From the porch of the historic "Hopper House," one may imagine a tall, reserved boy looking down Nyack’s Second Avenue towards the Hudson River dotted with boats at work and at play.
At Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center house today, one may easily see much of what intrigued young Edward Hopper in the world around him and what became significant in his mature paintings and drawings. In any direction, the village of Nyack retains much of the scale and quality it had when Hopper was a youth. Permeating this locale is a quality of light that Hopper returned to throughout his long career as a painter.
Discover, through this walking tour, influences that helped shape this iconic American artist.
At Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center house today, one may easily see much of what intrigued young Edward Hopper in the world around him and what became significant in his mature paintings and drawings. In any direction, the village of Nyack retains much of the scale and quality it had when Hopper was a youth. Permeating this locale is a quality of light that Hopper returned to throughout his long career as a painter.
Discover, through this walking tour, influences that helped shape this iconic American artist.
We have also included interesting historical aspects here with illustrative photographs and notes, below, to help contextualize the time in which Edward Hopper lived in Nyack. The map markers appearing in RED may not be extant, nor open to the public, and are APPROXIMATELY located.
WALKING TOUR SITES 1-11
Homes spotlighted are NOT open to the public. Please respect our neighbors' privacy. Thank you!
1 82 N Broadway
Edward Hopper was born and grew up in this clapboard and shingle house. The Federal south wing was built in 1858 by Edward’s maternal grandfather, John Dewint Smith (1806–1871), a farmer in Orangetown, and Martha Griffiths Smith (1817-1892), a daughter of Baptist pastor Joseph W. Griffiths. (John Smith was from the family who once owned the the DeWint House in Tappan, NJ, where George Washington headquartered during the Revolutionary War.) The lot was among the ‘handsome building sites’ advertised in 1856-57 for $250 to $300 each on a newly subdivided 37-acre tract of land along the road to Hook Mountain and a block from the water’s edge.
In the year Edward was born (1882), his widowed grandmother (Martha) added onto the house to accommodate her expanding family which now included her only child Elizabeth (1854-1935), “Lizzie”’s spouse, Garret Henry Hopper (1852-1913; married 1879) their two-year old daughter Marion (1880-1966), and infant son, Edward.
The Victorian north wing added a parlor and kitchen (completed by 1883/84) on the ground floor, and a second story (begun 1886?) with a bathroom, large bedroom, and smaller space likely for a housemaid. The addition’s façade updated the original Greek Revival house, with modest yet fashionable Queen Ann style details of a front gable, shingles, and bay windows.
The house’s location afforded “the would-be artist”—as Edward inscribed on his childhood pencil box—a vantage point to observe and sketch. Set at the T-junction of North Broadway and Second Avenue, the house’s porch and windows offered a direct view of the Hudson River with its bustling traffic. Inside the house, shafts of southern light throughout the day streamed in the windows enlivening the living room, parlor, and Edward’s bedroom.
The Victorian north wing added a parlor and kitchen (completed by 1883/84) on the ground floor, and a second story (begun 1886?) with a bathroom, large bedroom, and smaller space likely for a housemaid. The addition’s façade updated the original Greek Revival house, with modest yet fashionable Queen Ann style details of a front gable, shingles, and bay windows.
The house’s location afforded “the would-be artist”—as Edward inscribed on his childhood pencil box—a vantage point to observe and sketch. Set at the T-junction of North Broadway and Second Avenue, the house’s porch and windows offered a direct view of the Hudson River with its bustling traffic. Inside the house, shafts of southern light throughout the day streamed in the windows enlivening the living room, parlor, and Edward’s bedroom.
Edward's sister Marion lived in the family home throughout her lifetime; Edward and wife Josephine would often return to Nyack even though Edward resided after 1913 at 3 Washington Square North in New York City.
Marion died in 1965, Edward in 1967, and Josephine passed away in 1968. They are buried in a family plot at Nyack's Oak Hill Cemetery. After Hopper’s death, the house fell into disrepair. In 1971, Edward Hopper’s birthplace and family home was saved from demolition and founded as a nonprofit organization by people in the community who were devoted to preserving Hopper’s home and legacy in Nyack.
