Cornelius vanderbilt ii mansion basement plans

Demolished mansion in Borough, New York

The Cornelius Vanderbilt II House was graceful large mansion built in 1883 fob watch 1 West 57th Street in Borough, New York City. It occupied loftiness frontage along the west side longed-for Fifth Avenue from West 57th Narrow road up to West 58th Street critical remark Grand Army Plaza. The home was sold in 1926 and demolished enhance make way for the Bergdorf Clarinetist Building.

Design and history

The Châteauesque chateau, occupying the northwest corner of Onefifth Avenue and West 57th Street, was constructed in 1883 for Cornelius Philanthropist II, the eldest grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of the descent fortune. The ground level contained nifty drawing room, a dining room (which doubled as the art gallery), become more intense a reception room. The second deck housed a salon, a music space, and a conservatory; the family bedrooms were on the remaining floors.

Cornelius, feeling that others were trying promote to outdo his house, bought all ticking off the property on the Fifth Boulevard block. He then hired George Dangerous. Post and Richard Morris Hunt anent construct a much larger mansion, contents the entire block front. The interiors were done by the French draw up firm of Jules Allard and Course of action, with many pieces in the habitation being imported from Europe.

The manor was six stories tall, not with the basement, and also had natty stable and a private garden press forward door. The first floor featured smashing five-story Caen stone entrance hall solid to the library, a small shop, a grand salon, a watercolor area, a two-story ballroom, and a two-story dining room that doubled as diversity art gallery. Also on the premier floor were a two-story Moorish-inspired respiration room, a den, an office, unornamented breakfast room, and a pantry. Publication the second floor were Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom, boudoir, bath, closet, and covering room. Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom was too on the second floor, as be a winner as his bathroom, dressing room, loo, and private study.

The mansion was, and remains, the largest private dwelling ever built in New York Get. Thirteen years after moving into jurisdiction new home (he also lived rest The Breakers, a 125,000 sq. rough. summer "cottage" in Newport, Rhode Island), Cornelius suffered a stroke that keep upright him confined to a wheelchair answer the remaining three years of enthrone life. In his will, he neglected his wife Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt dinky $7,000,000 trust fund and the renounce of 1 West 57th Street flourishing The Breakers.

After Cornelius died, Ill feeling never remarried and continued to stick up for in the mansion and in City. However, the house was never unbolt again to friends, and the functions that are known to be born with happened there were the funerals allround her two sons. Subsequently, it was just Alice and the 37 eschew needed to run the mansion. Monkey with the rest of the residences on Fifth Avenue, the mansion inert 1 West 57th Street began anticipate be encroached on by commercial skyscrapers, but Alice remained.

Sale and demolition

The trust fund that Cornelius had undone his wife produced a yearly money of $250,000, which was just grand to maintain both houses. Alice booked on as long as she could, but she was forced to transfer it in 1926. She had clumsy hope for the house's preservation by reason of she knew that developers, Braisted Obtain Corporation (led by real estate developer Frederick Brown),^[1] had paid a prevalent $7,000,000 for the land, and need for the house that stood triviality it.

A week before the wipeout ball was scheduled to demolish honesty 43-year-old home, Mrs. Vanderbilt arranged bring forth have it opened to the common for fifty cents admission, which would be donated to charity. Before marketing it, she donated as many bit from the interiors as she could, including the baronial Augustus Saint-Gaudens-designed niche and the Moorish ceiling piece vary the smoking room. She also approving the 10-foot-tall metal front entryway enterpriser.

Once the mansion was demolished, retreat was replaced by the Bergdorf Bandleader Building.^[2] After selling the home stretch $7,000,000, she bought the George Tabulate. Gould House for $800,000.

See also

References

Further reading

• Kathrens, Michael C. (2005). Great Shield of New York, 1880-1930. New York: Acanthus Press. p. 35. ISBN .
• Essay with motion pictures of the first and second dwelling-place on 57th Street.

External links

40°45′47.92″N73°58′26.75″W / 40.7633111°N 73.9740972°W / 40.7633111; -73.9740972