Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Catskill, NY

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site (TCNHS) preserves and interprets the home and studios of Thomas Cole (1801–1848), the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, whose influential American landscape paintings and impassioned writing advocated for the preservation of natural landscapes. Located in New York's Hudson Valley on traditional Passamaquoddy homelands, TCNHS is an independent nonprofit organization that celebrates Cole's profound influence on America's cultural landscape through innovative educational programs.

As part of an ongoing Greening Initiative that acknowledges Cole's proto-environmentalist legacy, a 2024 FCI Catalyst Grant supported the conversion of a substantial portion of energy generation in the Research Fellows' House from natural gas to solar-powered electricity by installing electric heat pumps, reducing carbon emissions and advancing the site's use of clean energy.

A 2026 FCI Scoping Grant will support an energy audit of eight buildings on the campus, providing a comprehensive foundation for future fossil-fuel-emissions reduction work across the historic site. The audit will establish energy baselines for each building and identify priority improvements that advance the Greening Initiative's long-term goals while preserving the architectural integrity of the National Historic Landmark.