Peaking through autumnal foliage, the Frederic Church Center for Architecture and Landscape is the newest addition in Upstate New York's historical site of Olana – a generous, leafy expanse of rich natural landscape and eclectic architecture, formerly the home of landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900). Opening this month in Greenport, near Hudson, the contemporary visitor centre designed by New York studio ARO, is the first structure to be added to the precious complex since its original owner was alive.
Explore the Frederic Church Center for Architecture and Landscape at Olana
The visitor centre was designed to be discreet and enrich the guests' experience through its presence within the designated US historical landmark that is the painter's wider estate and its grounds – which were crafted by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects as part of a master planning initiative.
The new building's presence was conceived to feel delicate from the outside, wrapped in glazing that doesn't contrast with the natural backdrop. At the same time, expansive, contemporary interiors cater to the Olana site's growing audience, allowing for orientation and education spaces, tour programmes, a café (due to open in spring 2025), and other services for visitors.
ARO created its design as a mass timber structure, respecting the surrounding nature and as a nod to the numerous, mature trees surrounding the plot. Meanwhile, the expansive glass walls were chosen to be bird-friendly, and are matched by dark red vertical wood siding that similarly echoes the context.
ARO, led by Stephen Cassell, Kim Yao, and Adam Yarinsky, was founded in New York in 1993 and has a slew of accomplished projects under its belt – several of which are in the public and cultural realm, like the Frederic Church Centre, but also including a growing portfolio of private homes such as the Bucks County Home in Pennsylvania.
