National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

many new plantings. The farm side of the estate was improved and highly productive during
the Vanderbilts' ownership.
Louise Vanderbilt's niece Margaret Van Alen inherited the estate in 1938, and after
briefly offering the estate for sale, she worked with Franklin D. Roosevelt to donate a
portion of it to the National Park Service. Only the estate acreage west of the Albany Post
Road was transferred to public ownership, while the farm side was sold. The public portion
of the estate was designated Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in 1940. The
transition from private to public ownership was accompanied by thorough documentation
of the specimen tree collection, photographic documentation of the estate, and initial master
planning. No substantial changes to the organization or character of the portion of the
property transferred to the NPS were carried out. Two small parking lots and one large
parking lot were added for visitor use. Over the years the greenhouses, two boathouses, and
tennis court were allowed to deteriorate and were eventually demolished. The woodland
edges and composition were altered by ecological succession, invasion of volunteer species,
and limited maintenance. The essential character of the landscape, mansion architecture,
and interiors remain intact.
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site was listed on the National Register on
October 15, 1966 and documented on October 6, 1980. The documentation form lists the
property as significant in the areas of architecture, economics, and landscape architecture
for the periods 1800 to 1899 and 1900 to [1999].
Today visitors are able to walk the grounds and take guided tours of many of
Vanderbilt Mansion's furnished rooms. The Pavilion serves as the park visitors' center.
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