Marble House, one of the most opulent Gilded Age palaces, was a birthday gift to Alva Vanderbilt. By the second part of the 19th century, Newport, Rhode Island, turned from a pretty seaside town into an opulent Gilded Age resort. Built as summer houses for the Gilded Age elites, the grand mansions looked like the…
Tag: Gilded Age Mansions
Central Park and the Museum Mile – city exploration game
New York. City of dreams, where fates turn in a flash, for better… or worse. You’re Thomas Clark, a famed detective known for solving art crimes. You’ve traveled the world finding long-lost masterpieces. No false modesty here – YOU ARE THE BEST. You’ve been hired to solve a case connected to Central Park. You are ready……
Gilded Age Mansions: Fletcher House/Sinclair Mansion
One of New York City’s most impressive turn-of-the-century Gilded Age mansions—located on 5th Avenue at 79th Street—houses the Ukrainian Institute. The mansion was built in 1899 for Isaac D. Fletcher—businessman, art collector and museum benefactor. It was designed in the elaborate Châteauesque style by C.P.H. Gilbert, who was known for many notable palatial residences for the wealthy. Châteauesque, inspired by…
The Waldorf-Astoria: hyphenated hotel and a family scandal
Most family scandals don’t result in hotel construction. However, the famed Waldorf-Astoria owes its existence to the Astor family quarrel. The Astor fortune was divided between two branches of the Astor family headed by the two grandsons of the dynasty founder – John Jacob Astor III and William Backhouse Astor, Jr. Each of them had…