Accessibility at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site

Everyone is welcome at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, and we are committed to enabling all visitors to experience the historic place where the artist and environmentalist Thomas Cole (1801-1848) lived and worked. The 1839 Storehouse Studio, the 1846 New Studio, and Cole Center are wheelchair accessible. The first floor of the Main House is wheelchair accessible via a wheelchair lift. We provide printed and digital materials that describe and depict the second-floor and ground floor experience. Additional information is provided below on accessibility services.

Wheelchair Access

The Storehouse Studio, 1846 New Studio, and Cole Center are all wheelchair accessible. Only the first floor of the Main House is wheelchair accessible by a lift. The lift enables visitors to bypass a set of 11 steps leading to the first floor porch. The second floor and ground floor are only accessed by flights of stairs.

Also available online is “360 Explore,” through which visitors may view the Main House and Storehouse Studio virtually with a personal smartphone, or from afar with a computer. A hands-free function is included. Visitors may also explore on site or at home on a smartphone with our free digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to experience the Main House room-by-room, learn more about our collections and special exhibitions, and hear from curators and artists.

The walking paths on the grounds are loose gravel. The parking lot is standard asphalt and includes a number of accessible spaces.

Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The experience of visiting the Thomas Cole National Historic Site includes several multimedia displays, three of which include audio. Each is transcribed in printed hand-outs so that visitors can read what is being said.

Available online is “360 Explore,” through which visitors may view the Main House and Storehouse Studio virtually with a personal smartphone, or from afar with a computer. Texts are visually displayed. Also available is our free digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which includes a room-by-room guide to the Main House. All app audio and video includes text transcripts and closed captions.

Please feel free to reach out to info@thomascole.org or 518-943-7465 if you have any questions, and please check back for announcements on improving our accessibility.