National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Service Laundry
Resource History and Description of Existing Conditions
The Service Laundry is located just north of the Main Laundry and is accessed from the
service hall. The room has a baseboard and chair rail and was originally painted a buff color, as
it is currently. 920 The door's textured glass panel has been replaced with plywood, and nailing
evidence indicates sheers or curtains over the glass. The doorway has a frosted glass transom.
The servants' laundry originally contained an iron coal-burning stove on the south wall,
which has been removed, and one old laundry table. 921 The three sinks are identical to those in
the Main Laundry but lack the decorative painting on the legs. A large cast-iron hook on the
north side of the transom was used for attaching a clothesline. Its mate on the east wall is
missing, but a series of newer hooks are installed.
No curtains are listed in the Curry inventory; however, nailing evidence suggests
blinds. 922 The floor is unfinished hardwood and nailing evidence suggests linoleum as well as tin
sheeting under the stove. One original electric wall sconce is on the east wall as well as
additional NPS fixtures.
The room was used for the washing of servants' linen and clothing. It continues in use as
a laundry with a new washer, dryer, and water heater added to the room. The wooden closet
which is now in the room was brought here from another location in the house. It is identical to
the closets in McKim's Room No. 7, the parlor maid's room, on the third floor and the vase
closet in the ellipse in the basement hall.
Boot Room (MM&W: No. 1, Farley: Third Man's Room, Curry: Room No. 5)
The Boot Room is located just north of the Service Laundry and is accessed off the
central ellipse of the service hall. The room has a baseboard, chair rail, and picture rail and the
door has a textured glass panel with a frosted transom light above. The west wall of the room
has a dowel rod with fixed pulleys mounted near the ceiling. This rod was used for hanging
clothing and is similar to the rod in Mrs. Vanderbilt's clothes closet. A closet was removed from
the north wall just west of the pier. It measured 6'10½" high, 4' wide, and 1'6½" deep, based
upon its ghost on the wall and trim. These are not the dimensions of the free-standing closets
currently in the servants' laundry and the ellipse.
In 1938 the room contained an iron bed, oak washstand, oak Morris chair, oak dresser,
and small oak table, two chairs, and a small domestic mat. 923 The room was lit by a metal bridge
lamp. 924 Two electric wall sconces were added to the room after original construction. Wooden
conduit encases the wiring. The floor is hardwood. The window on the east wall opens into the
room and has three sets of nailing evidence for shades or sheers.
920
Snell, "Master Plan Development Outline," 26. Snell cites an interview with Frederick Traudt,
February 15, 1957.
921
Curry Inventory, 95; Snell, "Master Plan Development Outline," 31.
922 Curry Inventory, 95.
923 Curry Inventory, 105.
924 Curry Inventory, 105.
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