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Lyndhurst Castle Seeks To Attract New Visitors

Published 12 years ago12y ago • Bookmarks: 49

August 2, 2012

When Rena Zurofsky was selected as interim director of Lyndhurst on April 1, her mission was clear: it was to lift the National Trust Historic Site from a deficit-running historical landmark property to a self-sustaining site reflecting almost 175 years of educational and social significance along the Hudson River. “This is what I do. My job is to find ways to attract funders and bring the public back, and to better utilize every asset we have,” she said.

While still an undergraduate at Clark University, Zurofsky became the assistant manager of the Worcester Art Museum in charge of sales and the rental gallery. That was the beginning of her career as a motivator for museums to reach the broadest possible public through creative management coupled with diligent financial overview. Upon graduation, she joined the staff of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. After earning her MBA degree from Columbia University, she entered the commercial world working for several top consumer corporations as a management and merchandising consultant.

Although very successful in these ventures, she returned to the museum scene by joining The Brooklyn Museum as vice director for marketing. There she sharpened her skills in working closely with curators and educators, creating a harmony of purpose that was to fuse the museum’s focus on art for art’s sake. She was able to sustain that objective financially with increased profits from the museum’s in-store merchandise, licensing, and publishing while also strengthening strategic planning. She addressed these concerns at the Newark Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation as well.

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At her new Lyndhurst position, revenue enhancement is the name of the game, and that’s the game Zurofsky plays. She treats museums as if they are large corporations, dealing with the same competitive stresses, problems and solutions.

Lyndhurst Castle Seeks To Attract New Visitors Lyndhurst, now under asset review, is a Hudson River Gothic Revival-style mansion, designed by the famous American architect, A.J.Davis in 1838. The castle, as it has been called, was home to former New York City Mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt, and the railroad baron/financier, Jay Gould. After Gould’s death in 1892, the property was left to his daughter, Helen, and after her death in 1938, it was left to her sister, Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord. It was later passed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961, after her death.

Located on 67 picturesque acres along the Hudson River in Tarrytown, the mansion space was doubled by Merritt, and renovations continued under Gould. The site contains 16 outlying buildings, including a massive Lord & Burnham steel-framed greenhouse, the oldest regulation bowling alley in the United States, plus an impressive carriage house and adjoining courtyard. The former living quarters also contains more than 4,000 original art pieces by Davis, Herter Brothers and Tiffany, as well as paintings by Bouguereau, Gerome, and Daubigny.

“Our intention is to re-evaluate the use or the under-use of all of our assets including the uses we allow for the inside of the mansion. And, we must search for new and creative ways to accelerate the building of attendance, develop more activities for our other venues, and to make major revenue enhancement an achievable goal,” Zurofsky said.

Previously, the mansion was the architectural centerpiece for the films “The House of Dark Shadows” (1970) and “Night of Dark Shadows” (1971). Recently, Lyndhurst was used for a History Channel film documentary about the men who built America, as Zurofsky noted, “Because it was correct to the time period and had many rooms that could be interpreted differently.” Although the program staff is still finalizing the coming 2012-2013 schedule, some community-oriented events have been announced:

*August 2 is the start of the free Thursday Sunset Jazz Concerts at Lyndhurst, presented by Lyndhurst and Jazz Forum Arts. They will continue on the 9th, 16th, and 23rd. The grounds open at 5 p.m. with music starting at 6:30. A $10 parking fee is charged. Those attending the concerts are encouraged to bring blankets or low-profile lawn chairs and a picnic supper (or purchase one in the Carriage House courtyard).

*On September 14, the 29th Annual Jeffrey Weiss Memorial Chamber Concert: Sounds of the Guilded Age, featuring music from Copland House, will be performed in the mansion’s Reception Room, using the historic piano. The 4 p.m. tour and 5:30 concert is $30. For the concert only, $20.

*Curriculum-based children’s school programs are available on weekdays. They include Children on the Hudson: Life 100 Years Ago (K-3), and the Industrial Revolution.

*Fall Crafts Fair scheduled for September 21, 22, and 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

*There is no charge to proceed through the gate for a stroll through the park-like grounds to enjoy the Rose Garden, the rock and fern gardens, and the specimen trees which include the aged lindens for which the property was named. The scenic view along the Hudson River Walk Trail is recommended, as well as a more spirited walk over the historic Old Croton Aqueduct which runs through the Lyndhurst property.

Of note, is the Lyndhurst partnership with Cornell University and New York State Master Gardener Volunteer Program. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s mission “is to enable people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put experience and research knowledge to work.”

Lyndhurst Castle Seeks To Attract New Visitors In summarizing her plans thus far, Zurofsky takes a deep breath and cautions, “There’s a lot of strategic planning, financial planning and creative management yet to be developed and put into place. But the important thing, right now, is to emphasize to the public that we are open, to come and explore the many educational and recreational opportunities going on now. Come for the first time, or re-visit Lyndhurst again for something you might have missed, or take part in new journeys.”