manitoga / the russel wright design center

This is clearly off the radar for many visitors to the Hudson River valley region. The home of designer Russel Wright is beautifully set alongside a dammed quarry in a wooded setting and the sound of the waterfall is audible wherever you are on the site. The designer's hand is evident in all the choices, large and small, made inside and outside the house and guesthouse/office. The whole feeling is very contemporary despite being a half-century old and reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in the ways it interacted with the setting. Definitely worth a stop for the design/architecture buff.

Russel Wright has long fascinated me, his design is fundamental to mid century America, and this site brings home what an original and interesting thinker he was. His house is set in the most beautiful piece of landscape with the building above the lake. There are similar houses that have derived from Wright's influence elsewhere but this is a particularly interesting site, one with much to offer to many visitors.

What a worthwhile stop! Certainly worth your time and money for an exciting close up to an important mid-century designer's vision, patience and perseverance--nothing like it! Staff was knowledgable and passionate--we loved it.

This was my 2nd visit in a month. The grounds, in the autumn sunshine , were glorious. Very peaceful but not for the incapacitated. I took the 1mile white blaze and found it difficult for an 80 year old, but well worth the effort. The house, itself, is a delight to tour.

This is must stop for anyone who likes Mid-Century Modern designs. We discovered many designs we were familiar with were done by Russell Wright. The grounds while looking completely natural are in fact totally designed by Russell Wright down to the placement of grasses and mosses. His house is an expression of all of his work and typifies in many ways the best in the Mid-Century design.The "Natural" Dragon pool and water fall are fabulous.

Lots of interesting information. Wonderful things to see.Great if you are interested in mid century design and architecture.

This is a beautiful place to visit. The house is absolutely incredible, a real work of art in and of itself. The trails are expansive and lead to even more beautiful places. Definitely worth a stop if you love nature and want to experience something truly unique.

A wonderful way to spend a day, or part of a day, in the Hudson Valley. A truly unique property carefully designed and created by Russell Wright, and now maintained by a dedicated non-profit organization. Tours, walking trails, beautiful sights and sounds and the occasional concert or other event. Worth a trip from afar to see and enjoy. Check out the website for lots more information.

This is an amazing experience for people that love great design and the beauty of nature. Russel Wright created such a wonderful place of inspiration!

The late Russel Wright, famed and innovative 20th century designer of tableware, furniture, and lamps, chose this 75 acre property on a steep hillside in Garrison, NY, which had old stone quarries, streams, granite boulders, and woods commingled. With his wife Mary, he designed and landscaped an idiosyncratic modern home as a showcase for his design philosophy and the latest in new materials in the immediate post WWII years. The style is a combination of modern and Japanese, with some Frank Lloyd Wright influence. The multilevel, flat-roof house with floor-to-ceiling windows is at the edge of one of the quarry walls, looking down and across a pond he created in the lower part of the quarry, redirecting a stream from high up the hill. The property is filled with trails he created that are open to the public; the house and its grounds may be visited only on a guided tour. Come prepared to walk steep, uneven stone steps around the quarry and even in the house. The scene is dramatic, sculptural. Hope for a sunny day; definnitely not a place to wander around in the rain. In snow it would be spectacular.

Fascinating and interesting is the guided tour of the home of the the designer, Russell Wright. It is less than an hours drive from Manhattan and was an enjoyable way to spend the fall afternoon. Check before you go because the guided tours are not given all the time and although there are hiking trails, it would be a waste to go there and not get to see the house.

Great place to see if you like architecture and design. Perched on the edge of a quarry, a unique house of the renowned industrial designed Russel Wright designed by David Levitt. Very interesting guided tour of the house and the studio of the designer. Very nice location with hiking trails abound. Austin Powers could have had parties in this house, it is a quintessential 50s-60s design. The house was really "lived in" and requires a lot of restoring but the design is very inspiring and representative of the era. In contrast to Frank Lloyd Wright's houses, where everything is done with relatively expensive and sturdy materials, this house is kind of a younger generation of the same ideas and is executed with plywood, melamine and similar materials which did not withstand the time and use very well. Loved every minute of the visit and recommend it highly.

By chance I found a brochure on Manitoga and being a huge fan of designer Russell Wright and his classic 50's dinnerware decided to take the tour of his home and property when on vacation in the Hudson Valley last week. As luck would have it, my partner and I ended up being the only two people purchasing tickets for the 1:30 tour and got a private guided adventure from our most knowledgeable tour guide Allen through the surrounding landscape and studio/home of Wright. Nestled in the wooded hills of Hudson valley on the site of an abandoned rock quarry , Wright reshaped the landscape to reflect his concepts in design within nature creating outdoor vignettes or "rooms" to captivate the visitor along pathways that he strategically planned. Definitely a worthwhile experience with some outdoor walking and a host of other trails also available on the property without a guide.

This was a very unusual place. The grounds are beautiful. Everything is very different and interesting. It's a great activity to do in Putnam county, especially if you live nearby. Never expected such an unusual local attraction!

Wright's home is well worth touring, such an inspirational sense of style with his unique home nestled into the quarry hillside and imbued with nature. Tiny visitor's entrance house not staffed except right before tour, when it's opened up for short film about Wright. Some walks on property are free and don't require tour tickets, but really need to do tour to see everything. Disappointingly small amount of his iconic dishes on display or for sale. Go see a much larger beautiful sampling at the current exhibition at the State Museum in Albany through December, with a different video to learn about Wright. Wright's daughter who lived on site will also do talk in November at State Museum, check out Manitoga website.