National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Resource History and Description of Existing Conditions
The Italian Gardens and associated structures represent the second branch from the
main house. The majority of this sector was in place when the Vanderbilts purchased the estate,
and it therefore retains the same relationship to the new house as it did to the Langdon house.
The designs found here are also based on classical precedent, but in this case are interspersed
with the picturesque elements of the Italianate style. If this area had been designed totally new
in 1895, one wonders what architectural styles would have been employed. Like the Pavilion,
this area has a strong and direct connection to the main house, but has a secondary function.
The third branch is fed by a road that leads across the creek from the lower estate road,
over the rustic Stone Bridge to the Coach House, and then out of the estate. The Stone Bridge
was designed by Hiscox, again using the Melan arch; the Coach House was designed by Robert
H. Robertson using a combination of Victorian era-motifs. 487 The overall appearance of the
latter is somewhat medieval, employing Tudor half-timbering, Romanesque arches, and the
asymmetry of the Queen Anne. The designs of both structures are much less formal, being less
based on the classics, and projecting rustic and picturesque qualities. These characteristics
additionally segregate this zone from the primary zone and mark it as a secondary service zone.
Hiscox also designed the Power House, constructed of stone in the rustic style. Its
location on the east side of the creek, in a wooded area, and accessed by a secondary road
further segregates it from the estate's primary zone. At the time of its construction the wooded
area was less dense than it is today, but nonetheless it was somewhat shielded from the main
view. If it had been glimpsed, its stone construction would have camouflaged it within its
surroundings. While the purpose of the Power House ties it directly to the mansion, its role is
entirely one of servicing the mansion, and should be included in the third secondary zone with
the Stone Bridge and Coach House.
The farm and its associated structures no longer are part of the Vanderbilt estate and
therefore an evaluation of them is not included in this study. However, they were once an
integral part of Vanderbilt's country place. The location of the farm, on the east side of the Post
Road, accentuated its role in the hierarchy of the estate, as only a supporting and separate zone
from the primary structures. While the farm played a vital role in feeding the estate and the New
York townhouse, the farm labor and smells were physically separated from the leisurely pursuits
of the Vanderbilts and their guests.
The Vanderbilts deeded one adjoining lot each to Frederick's friend, Edward Wales, and
to Louise's niece and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Howard. Frederick Vanderbilt
generously paid for the houses built on these lots, both designed by McKim, Mead & White.
The Wales House is brick and designed in the Colonial Revival style with one of the firm's
seeming trademarks, an asymmetrical entrance doorway. Compared to the Vanderbilt Mansion
it is a modest house, simpler in its exterior detailing. The Howard House was built in more of an
English rustic style, of stone and half-timbering. The Wales House was on a hill above the
Coach House and the Howard House was on a hill above and behind the farm. It is not known if
these locations suggested a preference on Vanderbilt's part to Wales' company over that of the
487 At this same time, Robertson was in the process of designing estate buildings at Shelburne Farms,
Shelburne, VT, for Frederick's sister and brother-in-law (Lila and Seward Webb). He also designed
several train stations for the Vanderbilts' New York Central Railroad and several Adirondack camps,
including that for the Webbs.
97