Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-12-11
A PRINCELY RESIDENCE.

Mr. vanderbilt having resolved, soon
after his fathers death, to build, in New
York, a house which should be monument
to his wealth, carried out his plan in mag
nifcent manner. The work was begua in
1879 aud was completed in two years. The
artists employed had power to ransack the
world and spare no money to build the
most sumptuous private home in the United
States. He insured congenial neighbors by
purchasing the entire Fifth avenue front
between Fifty. first and Fifty second streets,
and building two houses side by side.
The house of Mr. Vanderbilt and that
built for his two daughters, Mrs. Sloane
and Mrs. Shepard, are of brown stone, and
are in external appearance much alike.
| Their architectural style is of the Rcnais-
| sance. A large vestibule between gives ad.
| mission to both houses. Mr.. Vanderbilt's
house represents an actual outlay of 81, ,00O.-
| 600, irrespective of the superb picture GAL
| lery which it contains. More than elk hun
dred men were employed for a year and a
| half on the interior decorations, and sixty
sculptors, brought from Europe, were kept
at work the same length of time. The work
of building and furnishing the house occu-
pied two years.
The doors leading from the vestihue into
Mr.. Fanderblts house are copies, reduced
| in size, OF Ghiberti's famous bronze gates in
Florence. They cost $4,000, and were en-
hibited in the Paris exposition CT 1878. Pas
sing through these one enters vestibu!e,
| from which three bronze doorsgiye entrance
| TO the main hall, n small dressing room and
Mr.. Vapderbilt's private reception room.
frba hpl1 ayfan1S n thu rnnf pf tho bpnE.,
aud is surrounded in the upper stories by
galleries leading to the chambers. It's sides
show high wainscotings of Englsh oak
square columns of dark red African marble,
with bronze capitals, support the galleries,
and facing the entrance is fine open fire
place. The door on the eastern side leads
| to the drawing room, the ceiling Of which is
| a painting by Gallaud, of Paris. The walls
| are hung with pale-red velvet, embroidered
| with designs offoliage and occasional flowers
| and butterflies, enriched with cut crystals,
suggestive of dewdrops. The lights are ar
| ranged in eight vases of stained and jeweled
glass, disposed at the corners Of the large
east window, and at the sides of the door.
Some of these vases stand on pcdestals Of
onyx, with bronze trimmings, while the
| lights in the corners are backed by mirrors
and rest on black velvet bases.
| In the library mother. of pearl and brass
are inlaid on mahogany and rosewood in an
old Greek pattern. The furniture of the
room corresponds in design and decora-
ton with the walls The ceiling is
fretted, and has rich gilt.work, and small
square mirrors. In the doorway of the west
wall hang heavy curtains separating the
library from Mr.. Vanderbilt's private recep-
ton room, with heavy mahogany wainscot-
ing, and ceiling of mahogany and stamped
leather. A Japanese parlor, with ceiling OF
bamboo and cabinet of Japanese pattern,
opens to the south. The dining room is
| finished in English oak, carved in relief
The spaces between the wainscot and the
ceiling and the large centre panel in the
ceiling, are filled with paintings by Lumi.
nais, of Paris, representing hunting scenes
The picture gallery is to the west of the
main hall, and occupies the entire rear OF
the building. The ceiling is 35 feet in
height, and is formed chiefly of a skylight in
tinted glass in quaint designs. A mantel.
piece of African marble, with cone of glass
mosaic work, is in the west wall. The
woodw work is black oak, with San Domingo
mag ghogany. The floor is inlaid with the
same mahogany and bordered with mosaic
of Sienna and black marble. Over the
doors of the north, east and south sides are
balconies connecting with the second story
of the house. The gallery has a separate
entrance from Fifty first street, of which
the vestibule is ntirely-hoor, walls and
ceiling-of marble mosaic work made in
Venice. North of the gallery is the aquar.
ellie room, finished in Moorish style with
Circassian walnut, touched here and there
with bright colors. These are the chic
rooms in the house.