The fence and gate outside the Pocantico Center campus in Tarrytown may seem daunting.
But the 216-acre former Rockefeller estate positions itself as an inclusive place for visitors whose interests range from the family’s storied past to contemporary arts and culture programming.
“When you pull up to the entrance you may not necessarily know you’re in the right place, so we would like to eliminate as many barriers to people feeling welcome,” newly minted Executive Director Meredith Sorin Horsford said recently. “Making the arts accessible is really important and ticket prices for our offerings are purposely kept low.”
Pocantico, purchased by John D. Rockefeller in the 1890s, is best known for Kykuit, the Beaux-Arts villa that was the family’s home, now a museum that hosts some 20,000 visitors each year.
“If you say the Pocantico Center to some folks, they might not necessarily know what that is, but they might know what Kykuit is,” Horsford said. “So, I think getting people to really understand that this is a whole campus that encompasses a lot of different functions that all relate to one singular mission.”
That mission, supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, is opening Pocantico’s wealth of cultural experiences to everyone.
That includes the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center, a modern gallery, studio and performance space offering an up-close look at the creative process. The DR Center, as it’s known, is set in John D. Rockefeller’s century-old orangerie, and its ornamental orange trees stand sentry in the doorway.
An imposing stone edifice between the DR Center and Kykuit known as the Coach Barn contains conference space as well as cavernous storage rooms for the Rockefellers’ collection of vintage cars, carriages and livery.
The Marcel Breuer House, designed by the modernist architect for a 1948 exhibition at MOMA, was purchased by the family and reassembled at Pocantico. Tours of the home’s art and furnishings are being held March 11.
The Tudor-style Abeyton Lodge, a sprawling “playhouse” where the Rockefellers relaxed, now hosts conferences in quarters that remain much as they were throughout the family’s ownership.
The campus’ wooded, rolling acreage is dotted with nearly 100 sculptures, and the serene Japanese Garden and teahouse sits on a hillside southwest of Kykuit.
In the DR Center and Coach Barn, Pocantico’s original architecture has been preserved and retrofitted to accommodate modern standards.
“I think it’s wonderful when the history connects with the present and that’s very much happening here right now,” Horsford said while standing beside a 19th century carriage in the Coach Barn.
Historic donation
Pocantico was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1979 and is operated by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in the family’s philanthropic tradition.
The RBF’s backing keeps event ticket prices low and provides conference space for approved charitable and educational purposes.
Horsford said RBF’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion would remain firm in the midst of the current political climate.
“I would say that the mission of the organization remains unchanged, and of course there’s a lot going on in the world right now, but nothing about the way that we feel and what we think is important has changed,” she said.
Although many programs regularly sell out, Horsford said there’s a sense that Pocantico isn’t widely known among the public at large.
“We want to focus on thinking about who our audience is for our public programs and thinking about who’s not on that list, who doesn’t know about us, and figuring out how we can reach those folks,” she said. “We already have connections with the local schools, with peer organizations, local arts organizations, but really thinking critically about who we’re serving and who we’re not serving.”
Pocantico’s annual free Community Day on May 17, which takes place indoors and outside the DR Center, is an ideal time to become acquainted with Pocantico. The open-house, all-ages format includes performances by the puppet theater Arm-of-the-Sea, as well as other family-friendly activities and free food.
The campus also hosts a summer performance series presenting dance, theater and music companies selected through the RBF’s Culpeper Arts & Culture grantmaking program. The 2025 lineup is expected to be announced in May.
Spring season highlights
Note: Visitors are generally required to register via the Pocantico website before arrival.
- March 11: Marcel Breuer house tours inside the architect’s iconic “country home for the commuter” explores its history and restoration.
- March 20: The Art of Drag, with performers from The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center.
- April 1: Misty Copeland presents Flower, her short ballet-on-film, with an opening live performance by the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company.
- April 26: Kykuit Open House, free tours of the Hudson Valley’s top cultural attraction before it opens for the season.
- May 17: Third annual free Community Day features hands-on art, STEAM, and garden activities; face painting; and more provided by the Pocantico Center and local partners.
- Through May 17: Free exhibit, Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church
The Pocantico Center
200 Lake Road
Tarrytown
