In 1913, John D. Rockefeller decided that he needed an escape from the heat and noise of New York City. So he bought 400 acres in the town of Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County, and had a 40 room mansion built. They named the mansion Kykuit, a Dutch word for “lookout’. Over the next 65 years the Rockefeller family lived there, expanding their holdings to 4000 acres. Nelson Rockefeller added an amazing collection of 20th century art to the estate.
After Nelson’s death in 1979 the entire estate was donated to the state of New York. Today it comprises the Rockefeller Preserve State Park, and the mansion was turned into a museum presenting the lives of the family, and the artwork they collected.
