National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Analysis of Historical Significance and Integrity by Resource Type
contributed significantly to the way work and relationships were structured within the house
and on the estate.
LAUNDRY
The most significant piece of laundry equipment is the Troy Drying Room which
consisted of a wood room installed in the laundry with thirteen steam-heated pull-out racks.
This was not a particularly new or advanced piece of laundry equipment, although it did enable
the rapid drying of articles and eliminated the need to hang laundry outside, an activity that
would compromise the dignity of the mansion. Moreover, laundresses at Hyde Park still
performed washing and ironing by hand, arduous tasks to say the least. The drying room is a
piece of equipment not found in the ordinary American home and so represents the escalation
of needs of the upper class and its ability to purchase machinery to answer those needs.
ELEVATOR/DUMBWAITER
The elevator and the dumbwaiter are ordinary pieces of equipment, although not found
in most homes where the kitchen and dining areas were usually on the same floor and the need
to regularly transport trunks to upper stories was less frequent. Both of these were originally
hand-powered at a time when it was perfectly possible to have either or both electrified.
CONCLUSIONS
The mechanical systems at Hyde Park were progressive yet not cutting-edge. They
represented an investment in equipment and systems that, for the most part, was restricted to
the wealthy and yet, at the same time, Vanderbilt made choices based on reliability and function
rather than display. However, the mechanical systems added to the luxurious nature of life at
the estate, lending convenience and mechanical support to the different aspects of daily living
that heretofore had been uncomfortable at best and oftentimes arduous. The mechanical
systems should also be interpreted in concert with and in opposition to the classical architecture
and the historicist interiors. The beaux-arts design literally sheathed the most modern of
building methods, concealing and yet utterly depending on the steel frame and miles of conduit
and ductwork hidden from view. Similarly, the quaint country architecture of the Power House
encased a thoroughly modern electrical plant, offering a contrast that belied the modern work
going on inside. The ease of life at the estate was enhanced by technologically produced
comforts and conveniences such as electric light, hot and cold running water, steam heat, and
communication devices. Historicism and modernity existed hand in glove, with both
contributing to the stature of the estate. While different from the decorative interiors, the
mechanical systems represent an escalation of expectations for comfort whose demands were as
compelling and integral to the design of the estate as were those of style and decor. That they
are preserved as thoroughly as they are at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is
significant.
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