The Dining Room

Dining Room

When the Vanderbilts were at Hyde Park, the Dining Room was one of the more utilized rooms inside their mansion. It is one of the largest rooms in the house and mirrors the Living Room in size and shape. It would be one of the focal points for an evening’s gathering. Fine dining was a regular occurrence, along with more casual affairs depending on the number and type of guests. Based on the size of the table and its seating capacity, it’s assumed the largest gatherings were around eighteen people, including the Vanderbilts. Note the smaller table to the right, it was always set for four people, even if it were only Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt dining. Breakfast was more commonly served to the Vanderbilts and their guests in their suites on the second and third floors.