Olana is the historic mountaintop home of renowned Hudson River School landscape painter Frederic Church, located in Hudson, New York.
First Purchase: In 1860, Frederic Church bought an initial 126-acre hardscrabble farm on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.
Church viewed the entire landscape as a canvas, planting tens of thousands of native trees, digging a man-made lake, and building miles of scenic carriage roads.
Church and his wife Isabel traveled extensively through Europe and the Middle East (including Beirut, Jerusalem, and Petra) from 1867 to 1869. These travels heavily inspired the estate’s distinct architectural vision.
Upon returning from his travels, Church collaborated with architect Calvert Vaux to design a grand, eclectic villa blending Persian, Moorish, and Victorian styles. Construction took place between 1870 and 1872.
The Name Olana, came in 1879, inspired by books on ancient Middle Eastern geography given by his wife, Church named the property Olana—derived from a Middle Eastern fortress-treasure house mentioned in Strabo’s ancient Geography.
(Atribute; https://olana.org/history/the-house/)