Day 223 - June 5, 2013: Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate

The Rockefeller Estate, named Kykuit (a Dutch word meaning "look out"), was high on our list of places to visit on the Hudson. On the way there we stopped briefly at Sunnyside, the home of the writer Washington Irving, but we did not have time for a tour. So we went on to Sleepy Hollow, where we boarded  the tour bus to spend 2 1/2 hours at Kykuit.

Built by John D. Rockefeller and completed in 1913, the estate was occupied and maintained by three generations before being given to a Rockefeller Trust in 1979. The home is built with local stone and is centrally located on 250 acres of land overlooking the Hudson River. The interior is designed specifically to have comfortable family living spaces, as opposed to having large opulent entertaining and ballroom spaces such as seen in the Flagler home in St. Augustine, FL.

Kykuit as seen from the entry drive

View of the entry drive and statue from the front doors

There are elaborate and beautiful gardens and pools, with large pieces of art carefully integrated into the landscape surrounding the home. Included beyond the gardens are a 9-hole golf course, horse stables and a separate very large guest house created as a place for the grown children and their families to stay while visiting.

Gardens south of the house

Gazebo near the pool

Probably the most spectacular aspect of the home is the view out over the Hudson River with the Palisades in the distance. Years ago when a developer set his sights on building homes along the Palisades, John D. Rockefeller and others purchased the land and gave it to the state, thus preserving their views and protecting this beautiful resource for the public. A large contemporary piece of art, the pool below the art, and the tall trees were positioned to frame this view from the back of the home.

Back side of the home

View from the back patio of the home out over the Hudson River

An open grassy area, two large pieces of art and the distant river

We especially enjoyed the tour because the guide, Laura Bunt, lived here on the estate until she was ten, since her father was a cabinet-maker and helped build the interior of the home. She had many stories to tell about the Rockefeller family from personal experience, which helped us picture and appreciate what life was like here. We left realizing what incredible wealth can do, went to Tarrytown for lunch, and then returned to Great Laker to enjoy the afternoon sun.