Mr. Frieda’s Garden

Founded in 2018, the non-profit Petronio Residency Center is visionary choreographer and artistic director Stephen Petronio’s latest venture. Known as Crow’s Nest, this 175-acre property is nestled in a densely wooded landscape and situated in one of the highest points in Round Top on the edge of Catskill State Park, with sweeping views of the Hudson Valley toward the Berkshire Mountains. This distinctive retreat center for dancers and choreographers contains a main house for lodging, cooking, and entertaining, in addition to a separate contemporary dance studio in a converted barn-like structure used for rehearsal, performance, and community events. In 2021, the Petronio Residency Center was awarded a prestigious grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation that will allow for the land's preservation and conservation.

Mr. Frieda’s Garden — named after renowned artist Cindy Sherman’s pet Macaw — is an organic vegetable, flower, and herb garden conceived to feed, inspire, and engage resident artists and other visitors. Located off the site’s main courtyard and adjacent to the Dancer’s Wing and it’s private entrances, this maze-like potager creates an interactive setting that welcomes guests to sit on the raised bed’s built-in benches to socialize, contemplate, and commune with nature.

Rustic/industrial design complements the two buildings’ architecture. Twenty-four raised beds, sitting benches, and trellises are built with locally sourced hemlock hardwood. Also featured is a log wall for mushroom cultivation.