All Over Albany

Yaddo is now a landmark. Officially.

A photo of the Yaddo estate sometime between 1900 and 1910, shortly after it was established as an artist retreat. Here's what it looks like now.

The US Department of the Interior has approved the designation of Yaddo as a National Historic Landmark, according to Kirsten Gillibrand's office.

The designation opens the way for Yaddo to seek new preservation funding for the artists retreat in Saratoga Springs. Also, the National Park Service provides designees with a plaque. And, you know, it's also pretty cool to be an official landmark.

Yaddo was founded in 1900 by Spencer and Katrina Trask. Its mission: "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment." The 400-acre estate on Union Ave has hosted a remarkable lineup of notable artists, who collectively have won 67 Pulitzer Prizes, 27 MacArthur Fellowships, 68 National Book Awards, 40 National Book Critics Circle Awards, 108 Rome Prizes, 52 Whiting Writers' Awards, and a Nobel Prize. Among the artists who have stayed there: Langston Hughes, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, and John Cheever.

Yaddo's gardens are open to public. The rest of the estate is closed to the public -- but it's very occasionally open to public tours. And if one comes along, it's worth checking out.

Earlier on AOA: Wandering through Yaddo

photo: Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection / Library of Congress via Wikipedia