Guided Tours at Wilderstein Historic Site

Wilderstein Historic Site will be open for tours from May 4 through Oct. 29, 2023. Tours include the landscape, the history of the family, the exterior of the mansion, the first floor and the recently renovated second floor. Tours will operate on Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tours begin at 12, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. and take about one hour. Reservations are not required.

This Italianate country home was designed by John Warren Ritch in 1852 and was remodeled and enlarged in 1888 by Poughkeepsie architect Arnout Cannon, transforming the two-story villa into a lavish Queen Anne-style mansion. The beautiful interior was expertly decorated by New York City decorator Joseph Burr Tiffany, and the landscape was laid out in American romantic style by Calvert Vaux. The last resident of Wilderstein was Margaret (Daisy) Suckley, a distant cousin and confidante of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.