I hold a
special place in my heart for both the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt families. These
two power players had significant influences on America for generations.
Thankfully there are still many places you can visit to see the legacy they
left behind up close. I have been to many of those to see how the other half
lived, not solely, but just in case I ever have the opportunity.
I love
Rhode Island and when I visit I love to pass through Newport. The town by the
sea has adorable shops, great restaurants, and of course some of the infamous
Summer Cottages I love touring. When speaking of the Vanderbilt’s that means
The Breakers (http://bit.ly/2mDtmr0) and Marble
House (http://bit.ly/2ngfYWH). In fact I
will be returning here next month to check out some new sights. Well sights new
to me.
As my
sixth year of blogging has just begun I am trying to accomplish as much of my
2016/2017 to do list (http://bit.ly/29H6zRG)
as possible before coming out with my newest version. On that list are the Gold
Coast Mansions.
Before I
begin the details of my latest adventure there are a few details about the
Vanderbilt family tree we need to establish first. Cornelius Vanderbilt the
patriarch that brought railroads to America and a fortune to his family had
thirteen children. His eldest son, William Henry Vanderbilt had eight children of
his own. William Henry’s first-born son was Cornelius Vanderbilt II, who was
the man behind The Breakers. Cornelius II’s brother, William Kissam was the
creator of Marble House.
In a
personal point of interest, it is Cornelius II and William Kissam’s brother George
Washington II, who built the Biltmore estate in North Carolina, which America’s
largest family home. I am simply aching to visit.
But I
return to the Williams of the Vanderbilt clan. Specifically to William Kissam
and his son William Kissam II. For it was the latter’s home I stopped by the
other day, Eagle's Nest. Eagle's Nest is one of the Gold Coast Mansions found on
Long Island. They were all built between 1930-1940 and celebrated the era found
within “The Great Gatsby.” Eagle's Nest is now more commonly known as the
Vanderbilt Mansion and Museum in Long Island, New York.
The
owner, Willie K., as he was commonly called, built his home on a plush
forty-three acres of land. His Spanish style abode is enthralling. Two enormous
eagles, not surprisingly, greet you at the main gate. When you walk down
towards the house there are six pillars with a “V” shape inscribed into the
landscape.
The grand
entrance of the home has one of my most favorite features, a massive black gate
like the kind you see in “Sleeping Beauty”. I felt like Maleficent would morph
into a dragon and fly right in as the mighty gate descending down made a loud
clamoring sound.
Once you
enter that walkway you truly feel like you are in Europe at a private estate.
The home
was purchased in 1910 for thirty-one thousand dollars, which was a lot of money
back then considering he was receiving an annual trust fund from his family
worth fifty thousand dollars.
This was
the home for Willie K. and his wife and their three children.
The tour
walks you through and around this circular home. The doors on this home are the
heavy medieval era type where you have a heavy knocker on ether side. I am not
sure how many people have the strength to open and close it by themselves.
The first
room we saw was the dining room, which had an incredible wooden ceiling, made
with trees from Florida. The floor was Portuguese tile with turquoise, white,
and peach coloring. The fireplace had the family’s motto written in Latin,
which translated means “do the right thing”. Our tour guide Paul made the joke
that it was a reference to Spike Lee’s movie of the same name, bless his heart.
From here
we went to the finishing kitchen where the staff would use a dumbwaiter to
bring the food up to the main floor from the lower level kitchen. Seeing the
old appliances like the toaster makes you picture that this home was really
lived in and it was.
Unlike
the majority of other Vanderbilt properties, including Willie K.’s father’s
summer home, Marble Hill, Eagles Nest was not for partying for but living. It
was a place where the family spent time together and entertained their family,
friends, and special guests like the former King of England and new husband to
Mrs. Wallis Simpson. In the guest room he used the holes in the vents were
still visible from where the ice and outdoor fans cooled the room down, as
there was no air conditioning in the home.
