During a recent trip to the Hudson Valley, I visited Opus 40 in Saugerties, New York. The sprawling 55-acre outdoor space is a marvel of paths, walls, ramps, stairs, and pedestals created using ancient Mayan stone building techniques.
The former bluestone quarry was purchased in 1938 by sculptor Harvey Fite (1903-1976) who, for nearly four decades, worked tirelessly to transform it into a sculpture park to display his artwork and serve as a theater space.
Fite was born on December 25, 1903 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father, Floy Ruffner Fite, a carpenter, moved the family to Texas when Harvey was six. Though he enjoyed watching his father build cabinets and craft violins, the younger Fite really loved to dance and decided to pursue acting while studying at St. Stephen’s College in Annandale-on-Hudson (now Bard). He joined an arts colony in Woodstock and spent a few years touring with a theater group.
Fite's passion shifted to sculpture when he was 30. In 1933, Fite returned to Bard to teach both drama and sculpture. He was a member of the faculty for 36 years (retiring in 1969) and helped establish the school’s Fine Arts Department.
In 1938 Fite purchased the “Benny Myers’” quarry for $376.25. He built a house on the land teeming with wood and stone that he could use in his artwork. That same year, Fite was invited to join a team from the Carnegie Institute to help restore the ancient Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras. It was there that Fite became fascinated with Mayan art, architecture and the dry keystone masonry method—stacking stones and fitting them together—that they used in building. When he returned home in 1939, he began clearing the rubble and brush on his land to make way for a structure that “utilizes the properties of the stone, follows the contours of the quarry, echoes the structure of its mountain backdrop, and works toward the realization of his plan for a large outdoor sculpture gallery.”
In 1964, Fite christened the site Opus 40. “Opus” is a nod to classical music and the work's "almost musical rhythms and composition" and “40” references the number of years he estimated it would take him to complete the epic project.
Sadly, Fite did not live to fully complete his masterpiece. He died in 1976, at the age of 72, after falling 12 feet into the quarry while using a tractor mower to cut the grass. His wife Barbara established Opus 40, Incorporated as a non-profit in 1978 and formed a board and membership group to support the outdoor space. She also opened Opus 40 to the public and in the 80s, the site began hosting concerts and events. In 2001, Opus 40 was included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Learn more about Opus 40 at opus40.org.
Opus 40 Sculpture Park & Museum
356 George Sickle Road
Saugerties, New York, 12477
Open Thursday – Monday, 10:30am to 5pm (through Labor Day)
Weekends (weather permitting) until the Winter Solstice
Tickets: $11
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