At the Rockefellers’ Kykuit, Painterly Gardens and a Rosy Legacy
The story of the American industrial, philanthropic and political dynasty that began with John D. Rockefeller Sr. is an enduring and wide-ranging one. It includes subplots like the Standard Oil monopoly, Nelson Rockefeller’s stewardship as governor of New York and the family’s charitable giving in medical research and modern art.
More fleeting is the bloom of the painterly rose garden at Kykuit, the Rockefeller family’s estate in Pocantico Hills. Visitors come to the Classical Revival manor — whose name, which rhymes with high cut, is derived from the Dutch word for lookout — to hear about the Rockefellers and to see the elegance in which they lived.
While Kykuit’s expansive Italian-inspired gardens with French and English influences are gorgeous year-round, the blossoming roses make June one of the best times to visit...