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35-574: The mansion was built for William Kissam Vanderbilt , second son of William H. Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam from 1878 to 1882. Determined to make her mark in New York society, Vanderbilt's wife Alva worked with the architect, Richard Morris Hunt , to create the French Renaissance-style chateau. Her renowned fancy-dress ball, held here in March 1883 and attended by a thousand people, captured

70-590: A Louis XIII style manor house along with three thoroughbred race tracks in Carrières-sous-Poissy , an hour outside Paris and on the route to Deauville , famous for its horse racing. Vanderbilt was a co-owner of the yacht Defender , which won the 1895 America's Cup and briefly owned the large steam yacht Consuelo . Vanderbilt was a founder and president of the New Theatre . Vanderbilt made significant charitable contributions to Vanderbilt University ,

105-409: A draft of her memoirs, Alva, then Mrs. Belmont, merely noted the demolition in passing. The site is currently occupied by the 660 Fifth Avenue office building. Although William Vanderbilt was involved in some of the design of the house, it was primarily a result of the collaboration of Alva Vanderbilt and the architect. Hunt used a blending of late French Gothic style and Beaux-Arts refinement for

140-451: A number of important races in France including: On April 20, 1875, Vanderbilt married his first wife, Alva Erskine Smith , daughter of Murray Forbes Smith and Phoebe Ann Desha. Together, they had three children: Alva later coerced Consuelo into marrying Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough on November 6, 1895. Alva divorced Vanderbilt in March 1895, at a time when divorce

175-607: A private university in Nashville, Tennessee , named for his grandfather. Vanderbilt died in Paris on July 22, 1920. His remains were brought home and interred in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum in New Dorp, Staten Island , New York. Vanderbilt's portrait, painted by F. W. Wright from an original painting by Richard Hall between 1911 and 1921, was donated to Vanderbilt University in 1921; it

210-468: A single boat, he grew his fleet until he was competing with Robert Fulton for dominance of the New York waterways, his energy and eagerness earning him the nickname "Commodore", a United States Navy title for a captain of a small task force. Fulton's company had established a monopoly on trade in and out of New York Harbor . Vanderbilt, based in New Jersey at the time, flouted the law, steaming in and out of

245-776: A summary of the contents of Vanderbilt’s Will, which included: No provision was made as to the appointment of the $ 5,000,000 Trust he had received under his father’s Will, which was distributed to his three children in equal shares as per the Terms of the Trust. The Gross Value of the Estate was reported to be $ 54,530,966.59 following the decree fixing the income tax payable in the Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court on 6 March 1923. His sons William Vanderbilt Jr and Harold Vanderbilt received $ 21,252,757.38 and $ 21,739,867.38 respectively after

280-744: Is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age . Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt , and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City ; luxurious "summer cottages" in Newport , Rhode Island; the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville , North Carolina; and various other opulent homes . The family also built Berkshire cottages in

315-650: Is hung in Kirkland Hall. In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS William K. Vanderbilt was named in his honor. Founding member of the Jekyll Island Club aka The Millionaires Club on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Contemporary estimates reported in newspapers in August 1920 speculated that the total estate of Vanderbilt was between $ 40,000,000 to $ 100,000,000. The law firm Anderson & Anderson published

350-501: Is the largest house in the United States . While some of Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants gained fame in business, others achieved prominence in other ways: In 1855, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt donated 45 acres (18 ha) of property to the Moravian Church and Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island , New York. Later, his son William Henry Vanderbilt donated a further 4 acres (1.6 ha). The Vanderbilt Family Mausoleum

385-745: The Duke of Marlborough James Spencer-Churchill . The progenitor of the Vanderbilt family was Jan Aertszoon or Aertson (1620–1705), a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt in Utrecht , Netherlands , who emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland as an indentured servant to the Van Kouwenhoven family in 1650. The name of Jan's village, in the genitive case , was added to the Dutch " van " ("from") to create " Van der Bilt ", which evolved into "Vanderbilt" when

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420-492: The Moravian Church to his death. The Vanderbilt family lived on Staten Island until the mid-1800s, when the Commodore built a house on Washington Place (in what is now Greenwich Village ). Although he always occupied a relatively modest home, members of his family would use their wealth to build magnificent mansions . Shortly before his death in 1877, Vanderbilt donated US$ 1 million (equivalent to $ 29 million in 2023) for

