How to Use the Images

Table of
Contents

Drawing 1: First floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion.

Drawing 2: Second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion.

1st Floor Key: 1 Reception Hall 2 Study/Office 3 Den 4 Drawing Room 5 Gold Room 6 Dining Room 7 Butler's Pantry 8 Powder Room/Coat Room

2nd Floor Key: 1 Second Floor Hall 2 Louise Vanderbilt's Bathroom 3 Louise Vanderbilt's Boudoir 4 Louise Vanderbilt's Bedroom 5 Frederick Vanderbilt's Bedroom 6 Frederick Vanderbilt's Bathroom & Wardrobe 7-9 Guest Rooms 10 Bathroom 11 Guest Room 12 Bathroom 13 Guest Room 14 Linen Closet

The Vanderbilts' guests entered the Reception Hall from the front driveway or from the lobby on the river side of the house. If they had come to see Mr. Vanderbilt on business, they were shown to the Study where he conducted estate business. Guests arriving for a party might enjoy a cocktail in the Gold Room before moving into the Dining Room. Formal entertainment, including dances and musical performances, took place in the Drawing Room. The Den acted as a family room as well as a place to have afternoon tea, write letters, or read.

Questions for Drawings 1 & 2

1. Match the room numbers to the key to discover how the rooms were used. If you owned this house, how might you use the spaces provided?

2. Why is the kitchen not shown on these floor plans? (You may need to refer back to Reading 2.) What other rooms might be located on the same level as the kitchen?

* The drawings on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Drawing 1 and Drawing 2, but be aware that each file will take as much as 20 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.