Installation of full grown trees along Boscobel's main entrance drive and in the forecourt.

Richard K. Webel's landscape plan for Boscobel bears little resemblance to its original site in Montrose. He proposed a classically inspired landscape in the beaux-arts or "country place" style popular from the turn of the century to the mid-1930s that was meant to provide an appropriate setting to compliment the formal architecture of the house. The firm specialized in transplanting large trees using a newly developed technique for digging larger holes around trees and protecting their roots and moving a large soil mass with them. Giant maples, mature shrubs and an entire apple orchard were trucked in on flatbeds to give the feeling that the landscape had always been there. The installation of the entry driveway and forecourt, formal rose garden, brick walks and weeping cherry trees were also completed a short time before the first public opening in May 1961.

The intent of William Kennedy and Benjamin Garber was not to accurately furnish the interiors of Boscobel based upon historical research. Instead, they tried to create elegantly decorated rooms that complimented the beauty of the architecture. The items they selected represented the very best of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries to conform to the taste and standards of States Dyckman as established by his own purchases in London. Because States lived in England for such a long time, they also felt it would be appropriate to

House being constructed in Garrison.

furnish the house mainly in eighteenth-century English and European antiques, which they acquired over several years both in America and abroad selecting and assembling appropriate personal and household effects for each room. They also chose blue as the dominant color, providing a consistent thread throughout the interior. It was also used in a slightly muted version on the exterior with a contrasting white trim on the woodwork. This choice may have been inspired by the classical design and the color scheme of the "Deep blue and white Jasper cameo" tea service Dyckman purchased from Wedgwood and Byerley, London, on August 29, 1803. But it also did not hurt that blue was Mrs. Wallace's favorite color. Although the results of their decorating were beautiful, and are still fondly remembered by some of Boscobel's early visitors, it was more of a decorator's showcase than an accurate historical restoration.

On May 21, 1961, the reconstructed home of States and Elizabeth Dyckman was formally opened to the public. A large tent was erected on the front lawn and, in addition to Mrs.

Sound and Light programs became a fixture at Boscobel in the 1960s and '70s.

Wallace and the board of directors, many dignitaries were present. In his keynote address, Governor of New York, Nelson A. Rockefeller, referred to Boscobel as "one of the most beautiful homes ever built in America." Continuing her personal involvement, in September 1962 Mrs. Wallace hosted a party to unveil the new docent uniforms created by well-known New York designer, Mainbocher. The uniforms were done in a shade called "Boscobel blue" which was in keeping with the interior decor of the house. On July 16, 1964, a black-tie party was hosted by the Wallaces to preview the newly developed "Sound and Light" program at Boscobel which she had funded. The forty minute program was narrated by Helen Hays and Gary Merril and dramatized the discovery and development of the Hudson River beginning with Henry Hudson and ending with the restoration of the Boscobel mansion. The program became a permanent feature at Boscobel with two evening performances a week scheduled throughout the summer, ending in the mid-1970s.

By the mid-1970s, new information came to light about States Dyckman's original furnishings that led to the decision to totally redo the interiors of the house so they were more historically

The New York Times, July 21, 1977.

accurate. Information found in the Dyckman family papers, States Dyckman's recently discovered household inventory of 1806, and from examples of surviving furniture owned by the Dyckman family revealed that contrary to the Kennedy and Garber assemblage of mostly English furnishings, Boscobel was originally furnished with pieces made by New York cabinetmakers of the early nineteenth century. Berry B. Tracy, Curator-in-Charge of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was hired as a consultant to research the new interiors and oversee the installation. Mr. Tracy worked closely with Frederick W. Stanyer, executive director of Boscobel. The English pieces were replaced by an outstanding collection of Federal period furniture made mostly in New York City. The reproduction carpets, paint colors, wallpaper, fabrics and window treatments used were all based upon documented period examples. The objective of the reinterpretation was to restore the house to the way it would have looked while Elizabeth Dyckman lived in the house from 1808 until her death in 1823. When the house reopened to the public in June 1977, after six months of intense restoration work, Boscobel was featured in a cover article by Rita Reif in the Home Section of The New York Times on July 21, 1977. The headline read, "The Tour de Force Of Redecorating Boscobel."

Today, Boscobel is considered to be one of the nation's leading historic house museums. It features an important collection of decorative arts from the Federal period with high-style furniture by Duncan Phyfe and other recognized New York cabinetmakers of the day. Many of States Dyckman's original purchases of English china, silver, glass and part of his library have also survived and are on exhibit in the mansion.

Copyright 2003, Charles T. Lyle


Back to Top Back to First History Page