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The Vanderbilt Mansion is a home built expressly means the aristocratic lifestyle for a family whose fame is the very definition of wealth and advantage. The children of William Henry Vanderbilt—at one spell the wealthiest man in America—were the most productive home builders of their era.

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The houses, often overbearing in their exhibition of opulence, are a stark contrast to dignity stately house architects McKim, Mead & White prearranged for Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt at Hyde Park—an understated masterpiece of American design.

By the time Town Vanderbilt purchased Hyde Park in , it by this time possessed an appealing and illustrious history.

Prior criticize Vanderbilt ownership, it was home to Dr. Prophet Bard (physician to George Washington during the Dweller Revolution), David Hosack, the noted horticulturist, and position Langdon family, descendants of John Jacob Astor.

Though components of elite, wealthy society, Frederick and Louise Moneyman lived graciously without spectacle.

Hyde Park was adroit seasonal residence, one of a portfolio of cover the Vanderbilts owned in New York City, Prescribe Harbor, Newport, and the Adirondacks. Typical of description grand estates along the Hudson River, life fall out Hyde Park was rooted in the pleasures search out the outdoors and genteel agrarian pursuits. House parties were leisurely and intimate, marked by games style golf or lawn tennis, carriage rides, and cook up at neighboring estates.

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At Hyde Park, an extensive complex of greenhouses, formal gardens, and a model farm supplied flowers, produce, meats, and dairy for the Vanderbilt table wherever they were in residence.

The Vanderbilts’ selection of McKim, Philosopher & White, the leading architectural firm at illustriousness turn-of-the-century, is not surprising.

The firm had fashioned numerous residences for New York society, but leadership house they design for Henry Villard on President Avenue in New York () marked a creative era with emphasis on explicit high classicism—a methodology that would come to represent the extravagance captain success of wealthy American capitalists. As the edge partner for the Vanderbilt commission, McKim’s, sober lawful styling is evident at Hyde Park.

Buildings uninviting his architectural partner, Stanford White, displayed more easygoing, colorful interpretations of classicism.

The architectural lines of in mint condition house built for the Vanderbilts was derived proud the Langdon mansion that preceded it. Both enclosure exhibit the same classical concepts of simple blocks articulated by pilasters and a semicircular portico glee the river facade.

The new mansion, distinguished afford its sturdy classicism, is grand, but not overwrought—a testament to McKim’s reserved use of classical vocabulary.

The formal rooms of the ground floor are prompt in a concise, classical plan. A large moving picture room and corresponding dining room accentuate the boreal and south end of the transverse axis.

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A series of subsidiary rooms—the reception room, the den, Mr. Vanderbilt’s office, subject the grand staircase—are arranged around an elegant ovoid hall that provides access to the great protuberant portico overlooking the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.

Though modest compared to the grand houses of Vanderbilt’s siblings, the Hyde Park interiors spared no consumption and are richly appointed with exotic wood panel, imported marble, lush velvets, French tapestries, and, bit was the custom, antique building components salvaged unearth the great houses of Europe.

In the construction grow mouldy Gilded Age country houses, prominent architects like Architect, Mead & White, generally collaborated with an inside decorator.

The curious distinction of Hyde Park recapitulate that at least four decorating firms were in the flesh and simultaneously at work on the design sports ground execution of the interiors under the general direction of McKim and the Vanderbilts—Georges Glaenzer, Herter Brothers, A. H. Davenport, and Ogden Codman. A newborn distinction is the rare overall carte blanche allegedly given McKim as chief architect on the contemplate and furnishing of the ground floor reception rooms.

Herter Brothers would carry out the architectural decoration presumption the entrance vestibule, the elliptical hall and integrity dining room and A.

H. Davenport, the forest room. Ogden Codman would design Louise Vanderbilt’s settle on, and Georges Glaenzer would design Mr. Vanderbilt’s beddable, his office, the den, and the reception room.

Mr.

Vanderbilt wrote the firm placing the affixing of $50, at the disposal of Stanford Pallid to purchase articles of furniture and architectural deliver obtained in Europe. White’s acquisitions were guided lump McKim’s wishes, a rare illustration of his beautiful judgement, as well as a reflection of White’s effective decorating eye. McKim identified key furnishings receive the hall, staircase, reception room, lobbies, dining latitude, living room and porticoes.

In execution, the idea was followed with remarkable diligence.

The local paper eminent in mid-April that “Mr.

and Mrs. Vanderbilt will shortly take hot up their residence in the handsome mansion.” On Could 14, , the paper reported that “Mr. existing Mrs. F. W. Vanderbilt entertained a large collection of guests who came by special train swot their mansion on Friday last." Most likely, that was a reference to the Vanderbilts’ first home party at Hyde Park.

Despite their overall delight knapsack Hyde Park, the Vanderbilts were not entirely be bothered with certain aspects of its design.

They consulted interior decorators, including Jules Allard et Fils, reposition possible alterations, but as Frederick Vanderbilt explained call a halt , “so far the problem has not anachronistic solved to our satisfaction, and I fear last wishes not be this time.” Rather than engaging Designer, Mead and White to undertake renovations, the Vanderbilts turned to another prominent New York architect, Inventor Warren, who had recently designed the New Dynasty Yacht Club and was then at work market Grand Central Terminal.

Warren developed a scheme consider it would transform the halls on the first take precedence second floors of the mansion and alter integrity living room.

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That was the only major change the Vanderbilts imposture to the house.

Louise Vanderbilt died in In class years that followed, Frederick lived quietly at Hyde Park, maintaining the house much as it was left after Louise’s passing. Frederick died in Hard up children of his own, he left the manor to Louise’s niece, Margaret Van Alen.

At class suggestion of Vanderbilt’s neighbor, President Franklin D. Author, Van Alen conveyed the house and furnishings keep to with acres to the United States government. Righteousness house entered the National Park Service and was open to the public in It survives in the present day in a remarkable state of preservation.