Hudson River Museum
Encyclopedia
The Hudson River Museum, located in Trevor Park
in Yonkers, New York
, is the largest museum in Westchester County
. The Yonkers Museum, founded in 1919 at City Hall
, became the Hudson River Museum in 1948. While often seen as an art museum due to the extensive collection of works from the Hudson River school
, the museum also features exhibits on the history
, science
and heritage
of the region.
and was known also as the Yonkers Museum of Science and the Arts, prior to being named the Hudson River Museum. The museum used its namesake, the Hudson River
, as the core of its 75th anniversary celebration in 1994. Also central to its history is the Glenview Mansion, a National Register site built in 1877, once the home of one John Bond Trevor
, and the home of the museum for 45 years from 1929 now forms a large part of the Hudson River Museum. It contains six period rooms displaying furniture and decor from that era.
The museum is the home of the Andrus Planetarium, the only public planetarium in Westchester County. The museum first added a planetarium in 1969 to celebrate the beginning of the Space Age
and the increasing interest in space and that was just one part of the museum's expansion throughout the 1960s which included the construction of expanded and more modern facilities to house its collections. The planetarium and its laser shows are credited with driving the museum's 30% increase in attendance in the early 1990s due to the appeal of the shows to all ages.
The museum's diversity
is part of what led to its citation as one of the most unusual cultural facilities by the New York State Council on the Arts
in 1972. It has sought to maintain this diversity and relevance amidst changes in leadership and focus throughout its history. The diversity is also apparent in the museum's 23 acres (9.3 ha) site, on which a 2006 expansion attempted to better join the Glenview Mansion with the modern 1969 additions.
The museum experienced a resurgence in the 1990s due to new leadership, receipt of a number of grants and awards, and increased funding from Westchester County and was further able to expand in the in time for its 75th anniversary. The museum also saw its attendance almost double from 55,000 to 100,000 between 1990 and 1994. Unfortunately the late 1990s saw a downturn in funding due to increased cost of Medicaid
and the museum was again forced to face significant cutbacks. In the wake of these cutbacks, the museum began to host private events and offer tours as a means of increasing income.
Trevor Park
Joseph Trevor Park was a British lecturer and politician. He was a Labour Party Member of Parliament during Harold Wilson's government in the 1960s, a government which he regarded as unhelpful to the interests of Labour voters.-Teaching career:Park was born in Lancashire, the son of textile workers...
in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, is the largest museum in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. The Yonkers Museum, founded in 1919 at City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
, became the Hudson River Museum in 1948. While often seen as an art museum due to the extensive collection of works from the Hudson River school
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
, the museum also features exhibits on the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
of the region.
History
The museum was founded in 1919 as the Yonkers Museum and contained a number of mineral specimens housed in Yonkers City HallCity hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
and was known also as the Yonkers Museum of Science and the Arts, prior to being named the Hudson River Museum. The museum used its namesake, the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, as the core of its 75th anniversary celebration in 1994. Also central to its history is the Glenview Mansion, a National Register site built in 1877, once the home of one John Bond Trevor
John Bond Trevor
John Bond Trevor was an American financier and Wall Street pioneer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , he moved to New York City in 1849. In 1850 he became a member of the New York Stock Exchange and entered into brokerage with the firm of Carpenter, Van Dyke & Trevor. That venture was dissolved...
, and the home of the museum for 45 years from 1929 now forms a large part of the Hudson River Museum. It contains six period rooms displaying furniture and decor from that era.
The museum is the home of the Andrus Planetarium, the only public planetarium in Westchester County. The museum first added a planetarium in 1969 to celebrate the beginning of the Space Age
Space Age
The Space Age is a time period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events. The Space Age is generally considered to have begun with Sputnik...
and the increasing interest in space and that was just one part of the museum's expansion throughout the 1960s which included the construction of expanded and more modern facilities to house its collections. The planetarium and its laser shows are credited with driving the museum's 30% increase in attendance in the early 1990s due to the appeal of the shows to all ages.
The museum's diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
is part of what led to its citation as one of the most unusual cultural facilities by the New York State Council on the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell , with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961...
in 1972. It has sought to maintain this diversity and relevance amidst changes in leadership and focus throughout its history. The diversity is also apparent in the museum's 23 acres (9.3 ha) site, on which a 2006 expansion attempted to better join the Glenview Mansion with the modern 1969 additions.
Funding
As was the case with other museums, the late 1980s were a difficult time for the Hudson River Museum when it faced a decrease in funding, uncertainties in future funding and a high level of staff turnover, leading to some instability. The museum was forced to cut back on its operating hours, cut some plans for programming, but was still able to go ahead with the expansion of the planetarium.The museum experienced a resurgence in the 1990s due to new leadership, receipt of a number of grants and awards, and increased funding from Westchester County and was further able to expand in the in time for its 75th anniversary. The museum also saw its attendance almost double from 55,000 to 100,000 between 1990 and 1994. Unfortunately the late 1990s saw a downturn in funding due to increased cost of Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
and the museum was again forced to face significant cutbacks. In the wake of these cutbacks, the museum began to host private events and offer tours as a means of increasing income.