BASEMENT OF THE MANSION

The basement contains the rooms that were used by male employees of the mansion. There were single rooms for the three butlers, a room for visiting valets, and a room for the day and night men. In addition there were four storage rooms, two laundry rooms, a pressing room, a wine cellar, and an ice room. The kitchen was located under the dining room. Food prepared here was lifted via a large dumbwaiter to the butler’s pantry on the first floor, then carried from there into the dining room, where it was served. The servants’ hall, used as a recreation and dining room by the servants, was also located in the basement.

Description of the Grounds

Trees.

For almost two centuries these grounds have been part of country estates owned by influential and wealthy men. The magnificent specimen trees which they planted here may be ranked as a feature of interest second only to the mansion itself. Approximately two score species and varieties are represented, many of them from Europe and Asia.

Trees of foreign origin include European ash, European beech, English elm, Norway spruce, Norway maple, the red-leaved Japanese maple, and a ginkgo, or Chinese maidenhair-tree. This ginkgo is among the largest of that species in the United States.

Among the native American trees represented are sugar maple, flowering dogwood, eastern hemlock, Kentucky coffeetree, white oak, black oak, eastern white pine, and blue spruce. Other fine examples of their kind include large beeches, bur oak, and a great cucumber magnolia. Many of these trees are labeled.

Pavilion.

Designed by McKim, Mead, and White, this building was erected by Norcross Brothers in 66 working days, September 8 to November 24, 1895, on the site of the old Langdon carriage house. Cost of the structure probably exceeded $50,000. The pavilion was used by the Vanderbilts during the construction and furnishing of the mansion, and, later, on weekends in the winter season when they came to Hyde Park for winter sports. The pavilion was also used to house the overflow of guests from the mansion.

The pavilion represents an adaption of classic Greek architecture. Certain liberties have been taken in the interest of functional arrangement, such as the placement of window openings and modifications necessary for the captain’s walk on the roof. The result is a pleasing combination of classic form and informal detail.

Ginkgo, or Chinese maidenhair-tree.

Gardener’s Cottage and Tool House.

These two buildings, located south of the mansion, are the only structures on the estate that antedate the Vanderbilt era. Walter Langdon had them built in 1875 according to the design of John H. Sturgis and Charles Brigham, architects of Boston, Mass. Neither building is open to the public.

The Italian Gardens.

These gardens, which lay south of the mansion, may possibly date back as far as Dr. Samuel Bard’s era in 1795. They certainly existed in 1830 as a part of Dr. David Hosack’s estate, and the later owner, Walter Langdon, continued to maintain them. Landscape architect James L. Greenleaf radically revised and enlarged the gardens in 1902-3 for Frederick Vanderbilt.

The gardens thus represent several periods of development. They were divided into three units: The greenhouse gardens, the cherry walk and pool gardens, and the rose garden. The first of these consisted of three separate parterre gardens within a rectangle framed on the west by the rose and palm houses and on the north by the toolhouse, carnation house, and gardener’s cottage. The cherry walk and pool gardens were located east of this group at a lower level, and progressed from the pergola to the garden house. The rose garden, still further east, had two terraces and contained panel beds.

North Drive and North (Exit) Gate.

The land north of the pavilion was added to the estate in 1905. From the north drive are unsurpassed views of the Hudson, the Shawangunk Range to the west, and the Catskill Mountains to the north. The north gate was erected in 1906. Directly opposite, on the east side of the Albany Post Road, are the Vanderbilt barns, built in 1901. This part of the estate is now in private ownership.

Main (Entrance) Gate and Gatehouse.

These structures date from 1898 and again represent the combination of McKim, Mead, and White-Norcross Brothers. The gatehouse is still used as a residence and is closed to the public.

Main gatehouse.

White Bridge.

This bridge over Crum Elbow Creek was designed and constructed in 1897 by the New York City engineering firm of W. T. Hiscox and Company. A Melan arch bridge, it was one of the first steel and concrete bridges in the United States.

River gatehouse.

River Gate and Gatehouse.

The carriage road and Crum Elbow Creek proceed southward, ending near the Hyde Park railroad station at the Hudson River. Near this point is the river gate and gate lodge. These were designed by McKim, Mead, and White, and constructed by Norcross Brothers in 1898. The gatehouse is still used as a residence and is closed to the public.

The Coach Home.

Located on the river hill, a short distance east (or above) the river gate, is the coach house. It was designed by the New York City architect, R. H. Robertson, and erected by Norcross Brothers in 1897. In 1910, R. H. Robertson altered the coach house so it could also be used as a garage.

