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intact survival of the service areas at Hyde Park provides a rare opportunity for interpretation and access to these spaces by the public. Mechanical Systems The mechanical systems of the Vanderbilt estate at Hyde Park were central, not only to the day-to-day functioning of the estate, but also to the definition of luxury that the Vanderbilts constructed for themselves. The centerpiece of the mechanical infrastructure was the direct current powerhouse that generated electricity to light the mansion and the Pavilion and to pump water throughout the estate. Water was used to irrigate the lawns and gardens and for general household use in the various buildings. Other systems included heating and ventilation, internal and external communication, the elevator and dumbwaiter, and the kitchen and laundry facilities. The mansion is also notable for its steel frame construction. Each system was representative of standard contemporary practice for elite country places. None were particularly elaborate or pretentious, yet together they spoke of a standard of living that far exceeded that of most people in the United States. Landscape Architecture The overall organization of Hyde Park's landscape pre-dates the time period of this study. Landscape elements discrete to the period include the ensemble of buildings and structures, the expansion and stylistic detailing of the formal garden, and refinements to the road system. In this respect, the landscape at Hyde Park, as an element in the Vanderbilts' well-crafted environment, stands apart from their dwelling, its furnishing and mechanical systems, or the organization of personal services, in that it cannot be entirely ascribed to their efforts. The Vanderbilts employed James L. Greenleaf, a relative newcomer to the field of landscape architecture, to transform an existing formal garden into the Italianate style which had become popular during the period. Greenleaf's redesign is significant as an early example of his work. He would later enjoy a national reputation. Yet, Greenleaf was only the best known of a succession of landscape designers and advisors employed at Hyde Park, which included Herbert Shears as the property's superintendent. If one assumes that the sum of their efforts at Hyde Park brought the Vanderbilts pleasure, then the modifications to the property's landscape represent an effort to adapt a pre-existing Hudson Valley country property to reflect their personal and variable tastes. Choices made regarding their dwelling indicate a preference for the then-fashionable Neoclassical Beaux- Arts architecture. Yet in the larger ensemble of buildings and structures found throughout the landscape, there is greater stylistic complexity of both form and relationship to the land that is symptomatic of an eclectic preference. In retaining many of the pre-existing landscape elements, such as plantings and circulation patterns, the Vanderbilts should not be understood as having taken a preservationist approach. While their wealth made possible an enhanced program of caretaking and maintenance, it also engendered a vast campaign of new landscape design and construction. Significance of the Estate The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is significant as a remarkably complete example of a gilded-age country place in terms of the architecture, room arrangement, interior finishes and furnishings, and mechanical systems of the mansion itself as well as the surviving road system and landscaped grounds including the park and formal xxii
gardens. The site represents the rural domestic ideal of elite gilded-age families and provides context for the study of other types of gilded-age residences, including the urban townhouse, the seaside cottage, and the vacation house. It is these four house types, taken as a whole, which best represent the social, domestic, and economic priorities of gilded-age families such as the Vanderbilts, and the Vanderbilt Mansion is a historically significant example which adds richness and depth to our understanding of this era in American domestic and architectural history. xxiii
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Page 3: Vanderbilt Mansion, 1898. Wurts Bro
Page 6 and 7: Cover illustration: Vanderbilt Mans
Page 8 and 9: Gardens and Greenhouses............
Page 10 and 11: Transportation, Power, and Mechanic
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Page 15: LIST OF DIAGRAMS 1. The Management
Page 19 and 20: PREFACE When the Vanderbilt Mansion
Page 21: properties in their assessments. Wh
Page 25: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Historic Reso
Page 30 and 31: many new plantings. The farm side o
Page 32 and 33: The Gilded Age and Country Places A
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Page 73 and 74: CHAPTER TWO HISTORICAL OVERVIEW EVO
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Historical Overview horses. . . ."
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Historical Overview Frederick's kno
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Historical Overview According to Cl
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Historical Overview their expense.