Marion died in 1965, Edward in 1967, and Josephine passed away in 1968. They are buried in a family plot at Nyack's Oak Hill Cemetery. After Hopper’s death, the house fell into disrepair. In 1971, Edward Hopper’s birthplace and family home was saved from demolition and founded as a nonprofit organization by people in the community who were devoted to preserving Hopper’s home and legacy in Nyack.
2 Miss Dickey's School
- 36 Marion Street
Hopper siblings Edward and Marion received their early education inside this circa 1867 house. While both children had moved on to the local Liberty Street school by the early 1890s, Marion would still stop by and help Miss Dickey. In a letter dating from 1890, Marion’s friend Clarissa Ball writes that she “hopes everything is going well over at Miss Dickey’s.” In addition to providing childcare and education to neighborhood families, the Dickeys were a prominent ship-building, banking, and political family in Nyack (see site 8: “Hopper’s Friends”).
3 First Baptist Church
- 140 N Broadway
Romanesque in style with an unusually tall spire, this church housed the first Baptist congregation organized in Nyack, founded in 1854 by Edward’s great grandfather, Rev. Joseph W. Griffiths. In 1858, the year the “Hopper House” was built, Griffiths helped raise the $3,000 needed to erect, a few blocks north, Nyack’s first church building. Edward's mother Lizzie served on its women’s auxiliary and with the local Temperance Society, while her husband was a church trustee. Edward and Marion's Christian education was through the Nyack Baptist Sunday School, where Garret was assistant superintendent.
4 Pretty Penny
- 235 N Broadway
This 1850s Italianate style house, built by Eli Gurnee, was the home of the “First Lady of American Theatre” Helen Hays and her husband, playwright and screen-writer Charles MacArthur. They named the house Pretty Penny because, as they said, ‘that’s what it cost.’ Painted in 1939, it was the only commission Hopper accepted and he did so begrudgingly. Over the years, famous people have owned the home and more have been entertained here, among them Laurence Olivier, F Scott Fitzgerald, Katherine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Ed Sullivan, Rosie O’Donnell, Russel Crowe, and Madonna.
5 Seven A.M.
- 318 N Broadway
This building was built 1884/1885. The Hopper’s family butcher once had a store here, and the building inspired Hopper’s oil painting Seven AM, painted in 1948 when Hopper was in his sixties. Responding to the painting’s mysterious quality, Jo quipped that the storefront may have been a “blind pig”- slang for a blue collar speakeasy.
Local historian Winston C. Perry, Jr, gives more detail about this location: "My grandfather (Harry H. Perry) was storekeeper in this building in the 1890s. It also served as post office: just a set of cubby-holes on the counter. The merchandise was displayed on 2 floors - first and second floors. He went bankrupt after a few years. I guess maybe it was a little too ambitious a business for this little neighborhood." Courtesy "A Walk with Win Perry," Nyack Library Local History Collection.
Local historian Winston C. Perry, Jr, gives more detail about this location: "My grandfather (Harry H. Perry) was storekeeper in this building in the 1890s. It also served as post office: just a set of cubby-holes on the counter. The merchandise was displayed on 2 floors - first and second floors. He went bankrupt after a few years. I guess maybe it was a little too ambitious a business for this little neighborhood." Courtesy "A Walk with Win Perry," Nyack Library Local History Collection.
6 The Lee SHore
- 1 Laveta Place
The last home on the south side of the street has a turret and veranda similar to those seen in Hopper’s 1941 oil painting, The Lee Shore. It was build around the time Hopper was a teenager. Hopper may have studied and drawn the house while working on sketches of the nearby “Pretty Penny” house two years earlier. The title of the painting may also be a reference to a chapter from Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” a meaningful book to Hopper.
7 Hook Mountain
- as seen from the Corner of Ackerman Place and Gedney Street
Please note: the parking lot is reserved for apartment residents only. Please do not park in the parking lot.
Looking north, you see 728-ft high Hook Mountain. With artist materials in hand, Edward took regular walks and went on long bike rides along rural roads and trails that ringed Nyack and led to Hook Mountain, the rocky promontory that looks over the lower Hudson’s Tappan Zee.
Early Dutch sailors who found themselves either becalmed or experiencing sudden storms at the river bend called the area a "tedious angle" (verdrietege hoek), and “Hoek” was anglicized as Hook.
