History & Culture · Hudson Valley
How a Nabisco factory and a mountain railway brought Beacon back
Dia Beacon turned an old box-printing plant by the Hudson into a modern-art anchor, while Mount Beacon's old railway route is now a free trail to a fire-tower view.
Published June 21, 2026 · Last verified June 21, 2026
Beacon’s comeback has two anchors, and you can see both in a day. Down by the Hudson sits Dia Beacon, a modern-art museum that opened in 2003 inside a former Nabisco box-printing factory. Daylight pours through the old skylights onto roughly 160,000 square feet of galleries, giving big installations room to breathe. The arrival of Dia is a big part of why Main Street filled back up with shops, cafes, and makers.
Up the hill is the other half of the story. From 1902 to the 1970s, the Mount Beacon Incline Railway carried sightseers to a hotel and casino on the summit — for a time, the steepest passenger funicular in the world. Fire and time took the buildings, but the old route survives as a hiking trail. Scenic Hudson now keeps it as Mount Beacon Park, free and open year-round, with the railway’s ruins partway up and big Hudson Highlands views from the top.
Together they sum Beacon up: an old riverfront mill reborn as an art destination, and a vanished mountain resort reborn as a public trail. One trip, two kinds of revival.
Where to see it
Dia Beacon is at 3 Beekman Street, an 8-10 minute walk from the Metro-North Beacon station; it's closed some weekdays, so check current days, hours, and tickets at diaart.org before you go. For the hike, the Mount Beacon Park trailhead and parking are at 788 Wolcott Avenue (open dawn to dusk, free); the steep climb follows the old incline route to the ruins, with many hikers continuing to the South Beacon fire tower.