National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Resource History and Description of Existing Conditions
Green Bedroom. The pink wall-to-wall carpeting came from W. & J. Sloane. The carved and
painted mantel has a grey-veined marble surround.
The architectural elements of the room were designed by McKim, Mead & White and
executed by Herter Brothers. 855
The bedroom furniture 856 consists of a double bed, a bureau with mirror, a desk, a
washstand, a side table, a kidney-shaped table with fan design under glass, a chaise longue, and
an easy chair. 857 There is also a fire screen with embroidered panels. The room has two sconces,
two glass oil lamps and a floor lamp.
There are several prints of English ladies on the walls and an onyx mantel clock marked
"M. Lavenere, 22 Rue di Boi Loi" with matching urns.
This bedroom retains its original upholstery and curtains. It is not known if the walls
have been repainted.
Third Floor Guest Bathrooms
There are two bathrooms on the third floor. One is between the Pink Room and the
Lavender Room, the other is between the Empire Room and the Green Room. Both are also
accessible from the hall. Each has white tiled floors and walls. During President Franklin
Roosevelt's presidency his secret service men used the third floor. At that time the bathtubs
were replaced by stall showers.
BASEMENT SERVICE ROOMS
SERVICE AREAS
The service areas at Hyde Park, both in the basement and on the third floor, are
accommodated within the symmetrical form of the house's elevations and floor plans rather
than in an attached service wing (see ills. 6, 9). Both options were employed in gilded-age
houses, however McKim's strict adherence to the Beaux-Arts tradition of symmetry and balance
in the plan took precedence over arranging the service floors according to function. In fact, the
service floors are arranged along similar lines as the public floors, echoing the central ellipse and
symmetrical room arrangements. The resulting service room arrangement neglected adequate
space for storage and was modified during the Vanderbilts' occupancy, as discussed below.
The basement floor plan is arranged along a north-south hall with a central ellipse
paralleling the Elliptical Hall and light well on the upper floors. The basement service rooms are
arranged in units defined by function. These units, as originally conceived and built, are;
855
Herter Brothers Sales Ledger, 1898-1904, vol. 18, 15, Entry June 23, 1898: "Norcross Brothers for F. W.
Vanderbilt."
856
This is an assembled set, not all from the same suite.
857
There is another piece of furniture from this suite in Mrs. Vanderbilt's Bathroom, a large dressing table
with a triple mirror.
153