Several unique and diverse homes can be found in the Hudson River Valley, from the Livingston family home in Clermont, to Lynhurst, a Gothic-style castle. Nestled among these eclectic homes is another called Olana House, whose original owner was famed Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church. From a distance it looks like some kind of Middle Eastern palace that brilliantly radiates uniqueness as it is located in the beautiful landscape of the Hudson River Valley. It was built in the latter part of the nineteenth century and is considered by many to be a fine example of the Aesthetic movement in America. While living on a small farm near what is known as Long Hill, Church purchased 18 acres of land with the intent of building a new home that would take advantage of expansive views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. He initially consulted Richard Morris Hunt on the design of his new house which would be a French chateau style building, but Hunt was never commissioned to proceed. Instead in 1867 Church took his family on an extended foreign trip to Europe and the Middle East. During his visit to places such as Jerusalem, Beirut, and Damascus, Church became avidly interested in the architecture he saw and learned more about the decorative traditions of Persian and Islamic architecture and art. Upon his return to the United States in 1869, Church with the desire to build his own Persian castle engaged a new architect Calvert Vaux, one of the designers of Central Park. Although Vaux had been enlisted as an architect, Olana House would have been primarily a creation of its owner. Olana's collection features several architectural sketches by both Vaux and Church and the final product resembles...half of paper......of Oriental, Indian and South American pieces which gave the room a decidedly eclectic and exotic feel and feel. The Church House has been called many things, from a Persian palace to a treasure house. It is certainly unique, whatever its name, it is a unique and special historical site. Thanks to the determination of Church's daughter-in-law to keep things the same and the quick action of some environmentalists and the state of New York, Olana is the same as it was more than a hundred years ago. This offers an exceptional opportunity to take a look back at a time long gone. In particular a look at the life of a famous artist who fell in love with the beauty of the Middle East and wanted to exploit the beauty of his home in the Hudson River Valley. The treasure house seems to be an apt description of one of Frederic Church's final creations.