During Hopper’s boyhood, Hook Mountain was the site of a large-scale trap rock mining quarry. Stone was dynamited from the mountain face, crushed, and shipped on large barges to help build New York City roads, buildings, and train tracks. The quarry can be clearly seen in Hopper’s watercolor as a light brown swath in the middle. Hopper has accurately included some of the quarry-operation's details: buildings that crushed the rock can be seen part way up the rock face. A loading dock stretches out into the river. To the left of the dock is the power station for the quarry. This building remains, it was made over into a bathhouse in the 1930s. The quarry was acquired and preserved by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in 1908 to become Hook Mountain and Nyack Beach State Parks.
Hook Mountain is now a a National Natural Landmark with walking trails, hawk-watching, and stunning views.
Looking north, you see 728-ft high Hook Mountain. With artist materials in hand, Edward took regular walks and went on long bike rides along rural roads and trails that ringed Nyack and led to Hook Mountain, the rocky promontory that looks over the lower Hudson’s Tappan Zee.
Early Dutch sailors who found themselves either becalmed or experiencing sudden storms at the river bend called the area a "tedious angle" (verdrietege hoek), and “Hoek” was anglicized as Hook.
During Hopper’s boyhood, Hook Mountain was the site of a large-scale trap rock mining quarry. Stone was dynamited from the mountain face, crushed, and shipped on large barges to help build New York City roads, buildings, and train tracks. The quarry can be clearly seen in Hopper’s watercolor as a light brown swath in the middle. Hopper has accurately included some of the quarry-operation's details: buildings that crushed the rock can be seen part way up the rock face. A loading dock stretches out into the river. To the left of the dock is the power station for the quarry. This building remains, it was made over into a bathhouse in the 1930s. The quarry was acquired and preserved by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in 1908 to become Hook Mountain and Nyack Beach State Parks.
Hook Mountain is now a a National Natural Landmark with walking trails, hawk-watching, and stunning views.
At the foot of this hill along the shoreline were many shipyards where young Edward spent much of his free time watching boats sail across the Tappan Zee.
BWC: Byron W. Church's Boatyard
SSY: Smith's Ship yard
J. E. Smith's Ship Yard appears on the June 1887 "Sanborn" map (a copy of which is located in Edward Hopper's Bedroom at Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center). This shipyard no longer exists; where it was located large apartment buildings now sit.
8 Little Boy Looking at the Sea
- NEAR 59 Gedney St
The charming building at 59 Gedney Street existed when Hopper was a 5-year-old in 1887; in 1914, the Nyack Boat Club bought the site (with an orchard on its south side) for its clubhouse.
Hopper said once in an interview (Arlene Jacobowitz, Brooklyn Museum, 1966), “I thought at one time I’d like to be a naval architect because I am interested in boats, but I got to be a painter instead.”
Hopper grew into a mature artist who painted not only on the shores of the Hudson in Nyack, but also on the banks of the Seine in Paris, and on the sandy ocean beaches of Maine and Massachusetts.
Hopper said once in an interview (Arlene Jacobowitz, Brooklyn Museum, 1966), “I thought at one time I’d like to be a naval architect because I am interested in boats, but I got to be a painter instead.”
Hopper grew into a mature artist who painted not only on the shores of the Hudson in Nyack, but also on the banks of the Seine in Paris, and on the sandy ocean beaches of Maine and Massachusetts.

(1880?) Six boys and seven men men pose in front of a boat that they are building in Upper Nyack. Another man sits on top. A few letters, UTOR, can be seen on the right side, above the two propellers. The main part of the boat is sheathed in polished wood; the upper deck has many windows. Photo by Frank Brush. Courtesy Winston C. Perry, Jr. Collection, Nyack Library.
9 Hopper's "FIRST" Friends
- on FIRST Avenue
NOTE: These are private residences and are not open to the public. Please respect our neighbors' privacy.
The Hopper's house was one of many residences being built which created a new neighborhood within the village of Nyack. The homes on First Avenue were built around the same time as Hopper’s house. Some of Edward's friends lived nearby on First Avenue. Many of the houses along First to Third avenues appear the same as they did when Hopper was a youth.
The house at #16 First Avenue was built circa 1850 by William Dickey (see site 1: “Miss Dickey’s School”). #8 was built by the Burr family who owned a shoe factory, #12, an Italianate-style house, was built by Dr. Davison, and #16 was built in a carpenter gothic style by the Dickey family who later moved to Marion Street.