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Historical Overview From 1885 to 19
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Historical Overview and entertainme
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Historical Overview death, the Vede
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Historical Overview office handling
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Historical Overview MANAGING THE ES
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Historical Overview Mr. Burnett suc
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Historical Overview the boarders as
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Poultry house Historical Overview T
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Historical Overview After cutting t
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Valet and 2nd Man 3 rd Man Secretar
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Historical Overview The butler and
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Kitchen Maid Historical Overview In
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Valet Historical Overview The secon
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Historical Overview each employee."
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Historical Overview his boathouse t
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Historical Overview Shortly thereaf
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Resource History and Description of
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THIRD FLOOR Resource History and De
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Pink Bedroom Resource History and D
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Empire Bedroom Resource History and
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Dumbwaiter Resource History and Des
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Service Laundry Resource History an
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FIRST FLOOR BUTLERS' PANTRY Resourc
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HEATING AND VENTILATION Resource Hi
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CHAPTER FOUR ANALYSIS OF HISTORICAL
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Analysis of Historical Significance
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Date/Style 1879, adds. thru 1890s/
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WATER SYSTEM Analysis of Historical
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CHAPTER FIVE ANALYSIS OF HISTORIC S
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Analysis of Historic Significance a
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Analysis of Historic Significance a
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ILLUSTRATIONS
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276 Figure 2. Vanderbilt Mansion, S
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278 Figure 4. Vanderbilt Mansion, W
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280 Figure 6. Vanderbilt Mansion, B
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282 Figure 8. Vanderbilt Mansion, S
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284 Figure 10. Vanderbilt Mansion,
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286 Figure 12. Vanderbilt Mansion,
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Figure 14. Vanderbilt Mansion, 1898
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290 Figure 16. The Vanderbilt Mansi
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292 Figure 18. The Vanderbilt Mansi
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Figure 20. Stone Crusher. The stone
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APPENDICES
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p.57 Nov. 7, 1896 Volume 6 On House
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p.231 August 12, 1897 On House at H
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p.388 July 13, 1898 On House, Lodge
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Herter Brothers Dining Room 3,000.0
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him explicit instructions on what h
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them as sub-contractors. 1451 Among
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From the mid 1880s to the mid 1890s
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316
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South Foyer Rug 6.5' x 16.2' Living
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Mrs. Vanderbilt's Boudoir Pair of M
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Third Floor Stairway 2 desk lamps a
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APPENDIX 4 CHRONOLOGY OF LANDSCAPE
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APPENDIX 5 JAMES L. GREENLEAF BIOGR
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APPENDIX 6 THE HYDE PARK LANDSCAPE
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Vitale and Geiffert, Ferruccio Vita
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158 cu. yds. 3/4" stone June 25, 18
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November 8, 1899 Wm. A. Caire: pipe
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may be significant in their own rig
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Comments Character-defining Feature
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Comments Character-Defining Feature
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feed grown on the adjacent estate f
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Circulation Bard Rock Road Road has
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Lower Gate House Designed by the fi
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dry-laid stone retaining walls. Wal
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half-circle in plan, rubble filled
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Landscape Characteristics of the Hy
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GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL TERMS Thi
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"Châteauesque buildings, always of
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not only in the 1860s, but also the
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argeboards, hood molding over windo
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Louis XVI Style - The nineteenth ce
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their ridges meeting at right angle
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"Rustic Work - Decoration by means
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"That of the reign of Queen Victori
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BUSINESS LIFE OF FREDERICK VANDERBI
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EDWARD WALES Ruth Wales (daughter)
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HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY The co
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VASSAR COLLEGE LIBRARY, SPECIAL COL
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Andrews, Wayne. The Vanderbilt Lege
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Granger, Alfred Hoyt. Charles Folle
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O'Brien, Raymond. J. American Subli
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ARTICLES AND PAMPHLETS "American Pl
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Metcalf, Pauline. "The Interiors of
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REPORTS Albee, Peggy A. Home of Fra
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_____. Historic Structure and Groun
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_____. Untitled journal. 1904. Tran
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