There was
the sitting room where the furniture was largely salvaged from Willie K.’s last
ship, the Alva (named for his mother). The best pieces were the two small
chairs that were used as samples when designs where commissioned. We would see
another set of similar chairs in the hallway, this time upholstered versions. I
loved this idea. I also loved seeing a real life version of bell system,
instead it was a box with numbers on it all of which were assigned to a
particular room in the home, which would light up when assistance was wanted.
It is much like what you would have seen on Downtown Abbey. In fact this house
has a lot of the qualities from that show because this is how the other half
lived.
Some of
the most spectacular rooms were Willie K.’s bedroom with panoramic views of the
ocean and solid marble bathroom. In his bedroom there was a copy of his largest
book out on display and a chair he could sit in where he would not wrinkle the
tux he wore to dinner.
Willie K.
was an avid fisherman and lover of oceanic life. He collected numerous
specimens of marine animals many of which were unidentified prior to his
research. On site you will even find a museum called “Hall of fishes” where
another Mediterranean style home holds most of these treasures.
Of his
wife’s rooms I am hard pressed to decide which was my favorite. While her
bedroom was certainly no slouch I think her dressing room was simply divine. I
loved that all of the doors were discreet and blended right into the décor on
both sides. But I suppose it was her bathroom that took my breath away. It is
one of the reasons I really hate that photos were not allowed because it is
almost too elegant to describe. The beautiful crystal fixtures, the marble tub
and shower, mirrored vanity, all made me want to climb in and shut out the rest
of the world. I think the only reason she ever got out was to go into her nearby
closet, a thing of not just beauty but creativity. Her dresses, outfits, even
lingerie were hung high on the racks behind glass doors so that dust would not
cling to them nor would they hit the floor. There was a tall ladder there for
grabbing whatever she requested from her lady’s maid for an outfit change.
There is a rumor that could be as many as six a day and that including dinner
which the family always dressed up for.
The only
oddity in that room was a sink but it was explained that she never wanted
anyone with dirty hands to touch her precious garments. What a trip!
The sink
was also used to fill the vases she had all over the home where she preferred
to have fresh flowers daily. The rose garden was not in bloom just yet but I am
sure these plush grounds have more than their fair share of flowers for
arrangements.
That
leads us to the final room of the tour, the room Willie K. built in honor of
his son William Kissam III after he died in a car crash when he was only
twenty-six years old.
The sign
above the room reads something along the lines of “these collections are from a
trip to Egypt and Africa my son took in 1931.”
An avid
naturalist like his father, this room consists of many exhibits you would see
in the American Museum of Natural History. The reason is simply- Willie K. had
been on the board of the museum. This room has several mounted deer heads,
elephant tusks which I loved being able to touch, elephant feet made into pots,
a gigantic stuff alligator/crocodile (I a not sure which it was), and antelopes
just to name a few.
After
this stop the tour ends and you are left to explore the rest of the property on
your own. The only thing I knew I had to see was the mummy. Yes a mummy,
because when you live like the other half you need one of everything. The mummy
is female but little was known about her including her cause of death. But it
was awesome to see and no other house, estate, or famous property I have ever
been to had one. That is until I go to visit the sight of the real life Downton
Abbey, Highclere Castle where the remains of King Tut’s tomb lie. The former
resident, fifth Earl of Carnarvon had sponsored Howard Carter’s exploration.
That was the one aspect of English aristocracy Downton Abbey didn’t cover.
Willie K.
was thinking ahead and knew that upon his death, which occurred in 1944, he
wanted his estate to be a place of learning for others. His will declared that
upon his wife’s death, which happened three years later, Eagles Nest would
become the property of Suffolk County. In addition Willie K. left Suffolk
County two million dollars for its care.
Today
private funds are raised yearly to pay for the grounds keeping, utilities, and
staff salaries so there is a public/private financing keeping the dream
alive.
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