#8, #12, and #16 appear much as they did when teenage Hopper visited friends at #16 and #24.
The Hopper's house was one of many residences being built which created a new neighborhood within the village of Nyack. The homes on First Avenue were built around the same time as Hopper’s house. Some of Edward's friends lived nearby on First Avenue. Many of the houses along First to Third avenues appear the same as they did when Hopper was a youth.
The house at #16 First Avenue was built circa 1850 by William Dickey (see site 1: “Miss Dickey’s School”). #8 was built by the Burr family who owned a shoe factory, #12, an Italianate-style house, was built by Dr. Davison, and #16 was built in a carpenter gothic style by the Dickey family who later moved to Marion Street.
#8, #12, and #16 appear much as they did when teenage Hopper visited friends at #16 and #24.
10 G. H. Hopper'S Dry Goods Store
- 10 S Broadway
At the time of Hopper’s birth, Nyack’s economy was evolving from traditional local manufacturing and maritime businesses towards a new commercial economy tied more closely by the railroad to metropolitan New York and to seasonal tourism and recreation.
Edward’s father, Garret Henry Hopper, owned a dry goods emporium located at 10 South Broadway in the “Commercial Building” from 1890-1906 (now Grace’s Thrift Shop; while the 4-story original Commercial Building is now gone, the adjoining 8 South Broadway "Everett Hotel" is still intact).
Garret started his operation by buying out Morris & Minnerly in 1890, then William O. Blauvelt in 1892, and ran his retail operation until retirement in 1906.
Mr. Hopper's Dry Goods Establishment In Fine Condition. (Rockland County Journal, 9 March 1895)
“Mr G.H. Hopper has just completed extensive alterations and improvements in his dry goods establishment, on Broadway, and the store is now more attractive than ever before. Painting and decorating have been done on a large scale, new fixtures have been added, and a number of notable changes made. The store is bright and cheerful looking in its new dress, and expressions of admiration are heard on every hand. New goods are being received daily, and Mr. Hopper is fully prepared for the Spring trade. Drop in and take a look at the popular establishment.”
While Edward was a teenager attending high school in Nyack, Edward also worked at the store selling flannel, muslin, blankets, men’s shirts, ladies’ vests, corsets, and socks.
Edward’s father, Garret Henry Hopper, owned a dry goods emporium located at 10 South Broadway in the “Commercial Building” from 1890-1906 (now Grace’s Thrift Shop; while the 4-story original Commercial Building is now gone, the adjoining 8 South Broadway "Everett Hotel" is still intact).
Garret started his operation by buying out Morris & Minnerly in 1890, then William O. Blauvelt in 1892, and ran his retail operation until retirement in 1906.
Mr. Hopper's Dry Goods Establishment In Fine Condition. (Rockland County Journal, 9 March 1895)
“Mr G.H. Hopper has just completed extensive alterations and improvements in his dry goods establishment, on Broadway, and the store is now more attractive than ever before. Painting and decorating have been done on a large scale, new fixtures have been added, and a number of notable changes made. The store is bright and cheerful looking in its new dress, and expressions of admiration are heard on every hand. New goods are being received daily, and Mr. Hopper is fully prepared for the Spring trade. Drop in and take a look at the popular establishment.”
While Edward was a teenager attending high school in Nyack, Edward also worked at the store selling flannel, muslin, blankets, men’s shirts, ladies’ vests, corsets, and socks.
11 Oak Hill Cemetery
- 140 N Highland Avenue
The Rev. Arthayer Sanborn, minister of the local Baptist church, presided at Edward Hopper’s funeral at Jo’s request. He cared for parishioner Marion and for Edward & Josephine in their waning years, The funeral was invitation only and Jo chose the few who attended. Marion (d. 1965), Edward (d. 1967), and Josephine (d. 1968), are buried in a family plot overlooking the Tappan Zee. Local luminaries Helen Hayes and Charles Prevost MacArthur, assemblage artist Joseph Cornell (whose sister fondly remembers the Nyack art classes Edward taught) and Carson McCullers (author of “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” 1940) are also buried in Nyack's Oak Hill Cemetery.