THE VANDERBILT FAMILY TREE
(Based on Andrews, Vanderbilt Legend, p. 79)

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT I (1794-1877), “The Commodore” m. Sophia Johnson m. (2) Frank Crawford (no children) 3 other sons 8 daughters WILLIAM HENRY I (1821-1885) m. Maria Louisa Kissam 4 daughters Cornelius II (1843-1899) m. Alice Gwynne Cornelius III (The General) m. Grace Wilson Cornelius IV (Author and journalist) Gertrude m. Harry P. Whitney C. V. Whitney Reginald Claypole m. Cathleen Neilson Cathleen m. (2) Gloria Morgan Gloria Vanderbilt Gladys Moore (The Breakers) m. Count Laszlo Szechenyi 5 daughters Alfred Gwynne I (went down on the Lusitania, 1915) m. Elsie French William Henry III (Former Governor of Rhode Island) m. (2) Margaret E. McKim Alfred Gwynne (President of Belmont Park) George Washington III FREDERICK WILLIAM (1856-1938) m. Louise Anthony Torrance (no children) George Washington II (1862-1914) (Biltmore) m. Edith Stuyvesant Dresser Cornelia m. Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil George Harry Vanderbilt Cecil William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil William Kissam I (1849-1920) m. Alva Smith m. (2) Anne H. S. Rutherford (no children) Consuelo m. 9th Duke of Marlborough John, Marquis of Blandford Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill m. (2) Louis-Jacques Balsan William Kissam II m. Virginia G. Fair Muriel Consuelo William Kissam III m. (2) Rose L. Warburton Harold Stirling (Famous yachtsman) m. Gertrude Connaway

Travel Routes to the Site

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is on the New York-Albany Post Road, U.S. 9, at the northern edge of Hyde Park, N.Y., about 6 miles north of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. From New York City, 82 miles away, you can reach it most conveniently by automobile over the Hendrick Hudson Parkway, the Saw Mill River Parkway, the Taconic State Parkway, U.S. 55, and U.S. 9. Approaches from the New York State Throughway and U.S. 9W on the west side of the Hudson River are by the Mid-Hudson Bridge at Poughkeepsie, the Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill, or the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge at Kingston.

About Your Visit

You enter the grounds by the main gate on U.S. 9, just north of the village of Hyde Park. You leave the site by the north drive and gate on U.S. 9, near St. James Church. The exit drive affords fine views of the Hudson River and the mountains to the west.

The grounds are open every day from 9 a.m. until dark. You are welcome to spend as much time as you wish viewing them.

The mansion is open every day during the summer, June 15 through Labor Day. It is closed Mondays at other seasons, and on Christmas Day. Visiting hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The nominal admission charge to the mansion does not apply to children under 12, nor to groups of elementary and high school children, regardless of age, and accompanying adults who assume responsibility for their safety and orderly conduct.

A self-guided tour system enables you to begin your tour of the mansion immediately upon arrival. Special guide service for groups may be arranged in advance through the superintendent.

There are no accommodations for picnicking or dining at the site. These services are available in the village of Hyde Park and at Norrie State Park, 4 miles north. Overnight accommodations are available in the village.

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, administered jointly with this site, is 2 miles south of the village of Hyde Park on U.S. 9. It is open at the same times as Vanderbilt Mansion.

The National Historic Site

View from west lawn across the Hudson.

When Frederick W. Vanderbilt died in 1938, the Hyde Park estate was bequeathed to Mrs. James Van Alen, a niece of Mrs. Vanderbilt. Two years later, Mrs. Van Alen gave the estate to the Federal Government, and on December 18, 1940, it was designated a National Historic Site. Since that time it has been administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

A superintendent, whose address is Hyde Park, N.Y., is in immediate charge. His offices are in the pavilion.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
HISTORICAL HANDBOOK SERIES

FOR SALE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 25, D.C.

Antietam (No. 31), 25 cents Bandelier (No. 23), 25 cents Chalmette (No. 29), 25 cents Chickamauga and Chattanooga Battlefields (No. 25), 25 cents Custer Battlefield (No. 1), 20 cents Custis-Lee Mansion (No. 6), 25 cents Fort Laramie (No. 20), 25 cents Fort McHenry (No. 5), 25 cents Fort Necessity (No. 19), 25 cents Fort Pulaski (No. 18), 25 cents Fort Raleigh (No. 16), 25 cents Fort Sumter (No. 12), 25 cents George Washington Birthplace (No. 26), 25 cents Gettysburg (No. 9), 25 cents Guilford Courthouse (No. 30), 25 cents Hopewell Village (No. 8), 25 cents Independence (No. 17), 25 cents Jamestown, Virginia (No. 2), 25 cents Kings Mountain (No. 22), 25 cents The Lincoln Museum and the House Where Lincoln Died (No. 3), 25 cents Manassas (Bull Run) (No. 15), 25 cents Montezuma Castle (No. 27), 25 cents Morristown, A Military Capital of the Revolution (No. 7), 25 cents Ocmulgee (No. 24), 25 cents Petersburg Battlefields (No. 13), 25 cents Saratoga (No. 4), 25 cents Scotts Bluff (No. 28), 30 cents Shiloh (No. 10), 25 cents Statute of Liberty (No. 11), 25 cents Vanderbilt Mansion (No. 32), 40 cents Vicksburg (No. 21), 25 cents Yorktown (No. 14), 25 cents