Manitoga was the estate and modernist home of industrial designer

Russel Wright Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of f ...

(1904–1976) and his wife

Mary Small Einstein Wright Mary Small Einstein Wright (December 13, 1904 – September 15, 1952) was an American designer, sculptor, author and businesswoman who worked to "shape modern American lifestyle". Wright and her husband Russel Wright co-founded the design busin ...

. It is located along

New York State Route 9D New York State Route 9D (NY 9D) is a north–south state highway in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the United States. It starts at the eastern end of the Bear Mountain Bridge at an intersection with U.S. Route 6 (US& ...

south of

Garrison, New York Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Garrison Metro-North Railroad ...

, a short distance north of the

Bear Mountain Bridge The Bear Mountain Bridge, ceremonially named the Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge, is a toll suspension bridge in New York State. It carries US 6 and US 202 across the Hudson River between Bear Mountain State Park in Orange Co ...

. Wright named his masterful synthesis of architecture and nature Manitoga after Algonquin words meaning "place of great spirit". Today, the home, studio and surrounding

woodland garden A woodland garden is a garden or section of a garden that includes large trees and is laid out so as to appear as more or less natural woodland, though it is often actually an artificial creation. Typically it includes plantings of flowering shru ...

, together known as Dragon Rock, uniquely convey Wright's enduring ideas about good design and living in harmony with nature. The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1996. In 2006 the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the m ...

designated it a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, the only one to date in Putnam County. Manitoga is a member of the National Trust's

Historic Artists' Homes and Studios Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program is a network of about 30 artists' homes and studios in the United States. The network of house museums is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Buildings *101 Spring Street, New York ...

program and a 2012 World Monuments Watch Site. It is one of the few modern homes open to the public in New York State.

History

Wright and his wife

acquired the property in 1942. The had been devastated by previous logging and

quarrying A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their e ...

, common in the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York state lying primarily in Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County on its west. They continue somewhat to the south in Westchester County and Rockland County ...

in the early 20th century. The couple designed the property with

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

in mind, a concept not widely applied at the time. In his reclamation efforts, Wright redirected a mountain stream and designed a multi-level

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

to transform an abandoned quarry pit into a swimming pond. In addition to trees, streams, boulders, moss and native plants, his woodland landscape design incorporated stone steps, terraces and bridges. Following Mary's death in 1952, Wright built his experimental home and studio directly into the rock ledge of the quarry. In an effort to blend in with Nature, the structures have

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainag ...

s, built-in elements and expansive walls of glass, offering dramatic views of the waterfall and surrounding landscape.

Access

Manitoga includes of walking trails that Wright designed, with numerous plantings. The trails connect with the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

alongside the neighboring ridge of Canada Hill in

Hudson Highlands State Park Hudson Highlands State Park is a non-contiguous state park in the U.S. state of New York, located on the east side of the Hudson River. The park runs from Peekskill in Westchester County, through Putnam County, to Beacon in Dutchess County, in ...

via the Osborne Loop. The outer trails are open to the public daily until sunset. Guided tours of the house and landscape are offered May through early November.

Gallery

File:Dragon Rock at Manitoga estate, house and studio of American designer, Russel Wright.jpg, Dragon Rock studio overlooking the quarry pond File:Manitoga 01.jpg, The house File:Manitoga 03.jpg, The pond File:Manitoga 02.jpg, The studio File:Russel Wright American Modern pottery.jpg, American Modern pottery in chartreuse File:Manitoga 05.jpg, Studio desk File:Manitoga 06.jpg, Dining room File:Manitoga 07.jpg, Kitchen

References

"Russel Wright and Modern America", by James Zemaitis, in ArtNet Magazine
- (''Accessed 8/29/2007'')

External links

Manitoga / The Russel Wright Design CenterRussel Wright Studios Home Page
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Museums in Putnam County, New York Historic house museums in New York (state) Gardens in New York (state) Biographical museums in New York (state) Protected areas of the Hudson Highlands Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Artists' studios in the United States Houses in Putnam County, New York Modernist architecture in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Putnam County, New York Woodland gardens

History

Access

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links