Ralph E. Ogden and H. Peter Stern, then joint owners of Star Expansion Company founded Storm King Art Center in 1960. Originally Ogden envisioned a museum of the Hudson Valley painters, however after visiting a marble quarry in Austria in 1961 he became partially interested in sculpture. Early purchases were set outside the building as part of a formal garden scheme. Six years later, Ogden saw sculptures by David Smith (1906-1965) set in open fields outside his home in Bolton Landing. The Art Center purchased thirteen works from the artist’s estate and inspired in part by Smith’s sculpture fields soon began to place works outdoors in a new way that directly responded to the landscape of Mountainville. Since that time, each sculpture has been sited as part of a visual fabric that includes its immediate surroundings and the distant landscape scene – expanding the context for viewing far beyond traditional garden confines. In 1972 the Art Center began acquiring a permanent collection of large-scale sculptures. Works are acquired selectively, always with attention to the potential interaction of sculpture with the Storm King landscape. Ogden died in 1974; H. Peter Stern continues to serve as both Chairman and President of the Art Center.

A public, nonprofit educational organization, the Storm King Art Center is governed by a Board of Trustees. Annual income and support are derived from the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, Inc., corporate contributions, foundation and government grants, individual donations, membership and admission fees, and museum shop proceeds.

Museum Building:
Completed as a residence in 1935 for the late Vermont Hatch, the French Normandy-style building was designed by architect Maxwell Kimball. The building's granite stones were salvaged from Danskammer, the 1834 Edward Armstrong mansion located north of Newburgh that stood overlooking the Hudson River for almost 100 years. The five Ionic columns now situated on the Art Center's property formed the front of Danskammer. The interior of the museum building contains many period details such as walnut paneling, and walnut and oak parquet floors. Inside are nine exhibition galleries, a museum shop, and offices.