TURN OF THE CENTURY NYACK
The sites contained in this section may not be extant. We have pointed to interesting historical aspects here with illustrative photographs and notes to help contextualize the time in which Edward Hopper lived in Nyack. These sites appear on the "Discover Edward Hopper's Nyack" Google map in RED, and are located approximately. Please respect our neighbors' privacy.
Hopper’s key Nyack years extend from the late 1880s to 1899, when he graduated from Nyack’s high school. He then began commuting from his family home to New York City to attend school for illustration, then fine art with Robert Henri. In 1908, he relocated to New York to pursue his career.
When the 1858 Hopper residence was built, the village hosted makers of shoes, hats, and agrarian markets; foundries alongside farmers and boat builders. By Edward’s birth, Nyack’s thriving economy brought with it the typical turn-of-the century low-rise brick buildings with storefronts on street level and walkup apartments.
Hopper regularly walked and cycled the corridors of Broadway and Main streets. Here, he headed to school, attended church with family, shopped with his mother, helped at his father’s dry goods store, exercised at the Y.M.C.A., and caught the ferry or train for New York City.
While traversing the village hub as a youngster, Hopper investigated and rendered his surroundings. His early drawings make clear an emerging attraction to themes of storefronts, lone workers and figures, and interiors. Others reveal a fascination with the dynamics of fire engines, steam powered locomotives, and horse-drawn vehicles of his day.
While traversing the village hub as a youngster, Hopper investigated and rendered his surroundings. His early drawings make clear an emerging attraction to themes of storefronts, lone workers and figures, and interiors. Others reveal a fascination with the dynamics of fire engines, steam powered locomotives, and horse-drawn vehicles of his day.
Neighborhood NOTES
In 1887 streetlamps and utility poles carrying new technology of electrical and telephone service shot up across the town. By 1900, the Hopper family’s house was now nestled in a mixed residential-commercial area (as the village hub of Nyack remains today) with a piano and organ factory across the street and seasonal hotels at the river’s edge which accompanied the nearby docks and boat yards.
TOF: ORGAN FACTORY
From the 1893 to 1904, Francis John Newton Tallman operated his pipe organ factory across the street (on the NE corner) from Hopper's home. F. J. N. inherited the business from his father, John Tallman, who began building pianos in Nyack in 1832. Mr. Tallman was secretary of the Nyack Board of Education in 1902 (Edward Hopper had completed high school in 1899).
Tallman was a famous organ builder and the inventor of the tracker organ. In 1893, Tallman & Co. built a "Tallman Tracker Organ" for the sanctuary of the Hopper's church (#3). (The organ was given to Chautauqua Institution's Hall of Christ in 2000.)
The organ was #34 of the 50 organs that F. J. N. Tallman built. The larger pipes were held up by hand-carved bowls on either side of the console, and the wood carving was done by Katherine Morse, an artist and long-time member of the First Baptist Church. Katherine's husband, George F. Morse, was the church organist for a time and was the Sunday school superintendent from 1878 until 1904 (this was while Edward and Marion attended Sunday School).
Tallman was a famous organ builder and the inventor of the tracker organ. In 1893, Tallman & Co. built a "Tallman Tracker Organ" for the sanctuary of the Hopper's church (#3). (The organ was given to Chautauqua Institution's Hall of Christ in 2000.)
The organ was #34 of the 50 organs that F. J. N. Tallman built. The larger pipes were held up by hand-carved bowls on either side of the console, and the wood carving was done by Katherine Morse, an artist and long-time member of the First Baptist Church. Katherine's husband, George F. Morse, was the church organist for a time and was the Sunday school superintendent from 1878 until 1904 (this was while Edward and Marion attended Sunday School).
MORE THAN JUST 'PRETTY PENNY'
Not only was "Pretty Penny" (235 North Broadway) a beautiful home in Edward Hopper's neighborhood, but also along North Broadway were many particular Victorian homes with bargeboards, brackets, gingerbread, cupolas, towers, and wraparound porches. Further north were many estates built by wealthy Nyackers.
LV: Victorian residences line the east side of North Broadway, where La Veta Place cuts down to the river. (Photo may be likely taken from between 188-198 North Broadway.)

