National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Analysis of Historic Significance and Integrity for the Property
Historic Context: The role of Stanford White as an antiques dealer
Stanford White performed a special role at Hyde Park, that of an antiques dealer, which
qualified the mansion for significance under Criterion C. Whereas in other McKim, Mead &
White commissions White was responsible for all of the interior decoration, at Hyde Park he
was under the direction of Charles McKim. White was given a budget of $50,000 and a
shopping list from McKim. In the fall of 1897, he went to Europe to make purchases of
furniture, lighting fixtures, sculpture, architectural items and decorations. These purchases are
documented in the Stanford White Papers, and reveal one way in which a gilded-age country
place was furnished. The furnishings survive at Hyde Park.
Historic Context: The body of landscape design of Charles Greenleaf
The redesign and reconstruction of Hyde Park's formal gardens between 1903 and 1904
is significant within the context of landscape architecture as the work of a master landscape
architect, James L. Greenleaf. While the Italian Garden at Hyde Park is one of his earlier works,
Greenleaf completed a large body of design work and was later recognized at the national level
for its quality especially for his work on Country Place Era estates, where his use of classical
proportioning systems was tempered with the realities of site conditions. As a discreet element
within a much larger pre-existing landscape, the Italian Garden at Hyde Park serves as one of
the most intact surviving examples of Greenleaf's residential work.
Historic Context: The technology represented by the transportation, power, and mechanical systems
The mechanical systems at Hyde Park have significance under Criterion C as an example
of the interrelated nature of technology, luxury, comfort, and Beaux-Arts architectural design
standards in a gilded-age country place. The 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 on 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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