Preservation of the Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is situated on the site of one of the most significant cultural events of the 1960s—the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. We take our responsibility as stewards of this historic place very seriously, and in 2014 we commissioned a report to document the site and to recommend steps that we could take to better preserve and interpret the site for our guests.

old photo of Woodstock 1969

Landscape historians and architects Heritage Landscapes produced an enlightening and detailed Cultural Landscape Report, which was accepted by the Bethel Woods Board of Trustees at their summer 2015 meeting. This CLR describes the natural and human-made features of the landscape in 1969 and the present. The landscape today remains remarkably similar to its historic condition, and the report makes 21 concrete recommendations for how the site can be better preserved, better interpreted, and made more authentic.

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Woodstock monument
View Cultural Landscape Report
Bethel Woods cultural landscape report

This Cultural Landscape Report was made possible in part by grants from:

  • Jeff Bank Foundation
  • National Trust for Historic Preservation
  • The A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation
  • Preservation League of New York State
  • (The Preserve New York Grant Program of the Preservation League of New York State is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.)

Additional generous support from:

  • Jeffrey Allison and James Lomax
  • Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Boyd
  • Mr. and Mrs. Ric Coombe
  • Donald F. Dembert
  • Robyn Gerry and Children
  • The Grillo Family
  • The Fishman Family and Majestic Drug Company
  • Steve and Sue Marton
  • Mr. and Mrs. Howard Schoor

And contributions from the following individuals:

  • Anthony C. Acunzo, Harold Appel, Patricia Arvonio, Christopher Ashwood, Bob Bishop, Gary S. Borer, William Burton, Michael Butkus, Anna Corridore, Thomas A. Cummings, Nicholas Denise, Scott Drumm, Dr. John and Nancy Farkas, The Fedun Family, Karen and Michael Fisher, James and Susan Fitton, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph X. Garvey, Myron Gittell, The Family of Dan and Rick Goggins, Richard and Karen Goodman, Susan & Steven Gottlieb, Wayne and Dorothy Griffin, Steve and Lynn Hastings, Tony Hayden, Donna C. Hunt, Dennis Kaus, Alan Kesten, Jim and Sammy Killilea, Donna Kortright, Eric Lobenfeld, Sam and Noreen McDonald, Michael Morreale, Jack and Nancy Neary, Dr. and Mrs. Michael Needle, Sue Newman, Joe Nolan, Steven Pacheco, Daniel and Teresa Prisciotta, Stephanie Richard, Mary Roth, Charles Rugoletti, Gary and Diane Silver, Claudia Smith, Joseph Solimena, Regina Stem in memory of Regina Heldrich, Ira Stone in memory of Bert Sommer, Mark C. Van Sluyters, Mr. Arthur Veilleux, Raymond Walter, Howard and Elsie Wasserman, The Weiss Family, James Weltzer