Circa 1900, East side of N Broadway, and LaVeta Place. Nyack has electrical power and sidewalks, but Broadway is still a dirt avenue. This photograph is on a cardboard displayed in the Ackerman & Dutcher shop, showing customers photographs that were for sale. Advertisements on the back of the cardboard are for J. N. Wesel, Painter and Decorator - and there is a picture of the store; Nyack Steam Laundry; and Collins Brothers, Fresh Fish, Oysters, and Clams. These were Nyack businesses. Courtesy Ackerman and Dutcher, Nyack Library.
NB: A lofty view looking south (from perhaps 309 N. Broadway) where 301 N. Broadway appears prominently with its 2-story octagonal unit. The house with the pointed tower may be the north neighbor of Pretty Penny (235).
HEADING TOWARD Hook Mountain
EVH: Ellen & Van Houten Streets
OSC: Old Stone Church
CG: Crumbie's Glen
OSC: Old Stone Church
CG: Crumbie's Glen
SHIPYARDS & SHORELINE
BSD: Burd Street DOCK

A frozen Hudson River enabled the photographer to take this scene showing the ferry house at the foot of Burd Street with the ferry "Rockland" and freight boat "Raleigh" tied up for winter. Up the hill can be seen the Commercial Building, then four stories high. At the right is the Ofeldt factory. On the left is the Nyack Rowing Association building. In the Nyack Business clippings file is a note about this picture: "This is a picture of Nyack, NY, taken from the frozen Hudson River in 1895." The picture has also been dated 1925. Another note identifies a great-great grandson of F. W. Ofeldt: Ronald E. Ofeldt, Monroe, NY 10950. An additional comment was "This is when Hudson River really froze over." Courtesy Bob Goldberg / David Croll, Nyack Library.

A pleasure craft and a barge are tied up at the foot of Burd Street in Nyack, circa 1900. The dock was the property of the North River Steam Ship Company. The sloop was the "Spray," in which Joshua Slocum sailed alone around the world. The letters PRAY are visible. On the sepia copy historian Virginia Parkhurst has written: "Old Raleigh [Ferry] dock at foot of Burd Street - Lighthouse Boutique stood there - Raleigh was a freight boat that ran daily excepting Sundays and holidays - identified by Kenneth Mooney."
Courtesy of Zabriskie Collection, Nyack Library.
NRC: NYACK ROWING CLUB
TURN OF THE CENTURY TRANSPORT
Hopper took routes to view the flow of well-dressed visitors disembarking from steamboats and yachts or arriving by carriage from the railroad station. Such comings and goings were likely entertainment for the artist who was developing an eye for water and sky, costume and bearing, and his hallmark voyeurism.
TRAINS
NTS: The Nyack Station was sited just north of the T-junction of Elysian Ave and South Franklin Street. Here the the tracks came to an end, and there was a turn-table to reverse the engines. The railyard is now home to Nyack's Community Garden (who have a nice article about the history of the property).
SNT: The South Nyack station (Mansfield Avenue & probably South Broadway) was demolished when the NYS Thruway was built. The "Old Erie Path" and "Raymond G. Esposito Trail" is now a rail trail where the Northern Railroad of New Jersey tracks used to be.
Ferries, Coaches, Cars
To travel between New York City and Nyack, Hopper could have taken a ferry across the Hudson River. There were nearby ferries from Piermont to Irvington, and Sneden's Landing to Dobb's Ferry, as well as many ferries to New York City from Hoboken and Jersey City. The "Tappan Zee" Bridge (now the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, constructed 2017) was established in 1955; the George Washington Bridge was erected in 1931.
NRSC: North River Steamboat Co.

This advertising flyer appeared in the 1899 Nyack Hospital "Kirmess" program. The Kirmess was a fundraiser for the hospital. The handbill described three ferry boats: The "Chrystenah" sailed to Yonkers, Tarrytown, Nyack, Rockland Lake, Haverstraw, Grassy Point, Verplanks, and Peekskill daily except Sunday, from West 10th Street and West 22nd Street, New York City. The freight boat "Raleigh" sailed daily to Hasting, Dobbs Ferry, Nyack and Haverstraw. The Nyack and Tarrytown ferry "Rockland" made ten trips daily, including Sundays, and could be chartered for evening excursions. All were owned by the North River Steamboat Company. Courtesy Nyack Library.
