Pakatakan Artists Colony Historic District is a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located at Arkville in

Delaware County, New York Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, ...

. The district contains 33 contributing buildings and two contributing structures built between 1886 and the 1960s. It consists of a small mountainside collection of studios and residences clustered about the original Pakatakan Lodge. It is an extremely well preserved collection of unusual Shingle Style and other wood frame seasonal buildings. ''See also:'' It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1989.

History

The name "Pakatakan" is the name of the mountain near the colony. It is believed to mean "meeting of the waters" from the

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **''Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

peoples. Arkville was one of the earliest settlements in the area, originating at the beginning of the 19th century. The 1870s were the beginning of tourism in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas cl ...

and hotels were built along the

Ulster and Delaware railroad The Ulster and Delaware Railroad (U&D) was a railroad located in the state of New York. It was often advertised as "The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains." At its greatest extent, the U&D extended from Kingston Point on the Hudson R ...

. In 1886, the first structure of the Pakatakan Artists Colony was built, the Hoffman House. The Hoffman House was initiated through

John Francis Murphy John Francis Murphy (December 11, 1853 – January 30, 1921) was an American Irish landscape painter. His style moved from poetic Tonalism to the innovative application of multiple layers of pigment, in order to create a sparse, brooding lands ...

's persuasion of local businessman Peter F. Hoffman to build a hotel to cater to artists. The artists who came to the Hoffman House included

Alexander Helwig Wyant Alexander Helwig Wyant (January 11, 1836November 29, 1892) was an American landscape painter. His early works belonged to the Hudson River School, with its direct pastoral narrative, but evolved into the more moody and shadowy Tonalism. After a s ...

, George Smillie,

Parker Mann Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado *Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Parker ...

(1852–1918) and

Edward Loyal Field Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

(1856–1914). These artists were associated with the

Catskill Mountain School Catskill may refer to the following in the U.S. state of New York: * Catskill (town), New York, in Greene County ** Catskill (village), New York, in the above town * Catskill Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River * Catskill Mountains ** Catskill P ...

of landscape artists whose distinct style was distinct from their predecessor,

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. The paintings typically depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, ...

Architecture

The original buildings were built between 1886 and 1930 and are primarily shingled or novelty styled with simile design and limited ornamentation. Common features include shingled sides, steeply pitched roofs, overhanging unboxed eaves, and brick fireplaces. They are incorporated harmoniously on the landscape. The studio buildings largely have large, multi-pane windows to provide views of the landscape and the interior space primarily devoted to a large, high-ceiling room.

Gallery

File:Pakatakan-21-Field Studio.jpg, Field Studio File:Pakatakan-03-Murphy Residence.jpg, Murphy Residence File:Pakatakan-04-Upper Studio.jpg, Upper Studio File:Pakatakan-27-Wyant Studio.jpg, Wyant Studio File:Pakatakan-30-Locke House.jpg, Locke House

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, New York Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Shingle Style architecture in New York (state) Historic districts in Delaware County, New York Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)