Historic Hudson House Tour Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 6, Historic Hudson stages its Seventh Annual House Tour. This year, the word Old has been dropped from tour title because not all of the houses on the tour are old. The oldest house on the tour, the Charles A. Darling House, was constructed around 1805, but the newest, Brokeback Manor, was completed only last year. Indeed, not all of the sites on the tour are even houses. The Allen Street School is included. What unifies the buildings and give this year's tour its theme, "Rooms with a View," is that each responds in different ways to the legendary landscape that inspired America's first great art movement, the Hudson River School, and the country's first generation of conservationists. "For those of us fortunate enough to live here, Hudson Valley vistas are an ever-present link to history and nature, and they continue to inspire the region's artists, architects, and preservationists."

The tour is followed by a benefit reception at the Oliver Wiswall House on Mount Merino, a Greek Revival mansion with a commanding view to the north, up the Hudson River as far as Albany. Fittingly, the current owner has an extensive collection of Hudson River School paintings, portraying vistas of Mount Merino and the surrounding areas as they appeared in the 19th century.

Tour hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets for the tour are $40; tickets for the reception are $75. A ticket to both events is $100. Visit historichudson.org for more information about the houses and the event and to purchase tickets. On the day of the tour, tickets can be picked up or purchased at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Charles A. Darling House--Photograph by Peter Frank

George E. Benson House--Photograph by Timothy Dunleavy

Terry-Gillette Mansion--Photograph by Peter Frank

Allen Street School--Photograph from Historic Hudson archive

William Wortman House--Photograph by Peter Frank

Brokeback Manor interior--Photograph by Lynn Davis

Oliver Wiswall House--Photograph provided by owner