Russel Wright (1904–1976)
Mary Einstein Wright (1904–1952)
584 Route 9D, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-3812
ABOUT
Visitors follow Manitoga’s upper Quarry path along the former stone quarry’s edge to enjoy stunning views of the Quarry Pool, below, and Dragon Rock House and Studio, beyond. An ascending stone stair leads to a mountain laurel grove and exquisite moss rooms before visitors cross a majestic waterfall over a wood plank bridge to arrive at the House and Studio. The buildings are characterized by lush green roofs, a connecting vine-clad pergola, and interiors defined by expanses of glass, innovative materials use, and seamless connections to outside terraces. Tours also include the new The Russel & Mary Wright Design Gallery, featuring over two hundred objects from the Wrights’ ground-breaking designs for the American home, and installations of contemporary art and design as part of the vibrant Art + Design Residency Program.
SPECIAL RESOURCES
“This is a design project that I am most pleased with, more than any other project throughout my career. I hope you will take joy from my home.”
— Russel Wright on Manitoga
Russel Wright (1904–1976)
Designer Russel Wright introduced modernism to millions of Americans at mid- century. Born in Lebanon, Ohio, Wright briefly attended Princeton and The Art Students League, and apprenticed to set designer Norman Bel Geddes. Together, Russel and his wife/business partner Mary launched his decades-long career as a prolific designer of objects for the home. Commercial success included their American Modern line of dinnerware, furniture and textiles, and the melamine dinnerware, Residential, which won MoMA’s Good Design Award in 1953. Wright’s postwar work, including Manitoga’s buildings and landscape, demonstrated an affinity with Japanese design inspired by his travels for the US government. After Mary’s premature death in 1952, Wright raised their daughter Ann, living at Manitoga full time from 1965 until his passing in 1976. In later years, Wright spent long hours shaping the landscape with his life partner, graphic designer, Joe Chapman. He considered Manitoga his greatest achievement.
Mary Einstein Wright (1904–1952)
Mary Einstein Wright was an artist, designer, author, and businesswoman who helped define modern American lifestyle at mid-century. Born in NYC, she attended Cornell University and studied with the avant-garde sculptor, Alexander Archipenko. Mary and Russel Wright met at the Maverick Festival in Woodstock NY in 1927, marrying later that year. Shortly afterward, she encouraged him to design decorative and functional objects for the home. Demonstrating great marketing acumen, she became his brilliant business partner, introducing concepts such as “blonde wood,” mix and match, and the designer signature. She co-authored their influential 1950 best seller Guide to Easier Living and designed several elegant, distinctive product lines. Mary’s premature death in 1952 cut short their shared vision for Manitoga, but her legacy lives on in the meadow that bears her name and the Russel & Mary Wright Design Gallery–a fitting testament to their creative partnership.
LEARN MORE
Located in Garrison, New York, approximately one hour north of New York City, Manitoga is the former home. studio and 75-acre woodland garden of American industrial designer Russel Wright (1904-1976) envisioned with his wife Mary Einstein Wright (d. 1952) for their family. Manitoga is a National Historic Landmark and one of the few 20th century modern homes with original landscape open to the public. In 2021, the Russel and Mary Wright Design Gallery opened to the public, offering a permanent onsite display of the Wrights’ groundbreaking designs for the American Home.
The story of Manitoga began in 1942 when, at the height of their influential design careers, the Wrights purchased an abandoned quarry site in Garrison, NY as a retreat from urban life. After Mary’s premature death in 1952, Wright realized their shared vision of home as an inventive and holistic experiment in designing a harmonious blend of nature and modernity. “My goal,” Russel Wright once wrote, “is to bring American culture an intimacy with nature.” These words defined Wright’s philosophy that shaped his career as one of America’s leading mid-century industrial designers and the Wrights’ influence as tastemakers.
Embracing the natural and the synthetic, the traditional and the modern, the hand and the machine, as well as American and international sources, Wright’s aesthetic wove together organic and industrial materials–leaves and plastic, bamboo and aluminum, stone, and plate glass. His desire to integrate modern life with the natural world would find its ultimate expression at Manitoga. Here, Wright masterfully transformed devastated land into a sustainable landscape where he created a waterfall to feed the former quarry bowl and built his modernist house and studio, Dragon Rock c. 1961, into the Quarry ledge. By the early 70s and until his death in 1976, Wright welcomed the public to his designed landscape, and he staged outdoor performances of music and dance.
Today, we welcome visitors of all ages and interpret Manitoga as Wright’s muse and design masterpiece, integrating an architecture of innovative modern living with the theater of an ever-changing landscape. Design-focused tours, installations, programs, and outdoor performances that evoke Manitoga’s “sense of place” demonstrate our creative vision for good design in harmony with nature.
