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1. Welcome
Transcript
Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt purchased this property in 1895. It is one of the oldest continuously manicured properties in the United States, dating to the late 18th century. Hyde Park is the third home built in this exact location. It features many modern conveniences that were considered luxuries at the time of its completion: hot and cold running water, flush toilets, and electricity, generated by a hydroelectric plant on the estate. These innovations were incredibly remarkable at a time when millions of Americans were still using chamber pots. The fortune that allowed Frederick and Louise to build this mansion came from Frederick’s family. The Vanderbilts were once the wealthiest family in the United States, whose fortune was made in railroads and shipping. Their business empire was started by Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt and the family’s most famous enterprise was the New York Central Railroad system. Frederick’s generation, the grandchildren of Cornelius Vanderbilt, are well known for the lavish mansions they constructed with the family fortune in places like New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. Along with Hyde Park, other well-known mansions, constructed by Frederick’s siblings, include The Breakers, Marble House, and the Biltmore. The Vanderbilts built these homes as monuments to their wealth and status in the Gilded Age. Members of New York City society, like the Vanderbilts, owned many homes and changed their residence with the season. This site preserves the era in which the Vanderbilt’s thrived, the Gilded Age, which spanned late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was a time when America was rapidly industrializing, and tycoons were making vast fortunes with little to no regulation or taxation. As you tour this home, do not view it as a memorial for the Vanderbilts, but as a monument to the lifestyle of the Gilded Age.
Description
On behalf of the National Park Service, welcome to Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. Before you stands the only Gilded Age mansion in the National Park Service, “Hyde Park.” This was the country place of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt, used primarily in the spring and fall. Built over 26 months between 1896 to 1898, at the cost of $660,000, it is one of the best-preserved examples of a Gilded Age home in the US. The approx. 45,000 square-foot building consists of 54 rooms and six floors.
Date Created
06/28/2021
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