455-746: The Shubert Organization who then transformed it into the Winter Garden Theatre . After his divorce from Alva, he moved to France where he built a château and established the Haras du Quesnay horse racing stable and breeding farm near Deauville in France's famous horse region of Lower Normandy . Among the horses he owned was the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly Maskette , purchased from Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, for broodmare services at his French breeding farm. Vanderbilt's horses won

490-485: The Vanderbilt family , he managed his family's railroad investments. William Kissam Vanderbilt I was born on December 12, 1849, in New Dorp, New York , on Staten Island . His parents were Maria Louisa Kissam and William Henry Vanderbilt , the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt , an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family who was the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885. He

525-547: The English took control of New Amsterdam (now Manhattan ). The family is associated with the Dutch patrician Van der Bilt. His great-great-great-grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt , began the rise of the Vanderbilt dynasty. He was the fourth of nine children born into a Staten Island family of modest means. Through his paternal great-great grandmother, Abigail Southard, he descends from Republic of Salé President Jan Janszoon and his son Anthony Janszoon van Salee . They were among

560-521: The Vanderbilt fortune. He built the first of what would become many grand Vanderbilt mansions on Fifth Avenue , at 640 Fifth Avenue. William Henry appointed his first son, Cornelius Vanderbilt II , as the next "Head of House". Cornelius II built the largest private home in New York, at 1 West 57th Street , containing approximately 154 rooms, designed by George B. Post . He also built The Breakers in Newport , Rhode Island. Cornelius II's brother, William Kissam Vanderbilt , also featured prominently in

595-460: The deduction of all debts, expenses, administration, attorney’s fees, and the levying of New York State Estate Tax of $ 1,934,571.73 and Federal Estate Tax of $ 11,459,290.16. Contemporary reports also suggest that Vanderbilt gifted $ 15,000,000 to his daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, and $ 1,000,000 each to her sons The Marquess of Blandford and Lord Ivor Churchill several months prior to his death. Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family

630-437: The design of the three-and-a-half-story mansion. The elaborate asymmetrical facade was faced in gray Indiana limestone , with an irregular roof of blue-gray slate trimmed with copper. The masonry firm of Ellin and Kitson executed the extensive exterior and interior stone carving, reportedly employing more than 40 artisans. Contemporary architectural critics generally gave good reviews of the design, with most noting that this

665-474: The earliest arrivals to 17th-century New Amsterdam . In a number of documents dating back to that period, Anthony is described as tawny, as his mother was of Berber origin from Cartagena in the Kingdom of Murcia . Cornelius Vanderbilt left school at age 11 and went on to build a shipping and railroad empire that, during the 19th century, would make him one of the wealthiest men in the world. Starting with

700-470: The establishment of Vanderbilt University in Nashville . The Commodore left the majority of his enormous fortune to his eldest son, William Henry Vanderbilt . William Henry, who outlived his father by just eight years, increased the profitability of his father's holdings, increased the reach of the New York Central Railroad , and doubled the Vanderbilt wealth. He was the only heir to increase

735-744: The family's affairs. He also built a home on Fifth Avenue and would become one of the great architectural patrons of the Gilded Age , hiring the architects for (the third, and surviving) Grand Central Terminal . He also built Marble House at 596 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. George Washington Vanderbilt II , the 3rd and youngest son of William Henry Vanderbilt and youngest brother of Cornelius II, hired architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to construct Biltmore Estate on 125,000 acres (51,000 ha) near Asheville , North Carolina. The 250 room mansion, with 175,856 sq ft (16,337.6 m ) of floor space,

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770-440: The fireplace ensemble. The opposite end of the room featured a musicians gallery. The banquet hall was illuminated by a large stained glass window by Eugène Oudinot. [REDACTED] Media related to William K. Vanderbilt House at Wikimedia Commons William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920 ) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist, and horse breeder. Born into

805-529: The harbor under a flag that read, "New Jersey Must Be Free!" He also hired the attorney Daniel Webster to argue his case before the United States Supreme Court ; Vanderbilt won, thereby establishing an early precedent for the United States' first laws of interstate commerce . While many Vanderbilt family members had joined the Episcopal Church , Cornelius Vanderbilt remained a member of

840-636: The mid-20th century, when the family's 10 great Fifth Avenue mansions were torn down, and most other Vanderbilt houses were sold or turned into museums in what has been referred to as the "Fall of the House of Vanderbilt". Branches of the family are found on the United States East Coast . Contemporary descendants include American art historian John Wilmerding , journalist Anderson Cooper (son of Gloria Vanderbilt ), actor Timothy Olyphant , musician John P. Hammond , screenwriter James Vanderbilt , and

