Irvington, NY, May 17, 2016
The Village of Irvington, New York today launched the web-based IRVINGTON-HUDSON RIVER TIFFANY TRAIL (www.tiffanytrail.com). This electronic guide leads visitors to sites that are open to the public – from the Bronx to Irvington to Briarcliff Manor – displaying the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the celebrated artist and designer who flourished between 1880 and 1930. Tiffany had very close ties with Irvington, where he spent some of his youth. The village is especially proud of its Tiffany Reading Room at Village Hall, a unique space that displays the artist’s achievements in luminous lamps, glass mosaics and interior design. The new Tiffany Trail is funded by a competitive grant from the Hudson River Valley Greenway.
Irvington’s Deputy Mayor Constance M. Kehoe, who has been involved since 2009 with the Tiffany Reading Room, stated, “We’re delighted to announce this new website, and share Louis C. Tiffany’s genius with the wider public. Our Hudson River village nurtured Tiffany, and then a decade of local volunteer work went into restoring the Reading Room. Using this new tool, visitors will be able to plan ahead, know where to go, whom to call and what to see.”
Researching, exploring, selecting, photographing and writing about each site on the trail was overseen by journalist Larry Frascella. An Irvington resident himself, Mr. Frascella said, "The entire project was like a great treasure hunt. So many people had such deep knowledge of the Tiffany work in their possession. And it was just as interesting – and exciting – to meet people who did not know what they had in their midst at all!"
The IRVINGTON-HUDSON RIVER TIFFANY TRAIL takes the virtual visitor on a rich and colorful journey to many key sites in and beyond Irvington. The sites are chosen not only for the beauty and workmanship they contain but also for their resonant connection to the history of the region. The website contains glorious photographs of the work to be seen at each location, while including historical and aesthetic context. Contact numbers and viewing information are included for the sites, all of which provide public access.
In addition to examining the serene artistic décor of the Reading Room – one of only five complete Tiffany interiors outside of churches and synagogues – visitors to Irvington can investigate the Irvington Presbyterian Church, which Tiffany attended. The church’s 185 matching windows reach all the way up to the top of the bell tower. Each one is a Tiffany window.
The Lyndhurst mansion, walkable from Irvington on the Old Croton Aqueduct, contains a fascinating array of Tiffany work, including several windows and an entire cabinet of rare Tiffany glass objects. A visit here reveals the close ties among Tiffany, Irvington and the family of railroad magnate Jay Gould, the owners of Lyndhurst in Tiffany’s heyday.
The Gould Memorial Library, on the grounds of Bronx Community College, offers a chance to see Tiffany windows as part of a monumental Stanford White architectural design. Multiple stained glass windows can be seen at St. James Church in Fordham, at Briarcliff Congregational Church, and at Trinity Episcopal Church in Ossining. Tarrytown, Yonkers and Spuyten Duyvil also contain awe-inspiring work from Tiffany and his artisans, a group which included Agnes Northrup, one of the most famous of the "Tiffany Girls."
Mark Castiglione, Acting Executive Director, Hudson River Valley Greenway added, “This Hudson Valley area takes great pride in its affiliation with Tiffany--to which the creation of the Irvington-Hudson River Tiffany Trail attests. We hope you'll take advantage of this incredible journey through art and local history.”
On Sunday, June 19, as part of the “Celebrate Irvington” street festival and historic awareness day, the Tiffany Reading Room will be open with local docents available to answer questions. Visitors can also pass nearby other Tiffany sites and visit Lyndhurst that day, walking with a knowledgeable local guide via the Old Croton Aqueduct. Full information on “Celebrate Irvington” is available at www.irvingtonny.gov.
Contact person: Irvington Deputy Mayor Connie Kehoe, ckehoe@irvingtonny.gov
Irvington Village Hall, 85 Main Street, Irvington, NY 10533