Authors of New Book Chronicling The Rockefeller Estate Will Speak on Sept. 16

Free Lecture at Kykuit Visitor Center in Sleepy Hollow

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY (Sept. 4, 2007) — Robert F. and Lee Baldwin Dalzell, authors of the newly published The House the Rockefellers Built: A Tale of Money, Taste, and Power in Twentieth-century America, (Henry Holt, 2007), will give a free lecture and book signing at the Kykuit Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow on Sunday, Sept. 16.

Published in August to rave reviews, their book chronicles the building and rebuilding of Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, in Pocantico Hills, New York, and the fascinating saga of its transition from private home to publicly accessible museum.

Positive reviews of the book have appeared in, among other publications, the Washington Post, which called it “interesting and informative,” and Bloomberg News, which called it “engaging” and a “fascinating study.”

In a recent Newsweek feature, Malcolm Jones writes, “Telling the story of Kykuit, the family estate north of New York City that was built and remodeled and endlessly fiddled with by three generations of Rockefellers, authors Robert F. Dalzell Jr. and Lee Baldwin Dalzell have told the story of a family through its house. Doing that, they have shed welcome light on the endlessly fascinating subject of Americans and wealth, or, more precisely, the uneasiness of Americans with wealth, even those who possess it.”

Mr. Dalzell is the Willmott Family Third Century Professor of American History at Williams College. Mrs. Dalzell was for many years the head of Research and Reference Services at the Williams College Sawyer Library. The two previously collaborated on George Washington’s Mount Vernon: At Home in Revolutionary America.

The Dalzells will speak at 1:30. Admission to the lecture and book signing is free. Lemonade and cookies will be served. Reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or calling 914-631-8200.  The Kykuit Visitor Center is at Philipsburg Manor, 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow, two miles north of the Tappan Zee Bridge. 

Kykuit, a National Trust site, is operated and maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as a center for its philanthropic programs. Historic Hudson Valley administers public programs. Tours are available six days a week and tickets can be purchased online at www.hudsonvalley.org