National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

The Gilded Age and Country Places
In comparing Frederick and Louise's houses with those of his siblings, it is apparent that
Frederick sought, on the one hand, to define his own style and independence, and on the other
was greatly influenced and even competitive in consideration of certain elements such as the
farming component of his estate.
Hyde Park was small in comparison with Idle Hour, Woodlea, Florham, Elm Court,
Shelburne Farms, and Biltmore. Frederick's original plan was to renovate the existing Langdon
Mansion, and add two wings, much like his neighbor Ogden Mills had done at Staatsburgh.
When it became apparent that the Langdon Mansion was unsound structurally, a new house
was designed using the basic footprint of the old house. Into this footprint, however, a new plan
emerged where the flow of space and disposition of rooms was perfected. The house was
tastefully elegant though it hardly stood up to the elaborate displays of his siblings. It is
significant that the controlled and concise Charles McKim was in charge of the commission.
The Vanderbilts might have wished for the more modest accommodation of the original plan to
renovate the Langdon Mansion, but undoubtedly felt when forced to start over that they should
build a house befitting members of their social sphere. Moreover, because of their relatively
sedate lifestyle, the seasonal routine of the Frederick Vanderbilts (who had no children) gives a
truer picture of country life in the 1890s than the often-sensational doings of their peers and
relatives. 174
The classical mansion with half-round portico and majestic columns echoes the earlier
Langdon house. Of all of the Vanderbilt houses, it was as formal and closest in style to Marble
House in Newport in its choice of a French classical prototype. The grounds competed on most
levels with those of the other estates and had the special cachet of being historic. The element of
history was not lost on Frederick and Louise. They had been introduced to the area by Mr. and
Mrs. Ogden Mills; Mrs. Mills was a Livingston by birth. By purchasing the Langdon Estate they
were immediately thrust into the local social circle of old line New Yorkers. Hyde Park
accommodated small but gracious groups of country house guests. The suites were well
appointed and tastefully decorated. Larger entertainments and balls were given, although it
seems rarely. The plan of the house was formal and grand without being overwhelming. The
layout and progression of rooms from the entry and hall leading to the west porch with
magnificent views of the Hudson on one axis, and from the Dining Room to the Living Room,
both grand entertaining spaces on the other axis were marked by clarity and elegance. Smaller,
more intimate rooms such as the Den, which was a much-used space, show the informal side of
Frederick and Louise. Three different decorators decorated the interiors: McKim, Georges
Glaenzer, and Ogden Codman. Stanford White played the important role of antique dealer, and
procured enough old furniture, sculpture, accessories, chandeliers, and rugs to give the mansion
the imperial feeling of an Old World estate. While Codman had decorated the bedrooms at The
Breakers for Cornelius and Alice Vanderbilt, this was the only domestic commission that
Georges Glaenzer seems to have executed for the Vanderbilt family. Here too, one sees
Frederick and Louise taking some leads and going in their own direction. Frederick did not
have the passion for collecting that his father or some of his siblings had, but the tapestries and
porcelains at Hyde Park are quite fine and blend in with the decor in a very harmonious manner.
Hyde Park was Frederick and Louise's favorite house, marked by the fact that they never
sold it and returned without fail to spend part of every year in the Hudson Valley. By 1895,
when they bought Hyde Park, they had already lost interest in Newport. They kept Rough
174 Hewitt, 128.
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