing was the site of a former railroad station and the eastern terminus of the ferry that once to Catskill Point on the west bank of the Hudson River. The railroad tracks prevent access to the river today, except for an operational grade crossing at Oak Hill Landing.
The subunit constitutes the middle ground in views from the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. These views were painted frequently by Frederic Church and are considered to be of national significance. The pastoral quality of the subunit landscape is well-preserved, considering its proximity to the City of Hudson and Village of Catskill and to NY Routes 9G and 23.
The subunit is generally free of discordant features. The railroad follows the shoreline and could be considered a discordant feature, but it is located below the sightline of views to the west and is largely invisible from most of the subunit. From the Hudson River the railroad tracks do not dominate because they are located almost at water level and generally follow the curving shoreline. The passage of trains provides an ephemeral accent of historical value, especially when vessels are also passing on the Hudson River, reminding the viewer of the historical role of the Hudson River as a transportation corridor.
C. Views
The Hudson River is the major visual element in the subunit. There is a diversity of very long views, including the Catskills in the west, full views of the Hudson as far as five miles downstream and wide, sweeping views of the fields and nearby bluffs and hills. The orchards contribute a bold geometric pattern to the views' composition. The corridor of the Hudson is in a predominantly natural state, except for the development at the mouth of the Catskill Creek, just outside the subunit. There are several major focal points, including the Olana mansion, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge just outside the subunit to the north and the Catskill Mountains.
The lights associated with NY Route 9G are somewhat intrusive, introducing a manufactured element into the essentially natural and historic landscape of the subunit. The Rip Van Winkle Bridge and the traffic and lights associated with the bridge and its approach roads create a minor discordance in the views to the north and northwest. Views of nearby radio towers and the tank farm in Catskill on the west shore only slightly impact the visual quality of the subunit. The towers' lack of bulk reduce their visual impact, while the small scale and distance of the tank farm from the subunit renders it less dominant.
III. Uniqueness
The subunit is unique in its role as the middle ground of a unique viewshed, the viewshed of Olana, a State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark of world renown. The working farmland is an increasingly rare, historic use in this area. Its continuance maintains the pastoral quality of Olana's viewshed, the landscape character that attracted Hudson River School artists and is represented in Frederic Church's paintings of his view from Olana.
IV. Public Accessibility
The subunit is accessible to the public via the Hudson River, NY Route 9G and local roads. A small portion of the subunit is included in the State Historic Site, but the majority of the farmland is in private ownership. The subunit is highly visible from the Olana State Historic Site, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, the Hudson River and the trains along the shoreline and is viewed by high numbers of travellers and Olana visitors. NY Route 9G also offers views west across the subunit to the Catskill Mountains. The subunit is also visible from the CO-2 Ramshorn Marsh and CO-1 Catskill Bluffs subunits on the river's western shore.
V. Public Recognition
The subunit is located in the middle ground of the views to the south from Olana, a State Historic Site visited by thousands of people each year, and is vital to the integrity and preservation of this historic view. Frederic Church frequently painted the views from his mansion and grounds, and his paintings hang in major museums around the world. The subunit is also part of the views to the south and east from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law, and lies within the Olana Scenic District also designated under Article 49.
The Hudson River shorelands in the Olana viewshed south to Germantown Landing Road are included in the Olana Extension to the Mid-Hudson Historic Shorelands Scenic District designated under Article 49.
The farm located just south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge at the foot of the Olana hill is protected through conservation easements held by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust.
VI. Reason for Inclusion
The subunit is included in the Catskill-Olana SASS because of the unique role of its historic land use in the views from the Olana State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. The subunit also is located in the foreground and middleground of views from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, a designated Scenic Road under Article 49 of the Environmental Conservation Law. In addi