TLH: Tarrytown Lighthouse
"S.T.E.A.M." in the Twentieth Century
OFD: The Ofeldt family were builders of launches (sloops/boats), boilers, and (steam-powered) automobiles (which ran at 10 mph) in the early part of the twentieth century.
A Thorough Education
The education Edward received was undergoing rapid changes across America. Nyack had free public schools since 1859. By 1876, the village of 3,800 offered robust choices for public and private primary, secondary, professional, and finishing schools.
RFI: Rockland Female Institute
Edward's mother, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Griffiths Hopper was educated at Rockland Female Institute (est. 1856) in South Nyack. It was located in South Nyack between Piermont Avenue and the Hudson River, near what are now Mansfield and Cornelison Avenues.
The Institute, modeled after Mount Holyoke, lasted until 1899. During the summers from the 1870's to 1907, the facility was a prestigious and elegant summer resort, the Tappan Zee Inn. From 1899 until 1907, the Wilson Military Academy( a prep school for male youths, later called the Hudson River Military Academy) occupied the building. The Nyack Club, later named the River Club, used the building until 1929. Vacant for three years, building was destroyed by fire in 1932 and subsequently demolished.
The Institute, modeled after Mount Holyoke, lasted until 1899. During the summers from the 1870's to 1907, the facility was a prestigious and elegant summer resort, the Tappan Zee Inn. From 1899 until 1907, the Wilson Military Academy( a prep school for male youths, later called the Hudson River Military Academy) occupied the building. The Nyack Club, later named the River Club, used the building until 1929. Vacant for three years, building was destroyed by fire in 1932 and subsequently demolished.
LSS: Liberty Street School
- DePew Avenue & Liberty Street
After attending Miss Dickey’s School for girls and young boys located a block from home, the Hopper siblings moved to the Nyack public schools for elementary through twelfth grade. In 1887, the principal John Demarest directed his professionally trained teachers to demonstrate “a love for the work, a power to interest.’’ In 1891, drawing was taught to every class in the school. Newspapers reported, “Miss Minnie Alburtus, one of the most competent and finished artists in the place, has been engaged to look after this department, and she spends two days each week in the school.”
Likewise, Edward was diligent, engaged, and studious. His artistic talent was noticed in grade school and his notebooks, filled with detailed illustrations and impeccable penmanship, further attest to his skill. In 1899 he earned honors for drawing and plane geometry in his New York State Regents exams. For his high school Class of 1899, he was the artist of its graduation newspaper and on a committee appointed to select pins, colors and a motto for the ceremony.
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SHU: Nyack's Shoe Factories (R.E. King)
The 1890 map of Nyack shows numerous manufacturers of shoes. In this picture of R. E. King's shoe factory, children are photographed alongside coworking adults. At the turn of the century, not every child was obliged to attend school. Some were still employed by factories.
LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Hopper’s generation of middle-class youth was among the first to embrace a phase of life called ‘adolescence’ as twelve- to fifteen-year-old children (except from lower-class families) were beginning to move away from being part of the labor force. By 1900, states varied considerably in whether they had child labor standards and in their content and degree of enforcement (The University of Iowa Labor Center).* The public high school, now with athletics, music, and other extracurriculars, made Hopper’s peer group socially visible as a specific ‘generation’ in the community. During adolescence, Hopper was drawn to the leisure and social world of summertime.
“Child Labor in U.S. History.” The University of Iowa Labor Center, 27 December 2022, https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/special-projects/child-labor-public-education-project/about-child-labor/child-labor-us-history.
CYCLING
In addition to long walks, Edward was an enthusiast of cycling - an activity in which females could now also fully engage. With artist materials in hand, Edward took regular treks along rural roads and trails that ringed Nyack and led to Hook Mountain, the rocky promontory that looks over the lower Hudson’s Tappan Zee.
Nyack still boasts a thriving cycling culture, as 9W remains a picturesque route through the lower Hudson Valley.
Nyack still boasts a thriving cycling culture, as 9W remains a picturesque route through the lower Hudson Valley.
RBW: Rockland Bicycle Works was in a one-story building at 137 Main Street (where M&T Bank is now located).
