Astor Courts
 

Preservation Forumswhite divider

As part of our ongoing education and advocacy efforts, Hudson River Heritage (HRH) has participated in, and hosted, a variety of preservation forums. During 1999,the Quadricentennial year, the Dutch influence was explored with a full program of lectures and house tours. Other programs included the legacy of noted architect A.J. Davis and the Villa tradition (2003), and field trips to John Burrough’s “Riverby”, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Top Cottage”, and A.J. Davis’s “Oliver Bronson House”. In 2006 Hudson River Heritage co-sponsored the Preservation Under Pressure conference with the Preservation League of New York State.  

Highlights of past forums include:

2019

Music of the Gilded Age:

HRH and Montgomery Place partnered again to present performances by classical musicians and discussions of music and its influence during the Gilded Age.

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2018

Montgomery Place: A Window on the World of Alexander Jackson Davis’ Architecture and Design:

HRH partnered with Montgomery Place to present the first annual “Montgomery Place Spring Salon Series”. This event included informative talks by architects as well as local preservationists. 

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2016

Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse at Bard College:

Held at the historic Blithewood mansion on the beautiful Bard College campus, this event focused on the use and reuse of buildings on the Bard campus which included their recent acquisition of Montgomery Place.

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2014

Railroads Along the Hudson:

Speakers at this forum entertained the audience with fascinating stories of the railroad industry in the Hudson Valley.

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2013

The Hudson River National Historic Landmark District—Its Origin, Significance, and Future:

The Staatsburgh State Historic Site (Mills Mansion) was the venue for this event which brought in a panel of site directors from several local historic houses who participated in a discussion of preservation topics.

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2011

The Astor Legacy in Rhinebeck:

We returned to Astor Courts for this forum which featured the history of the Astor family in the Rhinebeck area. Topics included Ferncliff, Marienruh, Rokeby, and The Point, as well as landscape and garden influence. 

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2010

Influence and Perspective:

Our first annual HRH preservation forum, this two-day event was held at the historic Astor Courts and explored the designs of McKim, Mead and White with emphasis on the legacy and influence of Stanford White. Also presented were talks on stewardship, restoration, and planning for the protection of historic architecture and landscapes.

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