Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-12-11
Mr.. Vanderbilt,s Home.

spent the greater part OF DIS lue - In mei AcS
contrast with the magnifcence which sur
rounded him after he took possession OF hi
mansion at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-frst ST..
in February, 1882. All his children were
born while he was vet farmer on Staten Is
land, and the family surroundings we're then
modest and even frugal The Commodore
would not brook anything else, and his high
est allowance to his son was $1,000 year
When he made William Fl. vice president Of
| the New York and Harlem road he brought
| him to New York and made him present OF
. house at Thirty-eighth st. and Fifth Ave
nue., from which Mr.. Vanderbilt moved to the
house No. $50 Fifth Avenue q few years la.
ter. Mrs. Vanderbilt. upon whom had de-
volved the task of bringing up large family
Of children, never aspired beyond the CON-
forts Ut this home. She never lost the sweet
| matroniy qualities that characterized hel
simple early life. and surrounded by the most
gorgeous walls and decorations. she still re-
membered with the greatest happiness the
quiet home Oh Staten Island and cherished
the friendships formed there. Her friends
know that she tried to dissuade her husband
from erecting the palace in which she now
| lives To friend who called upon her at
the time that Mr.. Vanderbilt was maturing
his plan, she said: 1--WE don't need a better
house than this, and hate to think of leaving
this house where we have lived so comfort
ably. have told William that if he wants a
| finer place for his pictures, to build gallery
| to which be could go whenever he felt in
clined; this is too good house to leave.
will never feel at home in the new place. l
remember the first picture that we ever
bought. We paid ninety dollars for 1t, and
were afraid TO let our friends know how ex-
travagant we had been ! have the picture
yet, and there is more pleasure to me in look
| ing at il than upon all the Meissoners and other
great pictures in the house." The picture to
which Mrs. Vanderbilt referred still hangs
over her bed.
| The family is prolific one. William FL.
was one of thirteen brothers and sisters, and
to him were born nine children, of whom on
| ly one died. Seven of the eight living are
married. and the growth of the family has
been so rapid that, despite the intimacy exist
ing between father and children. William Fl.
was no more able than was his father to call
the names of all his grandchildren.
THE VANDERBILT House.
Mr. Vanderbilt having resolved, soon after
his fathers death, to build a house which
should be a monument to his wealth, carried
out his plan in magnificent manner. He
began in 1879, and though the work was
pubutO Will CuciBs anu idpihitv opu vas
completed in two years, he was frequently
alarmed lest he should rot live to enter it.
The de signing, construction and furnishing of
the house were left wholly to the artists en-
p!oyed by Mr.. Vanderbilt, they having power
to ransack the world and spare no money to
build the most sumptuous private home in the
United States. He insured congenial neigh
bors by purchasing the entire Fifth avenue
front between Fifty-frst 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 in external appearance much
alike. but differ widely in their interior ar
rangements and furnishing. They are of
brown-stone and their architectural style is
of the Renaissance. large vestibule be-
tween gives admission to both houses, but it
is only with that of William H. that this
sketch is concerned 1t represents an actual
outlay of 100000, irrespective of the su-
perb picture gallery which it contains. More
than 600 men were employed for a year and
half on the interior decorations, and sixty
sculptors brought here from Europe were
kept at work the same length of time. The
work Of building and furnishing the house
occupied two years, and Its completion with
in that period was looked upon as an extraor-
binary feat.
The doors leading from the vestibule into
Mr.. Vanderbit's house are copies, reduced
IN size, of Ghiberti's famous bronze gates in
Florence. They cost $1,000, and were ex-
hibited by Barbedenne in the Paris EXPOSE
ton of 1873. Passing through these one enters
a private vestibule from which three
bronze doors give entrance to the main
hall, small dressing-room, and Mr.. Van
derbilt's private reception room. The hall
extends to the roof of the house, and is sur
rounded in the upper stories by galleries lead
ing to the chambers. 1t, sides show high
wanscotings of English oak square columns
of dark red African marble, with bronze capi-
tails, support the galleries, and facing the
entrance is fine open fireplace. Carved
oakep benches flank the door on the eastern
side, which leads to the drawing-room, the
ceiling of which is a painting by Gillauc, of
Paris. The walls are hung with pale red
velvet embroidered with designs of foliage
and occasional flowers and butterflies. en-
riched with cut crystals, suggestive of dew
drops. The lights are arranged In eight
vases of stained and jeweled glass disposed
at the corners, at the angles of the large east
window, and at the sides of the door. Some
of these vases stand on pedestals of onyx
with bronze trimming, while the lights in the
corners are backed by mirrors and rest on
black velvet bases.
In the library the most striking feature is
the nlaid work. Mother-of-pearl and brass
are inlsid on mahogany and rosewood in an
old Greek pattern. The furniture of the
room corresponds in design and decoration
with the walls. The ceiling is fretted and
has rich giit-work and small square mirrors.
In the doorway of the west wall hang heavy
curtains, separating the library from Mr..
Vsnderbilt's private reception room with
heavy mahogany wsinscoting 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-rom is finished in the style of the
Italian Renaissance. The wood is English
oak, delicately carved in relief. The space,
between the wainscot and the ceiling and the
large centre panel in the ceiling are filled
with paintings by Luminals, of Paris, repre-
senting hunting scenes
The great picture gallery is to the west Of
the main hall and occupies the entire rear OF
the building. The dimensions are 80 feet by
As The ceiling is thirty-ive feet in height
and is formed chiefly of a skylight in opale.
scent and tinted glass combined in quaint de
signs. monumental mantelpiece of Afri
can marble with cone of glass mosaic-worl
is in the west wall. The wood work is black
oak with San Domingo mahogany for thu
aryatides and pilasters. The floor is inlaid
with the same mahogany and bordered with
mosaic of Sienna and black marble in tn,