875-523: The public's attention. The structure, a reflection of Alva's love of all things French, was one of the earliest chateau style mansions in New York City and served as inspiration for many later designs throughout the country by Hunt and others. It was sold to real-estate developer Benjamin Winter, Sr. in 1926, demolished in 1927, and replaced by a commercial building for the fashion retailers Hickson Inc. In

910-498: The walls. On the opposite side was the 33-by-18-foot (10.1 m × 5.5 m) parlor. It featured panelling in walnut, carved in the style of Grinling Gibbons . Next to the parlor was the Louis Quinze -style 33-by-38-foot (10 m × 12 m) salon, designed and built in Paris by Jules Allard . This room helped launch the taste in New York for French 18th century-style interiors. Its most important piece of furniture

945-422: The western end of the grand hall one entered the banquet hall. At 50 by 35 feet (15 m × 11 m) and two stories high, it was the largest room in the house. It was Gothic in style, with seven foot high wainscoting , topped with Caen stone walls. One end of the room contained a massive double fireplace with marble caryatids supporting an oak over-mantel by Karl Bitter . A second floor gallery topped

980-423: The western region of Massachusetts; examples include Elm Court (Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts) . The Vanderbilts were once the wealthiest family in the United States. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the richest American until his death in 1877. After that, his son William Henry Vanderbilt acquired his father's fortune, and was the richest American until his death in 1885. The Vanderbilts' prominence lasted until

1015-710: Was a widow to sportsman Samuel Stevens Sands and to Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr. , son of the astronomer Lewis Morris Rutherfurd . Her second husband had died in Switzerland in 1901. She had two sons by her first marriage and two daughters by her second marriage. She had no children by Vanderbilt. Like other prominent Vanderbilts, he built magnificent houses . His residences included Idle Hour (1900) on Long Island and Marble House (1892), designed by Richard Morris Hunt , in Newport, Rhode Island . Hunt also designed Vanderbilt's 660 Fifth Avenue mansion (1883). In 1907, Vanderbilt and his second wife built Château Vanderbilt,

1050-644: Was an ebony secretary, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art , that was built by Jean Henri Riesener for the use of Marie Antoinette at the Château de Saint-Cloud . The focal point of the salon was the ceiling, painted with a mythological scenes by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry . He had recently completed ceiling paintings for the Palais Garnier . Beyond the salon was the 20-by-27-foot (6.1 m × 8.2 m) breakfast room and an adjoining butler's pantry. At

1085-436: Was much of the interior. It was worked and carved with decorative relief. Forming a "T" off of the right-hand center of the grand hall was the stone grand staircase, with a huge elaborately carved fireplace on the opposite facing wall. The first of the principal rooms upon entering the grand hall from the east was the 18-by-14-foot (5.5 m × 4.3 m) library, with 16th century French Renaissance panelling covering

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1120-450: Was not, as had previously been the case with Carpenter Gothic architecture, the pasting of Gothic detail onto an essentially American frame building. The interior was entered from Fifth Avenue via an entrance vestibule. The vestibule opened onto a 60-foot (18 m) long grand hall, which could be used to access all of the primary first floor rooms. The grand hall was faced in Caen stone , as

1155-621: Was on railroad property by Madison Square Park , he renamed the facility Madison Square Garden . Vanderbilt was one of the founders of The Jockey Club . He was a shareholder and president of the Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York, and the owner of a successful racing stable. In 1881, he built the American Horse Exchange at 50th Street (Manhattan) and Broadway. In 1911 he leased it (and eventually sold it to)

1190-608: Was rare among the elite, and received a large financial settlement reported to be in excess of $ 10 million (equal to about $ 370 million today). The grounds for divorce were allegations of Vanderbilt's adultery. Indeed, one account of cheating on his wife was with none other than the Duchess of Manchester, Consuelo Yznaga, also known as his wife's best friend. Alva remarried to one of their old family friends, Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont , on January 11, 1896. In 1903, Vanderbilt married Anne Harriman , daughter of banker Oliver Harriman . She

1225-499: Was the third of eight children born to his parents. His siblings were Cornelius Vanderbilt II , Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt , Emily Thorn Vanderbilt , Florence Adele Vanderbilt , Frederick William Vanderbilt , Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt , and George Washington Vanderbilt II . Vanderbilt inherited $ 55 million (equal to about $ 1.9 billion today) from his father in 1885. He managed his family railroad investments. In 1879, after taking over P. T. Barnum 's Great Roman Hippodrome which

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