BoyHOOD BOATS
Hopper was fascinated by the maritime world and enjoyed watching local yachts get fitted for the season on shore just below his house. Together with his friends Harry MacArthur and Louis Blauvelt, they made up a “secret association” (1896-1898) called the “Three Commodores” which revolved around sailing and other boat related activities complete with official insignia flags, meetings, minutes and club rules.
While a teen, he kept a rowing machine and tethered punching bag along with an easel in the attic. In this loft, Hopper attempted to build a full-sized cat boat, which, once on the water, displayed leaks.
Y: Y.M.C.A.
- Main Street
Hopper had access to the Y.M.C.A. as his father was a board director. Local activist, artist and writer Bill Batson notes in Nyack News and Views that "a boys’ division and a Women’s Auxiliary were formed in 1890." In 1890, the Y.M.C.A. was located on Main Street near Broadway; the current Y.M.C.A. building at 35 South Broadway was built in 1927.

Main Street 1911, looking towards the Hudson River. A sign for Horton's Ice Cream is set on the sidewalk near Harrison and Dalley's Department Store (burned 1915, and replaced by W. Woolworth Co.). Across the street is the YMCA (its original location; the original building is no longer extant) and Hill & Hubbell Paints at 93 Main Street. Courtesy Nyack Library
StayING Cool
ICE: While electrical poles may have distributed current to the neighborhoods, people still had "ice boxes" in the late 1800's and the Nyack Ice Company wagon delivered. The business headquarters were in the Commercial Building - the same building where Garret Hopper had his dry goods store. The ice pond was located at the top of the hill (which no doubt helped the ice wagons to distribute the ice to homes on their way down the hill).
Summer Destination
PH: Prospect House Hotel, Nyack, NY
For two decades in the late 1800s, Nyack was a well-known summer resort, and the Prospect House (also known as the Palmer Hotel) was the most glamorous of the many boarding houses and hotels. Grover Cleveland stayed there twice in 1889, between his two terms as US President. This renowned hotel was high above the village, on site of north campus of Nyack College. (It burned down on June 1, 1898.)
Nyack News and Views has a nice article, written by friend of Edward Hopper House and Board Member Mike Hays, about a couple erstwhile resort hotels in Nyack.
Nyack News and Views has a nice article, written by friend of Edward Hopper House and Board Member Mike Hays, about a couple erstwhile resort hotels in Nyack.
HOPPER NEAR & FAR
In addition to living in Nyack and New York City, Hopper traveled: Cape Cod and Gloucester in Massachusetts, South Royalton in Vermont, Ogunquit, Rockland, and Portland in Maine - even Wyoming and Mexico - painting scenes documentary, and imaginary, everywhere he went.
Apartment & Studio - 3 Washington Square N, New YorK, New York
Hopper lived and worked here from 1913 until his death. Jo moved in after their marriage in 1924. At the time Jo was established as an artist in New York and she helped launch his career; she was also the sole model for many of his paintings. (See caricatures Edward drew of their relationship at Edward Hopper House; Edward and Josephine are also buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack.) NYU Silver School of Social Work now owns the studio; it is open by appointment.
GLOUCESTER - MassachusettsThe many watercolors Hopper painted while in Gloucester (summers 1923 - 1926) were the source of his first critical and commercial success. Distilling the sunlight as it danced across this coastal town’s Victorian houses, Hopper, in 1923, at the age of forty, sold his first work in ten years for $100 to the Brooklyn Museum. The Mansard Roof, 1923, had been included in an exhibition that Hopper entered with the help of fiancée and fellow artist Josephine Nivison.
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STUDIO & HOUSE - (Cape Cod) South Truro, Massachusetts
Purchased with an inheritance from Jo’s uncle, Hoppers made a small cottage designed by Edward their second home, spending summers on the rolling hills and windswept moors of the Outer Cape for over 30 years since 1934. Find out more at the Truro Historical Society.
Check out other Hopper sites in Maine from our friends at Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
See our exhibition: A Photographic Journey through Hopper's World by Charles Sternaimolo
The health and well-being of our visitors, our community, and our team are important to us. Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center is compliant with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State Department of Health (DOH) and local guidelines.
VISIT82 North Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960 845.358.0774 info@hopperhouse.org |
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SUPPORTThe Edward Hopper House is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are fully tax-deductible. |
Edward Hopper House is supported in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.