Philip Alvare, a writer who visited the Rockefeller estate on a sunny day in June, has authored for Northeast Antiques one of the best pieces on Kykuit HVBlogger has ever read. And, HVBlogger is delighted to see that it is in fact the cover story in the August issue of this widely read publication.

Philip's article is tailored to the antiques audience, but it is nonetheless a great primer for those looking for a solid introduction to what makes this grand estate so...well...grand.

Intrepid Kykuit guide Charley Bradley gave Philip a masterful tour, which is reflected in this piece. The magazine has graciously offered us the chance to host it on our site, so you can download it and read it for yourselves.

Enjoy!

 Click here to download the article in PDF format.

Today marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Nelson A. Rockefeller, the third child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and the man responsible for throwing open the doors of Kykuit, the family's grand Pocantico Hills estate, to the public.

The governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 and vice president of the United States under President Gerald Ford, Nelson's bipartisan record of public service included serving in the administrations of FDR and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Marking the centennial of his birth, the historian Richard Norton Smith penned a fascinating op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times that is well worth a read. Mr. Smith cites his significant achievements as governor and argues that Nelson was ahead of his time politically:

Three decades later, "Rockefeller Republican" is widely seen as a contradiction in terms. Largely forgotten is the original meaning of the phrase, a counterintuitive coupling of late '50s fiscal responsibility and early '60s social justice - the same formula espoused by a majority of today's electorate, for whom solving problems and forging consensus takes precedence over ideological purity.

Incidentally, Mr. Smith is working on a biography of Nelson, due to publish next year, and will be speaking at a special Historic Hudson Valley symposium on Nelson taking place in September. But, more on that later. For now, enjoy the op-ed.

We rather enjoyed this extended piece about Kykuit, John D. Rockefeller, wealth, and philanthropy by David Patrick Columbia, published last week on his always lively New York Social Diary web page. While exploring the lessons of philanthropy, Mr. Columbia provides us with an excellent mini-biopic of JDR (shown here with his son, Junior).

Here's a choice passage:

Someone once said that John D. Rockefeller was an old man at 18 and a young man at 80. At eighteen he wanted to become the richest man in the world. At eighty he wanted to do good works and live comfortably, enjoying the fruits of his labors. Philanthropy and self-discipline were the keys to his success with his ultimate goal.

Go here for the full story.

Frequent visitors to Historic Hudson Valley sites know the organization's museums of history are pretty cool, pretty historic, pretty educational, and just plain pretty, but there's a whole world out there who haven't visited yet. And while it's one thing for the folks at HHV to tout the value of a visit, it's quite another entirely to get a nod (several, in fact) from the style arbiters at Westchester Magazine.

The cover story of Westchester Mag's May issue, currently on newsstands, is entitled "56 Things every Westchesterite should do (at Least) Once." HVBlogger is proud to report that HHV stuff accounts for numbers 2, 6, 8, and 19 of those things. Not bad!

Number 2: "Read Washington Irving's Short Story"

Calling it "Westchester County's very own ghost story," writer Nancy L. Claus notes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a must read - simply watching Johnny Depp's movie doesn't cut it. Bonus points, she says, if you visit Sunnyside, the Historic Hudson Valley homestead of Washington Irving. Indeed!

Number 6: "Visit the Rockefeller Home"

Ms. Claus calls Kykuit "spectacular indoors and out." With its six-story stone mansion, modern art and sculpture, and elaborate terraced gardens, a visit to Kykuit can make you feel pretty, well, Rockefeller-like. "Even if your great granddaddy didn't start Standard Oil, you can still experience a taste of the über-good life by visiting Kykuit," says Ms. Claus. Conveniently, Kykuit opens for the season on Saturday. More conveniently, you can book a timed tour in advance online.

Number 8: "Admire Chagall Windows (and a Matisse, too!)"

Being the HVBlogger, I tend to find myself telling people about the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. And I find myself enjoying it when they are delightfully surprised to hear it contains stained glass windows by modern masters Henry Matisse and Marc Chagall. Westchester Mag was duly impressed, hence the Number 8 spot.

Number 19: "Visit the Great Pumpkin(s)"

BlazeBlogger is a little miffed this 4,000-pumpkin extravaganza wasn't Number 1 (though it is featured in the cover photo montage, as you can see), but he's a bit singular in his focus. He should take some comfort in Ms. Claus' high praise, indeed, for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze. "(M)an oh man, you're in for a treat this October...Wind your way along candlelit paths, while spooky music plays, and oooh and aaah over the cemetery of ghosts, the patch depicting dead musicians, even a replica of our very own Headless Horseman. Grab a kid (or your inner child, if you don't have one) and get crackin'! Reservations are necessary - and tickets sell out fast." She's not kidding about that. Blaze is an October thang, but watch this space for ticket info this summer.

Electronic bugs be gone: Kykuit tour tickets are once again available online. The Rockefeller estate opens for the season on May 10 with a new, streamlined tour menu - Classic, Grand, Kids, Timesaver, and one the Kykuit gurus like to call "Selected Highlights." Pretty much everything up on that hill is a highlight, so I'm not sure how they select them. Good topic for a future entry. I'll track down the responsible party and find out.

In the meantime, you can read all about the various tours here. Slots for opening weekend, which coincides with Mother's Day, are already filling up, so if treating mom to a Kykuit jaunt is in your plans, you may want to solidify them now.

What's up there, you ask? Way too much to get into in one blog entry, but, for starters, a six-story stone mansion, formal gardens, classical art, modern art, and the valley's best views of the Hudson.