A Utopia for lifelong learners, the Chautauqua Institution was founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent. Initially, Miller and Vincent sought to improve the teachings of Sunday Schools, but the scope of their project quickly grew and…

Nestled between the trees just outside of Woodstock sits The Maverick Concert Hall, the brainchild of Hervey White. Built in 1916, the structure was the happy result of White’s quest for a space that cultivated creativity with few constraints –…

The Shakers are well known for their traditions in vocal music. Countless personal and printed music books survive, attesting to the wide scope of their unique spirituals. First composed without text and performed with wordless syllables, spirituals…

Shaker furniture is renowned for its simple lines, graceful proportions, and refined aesthetic, qualities that were shaped by the belief system of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Shaker furniture forms were derived…

With an abrupt shift away from his lucrative stint in the soap business, Elbert Hubbard followed his passion for writing and began a literary career in 1893. After enrolling at Harvard, Hubbard soon realized his disdain for the inaccessibility of…

The Roycrofter community (also known as Roycroft) of East Aurora, New York was founded in 1895 by Elbert Hubbard, a wealthy former soap executive from Buffalo, New York who was inspired by the English Arts & Crafts movement and the work of John…

Lost among overgrown vegetation and structural ruins, the grounds surrounding White Pines were once home to magnificent gardens that titillated all of the senses in a beautiful and practical way. Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead cultivated two gardens at…

A counterpart to the Bottega, the Varenka was a one-and-a-half-story building with a garage-like door that was largely used for furniture storage and possibly sales. Although Byrdcliffe furniture was stored and sold at the Varenka, it was also…

The Forge or Metal Shop, built in 1903, was the primary location for metalworking at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony. According to a 1907 brochure, The Forge was a large and accommodating three-room structure for the use of artisans. “The largest room is…

Attached to the Studio was a beautiful library for the use of Byrdcliffe residents. Alvan Sanborn, in Good Housekeeping, noted that the library had about five thousand volumes and was modestly decorated with Byrdcliffe furniture, “sculptures,…