Victorian Splendor Comes to Glenview, the Hudson River Museum’s Historic Home, for the Holiday Season
YONKERS, NY, November 21, 2017 — This season, the six period rooms of Glenview, the Museum’s Gilded Age home on the National Register of Historic Places, will be decked out for the holidays in full Victorian splendor from November 24 through December 31, 2017. The Library, Parlor, Great Hall, Sitting Room, Dining Room, and the Billiard Room—will be hung with garlands, baubles, and trees in every room. Each room is defined by a specific color scheme—the parlor, for example, is characterized by teal, royal blue, and chartreuse hues that play off the stuffed peacock that sits by the mantelpiece. Conceived by designer Bob Pesce, and generously supported by Jan Adelson, the arrangements use a combination of traditional Victorian elements such as kissing balls, wreaths, and period toys from the collection, along with designs that boast a contemporary flair, such as a rainbow-colored tree in the Great Hall.
New this year, the Dining Room in Glenview will be decorated with a traditional Victorian Christmas table setting designed by interior designer Debra Blair. Blair’s display highlights the elaborate meals of the Gilded Age, and the dining room table will be set for a large holiday gathering. A seven-course meal—from appetizers to fruit, nuts, and cheese—will be accompanied by appropriate period utensils, large candlesticks, and a soup tureen. New Damask slipcovers are being fabricated for the dining room chairs. Completing the holiday party atmosphere, a display of cigars and brandy will be in the Library. Blair is a trustee of the Hudson River Museum and founder and principal of Debra Blair Design, which provides a full range of design services for both residential and commercial clients, including the executive offices of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette; the Adelson Galleries; and the new Members Reading Room at the New York Society Library. Blair has been invited to participate in numerous charitable events and designer show houses, including the Kips Bay Designer’s Show House in New York, 2002 and 2005.
In addition to these festive decorations, Darren Scala, owner of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, has partnered with local professional artists to create miniature holiday decor in Nybylwyck Hall, a 24-room dollhouse located in the Billiard Room of Glenview. His arrangement includes a della Robbia-inspired wreath, garland, and topiaries created by Scala with Sharon Harbison and Donald Morcone, which surround the front door. There is also a holiday feast underway in the kitchen and dining room with a cheese board by Sharon Harbison, and holiday desserts—plum pudding by The Petite Provision Co., pumpkin pie by Sara Smilnak, and three gingerbread houses by May Burnett. Additional embellishments are provided by Tiny Dwellings, Manuela Michieli of Mini Made in Italy, Jen Rothstein of DogMa Creations, Debbie Wood of RibbonWood Cottage, and miniaturist Cassie Leigh.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Friday, November 24, 12–5pm
Holiday Kickoff
Celebrate the day after Thanksgiving with activities for the whole family. Glenview, the Museum’s historic home is decorated for the holidays. Learn how to paint a wintry landscape and enjoy holiday-themed face painting with Junior Docents from 1–4pm; experience storytelling that reflects international holiday and winter traditions with April Armstrong at 1:30, 2, & 3:30pm; watch the premieres of two live Planetarium Shows: Holiday Sky Tonight at 2pm and Myths, Legends, and Travelers’ Tales at 3:30pm; and holiday sing along with Junior Docents at 4pm.
Saturday and Sunday, November 25, 26, 12–5pm
Holiday Kickoff Weekend
The fun continues all weekend with more activities and programs. On Saturday at 2pm, Walk & Talk with an Artist—Ann van Buren, Poet, will take you through Walks with Artists: The Hudson Valley and Beyond offering interpretations of select works from the perspective of her own practice. Plus Glenview tours at 1 & 3pm on “Mythmaking,” art activities in the Family Studio, two live Planetarium Shows: Holiday Sky Tonight at 2pm and Myths, Legends, and Travelers’ Tales at 3:30pm, and River Tours at 2pm on the Middle Hudson marshes.
Saturday, December 9, 3pm
A History of Miniatures
Darren Scala, owner of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in Cold Spring, New York, will outline the history of miniatures and demonstrate how our fixation on these tiny treasures has transcended time. Following the presentation, Scala will take the group on a private tour of Nybylwyck Hall, Mark O’Banks’ extraordinary dollhouse, that is decked out in small scale for the holidays.
Sunday, December 10, 1pm
See the Sounds: Interactive Radio Theater Workshop
Join Spring Training Productions for a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at how to create sound effects for radio plays. Help us set the mood for the Live Radio Play at 2 & 4pm, and make some noise in this fun and funny workshop.
Sunday, December 10, 2 & 4pm
Live Reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Spring Training Productions performs a live radio theater reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in the Great Hall of Glenview. Curmudgeons redeemed and goodwill restored in this retelling by four actors, a fiddler, and human-powered sound effects. Performance lasts 55 min.
Sat & Sun, 2pm, Nov 24–Dec 31
Holiday Planetarium Show
A special holiday-themed edition of The Sky Tonight in the Planetarium covers end-of-the-year astronomical events like the Winter Solstice, the lore of the holidays, and something special to look for at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
