On my last visit to New York, a friend Rosemary and I decided to take a drive out to the north shore of Long Island to the town of
Centerport, in Suffolk County, where through these elegant iron gates stands "The
Eagle's Nest," an estate of
William K. Vanderbilt II, the heir to one of America's greatest fortunes. Upon Vanderbilt's death in 1944 the property became the
Vanderbilt Mansion, Museum, and Planetarium. (All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge for easier viewing by clicking on them)
The estate property includes 43 rolling acres and a panoramic view of Northport Bay and the Long Island Sound that delighted Vanderbilt when he had the estate constructed in three stages during the years 1910 through 1936.
The first phase of construction was the building of a 24 room
Spanish revival mansion, designed by the famed New York architecture firm of Warren and Wetmore, the same architects responsible for designing and constructing New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Gorgeous architectural details could be seen everywhere, and it was evident no expense had been spared when the complex of buildings was constructed.
As my friend and I walked into the central courtyard and glanced around at all the structures, I was transported back to the era of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel,
The Great Gatsby...
,,,. where once rich and privileged socialites gathered in summer mansions along what was called the Gold Coast of Long Island. They held glittering parties, listened to jazz, and filled their homes with expensive art, furnishings, and priceless possessions.
The grand splendor of the Vanderbilt Mansion was still visible, but, sadly, there was also a sense of an era long past its elegant glory and in faded decay. Just as the enigmatic flapper Daisy Buchanan, from the Great Gatsby novel, would have aged by now to have become a wrinkled old crone, the Vanderbilt Mansion showed the ravages of age, weather and neglect on its body.
The mansion and grounds are now operated by Suffolk County, and
this Wikipedia article states that
"..there has been a tumultuous relationship between the parties who own and the parties who oversee and run the museum. Currently, Suffolk County officials are experiencing difficulty receiving and allocating funds to keep the museum running. The museum's endowment from previews occupant, William Vanderbilt, was tied up in stock and bonds, which as a result of the economy proved to be a less than desirable financial safety net...."
It would be a shame to let this enchanting time capsule, and one of the last remaining
Gold Coast Mansions, to fall into ruin, and we did see some efforts being made to maintain the property during our visit. I wish I could show you the rooms and artifacts inside the mansion, especially Mrs. Vanderbilt's elegant dressing room and closet, filled with hat boxes and rotating hangers, which my friend and I found very interesting, but unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside the mansion,
I managed to take this photo inside the museum portion of the property before I was told no photography was allowed inside the museum either. If you are not impressed by touring the rooms of the mansion, then the museum of Vanderbilt's personal collections would be a reason enough to visit! William K Vanderbilt II, during his oceanic expeditions on his various yachts, sailed around the globe and collected thousands of specimens of birds, invertebrates, and marine life for
his museum, They are all on display in different exhibitions. He also worked with artisans from the American Museum of Natural History to create a room of marine and animal taxidermy dioramas, including a 32-foot whale shark and a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy! It was really fascinating to see his well-curated collections.
The Vanderbilt property also includes the
Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium. It recently underwent a 4 million dollar renovation, with cutting edge technological updates, and it is now considered one of the finest and most advanced in the United States. Seasonal shows and special features for children, families, and school audiences are produced and conducted by trained astronomy educators.
The Vanderbilt Mansion, Museum, and Planetarium has one of the most impressive views of the Long Island Sound, although as time marched on in the area it now sadly came to include a view of the ugly
Northport Power Station in the distance.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
was influenced by his visits to various opulent Long Island Gold Coast homes during the roaring, 20's and perhaps the Vanderbilt Mansion was one of them?
Once over 500
Gold Coast Mansions existed on Long Island's north shore in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and today less than 200 survive. The remaining mansions are used as hotels, event venues for tours and parks and some remain privately owned mansions and a few are for sale.
If you want to take a step back into the past, the Gold Coast Mansions open to the public are the place to begin. My friend and I enjoyed our visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion, Museum Planetarium, and we both hope to visit a few more of these beautiful mansions in the future.
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