Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

TOUR DETAILS

Tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park are given year-round, though the frequency of tours each day varies depending on the season. From Memorial Day through mid-January, there are typically seven tours held each day, whereas from mid-January until Memorial Day there are five tours. The park is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For the current schedule, see the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.

There is a charge for the tour. Tickets are sold at the Pavilion Visitor Center on a first come, first served basis on the day of the tour. The building opens at 9 AM, and the first tour is usually at 10 AM. No cash is accepted, so credit and debit card payments only. Various National Park annual passes are good for entry. For the current fees, see the National Park Service’s official Fees and Passes web page for the park.

A tour of Vanderbilt Mansion takes about an hour and stops on three of its six floors: the first and second floors and one of the basement floors. For those in wheelchairs and who have trouble walking up steps, there is a chairlift for getting to the first floor of the building and a historic elevator for moving from floor to floor. Being old, the elevator is sometimes broken. If this is the case, those in wheelchairs can only see the first floor. Keep in mind that electric and oversized wheelchairs will not fit in the historic elevator.

After giving a talk about the history of the Vanderbilts and the mansion, the Ranger lets everyone wander around the floor to see the rooms on their own before moving to the next level. Most rooms are closed to entry, but the interiors can be seen from the doorway. For photographers, this is an ideal way to see a house versus moving from room to room with a crowd of people and having to get photos quickly enough to keep up with the group. On the Vanderbilt Mansion tour, there is plenty of time to photograph the rooms without being in a rush.

Park Ranger gives a tour of Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

FIRST FLOOR ROOMS

First floor plan of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

The Vanderbilt Mansion tour begins in the Entrance Hall on the first floor. This is a circular room with foyers at the northern and southern ends that lead to the large Living Room and Dining Room. Located around the entrance hall like spokes on a wheel are a number of smaller rooms: Reception Room (northwest corner), Den and Office (southwest corner), and Butler’s Pantry (southeast corner). The Grand Staircase to the second floor is located at the northeast corner of the Entrance Hall.

Grand staircase between the first and second floors of the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

ENTRANCE HALL

In addition to being the first room those entering the Vanderbilt Mansion come to, the Entrance Hall also served as a gathering place for casual social interactions. A large fireplace and multiple sofas allowed guests to enjoy the room before moving on to activities held elsewhere in the house.

Entrance Hall on the first floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Entrance Hall on the first floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Statue in the Entrance Hall on the first floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

DINING ROOM

The Dining Room in the Vanderbilt Mansion takes up the northern end of the first floor. The matching stone fireplaces at both ends were carved in the 1500s and were imported from France and Italy. The carpet is around 400 years old and is one of the largest Persian rugs in existence. It is the most valuable item in the house today.

Left side of the Dining Hall at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Center of the Dining Hall at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Right side of the Dining Hall at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

LIVING ROOM (aka DRAWING ROOM)

The living room takes up the southern end of the first floor. Within the room itself, each side is a mirror image of the other—even the furniture and tapestries are the same. The photos below, which at first glance appear to be of the same end of the room, only taken from different angles, are actually of the two opposite ends. The tables, the lamps on the tables, the drapery, the similar tapestries featuring the Medici family coat of arms, the fireplaces, the candelabras on the mantle, and even the black spiral column between the two side windows are all identical.

Left side of the Living Room of Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Right side of the Living Room of Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

The Living Room was used as a drawing room (a room to withdraw to) for Louise and her female guests following dinner. After having drinks and cigars in the Den, the men would eventually make their way to the Living Room and join the women for games such as cards and charades. Musicians were often employed, and dancing was a common pastime.

Table and lamp in the Living Room of Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

FREDERICK VANDERBILT’S OFFICE

Frederick Vanderbilt was the only third-generation Vanderbilt who expanded his business and financial holdings. At one time he was the 25th wealthiest American. His seven other siblings were living off past wealth and draining their coffers.

He had a personal office in his Hyde Park mansion, though he did not use it for business. Instead, this is where he managed his hobby: his farm and grounds. He was known as a gentleman farmer, which is a person who likes being a farmer but who doesn’t want to do any farming work. Farm managers and day-laborers were hired to do the actually farming. Vanderbilt had dairy cows, chickens, and six green houses. He also raised show animals.

Frederick Vanderbilt’s Office in his mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

DEN (aka LIBRARY AND FAMILY ROOM)

The den on the lower floor was mainly used as a family room, which means by Frederick and Louise since they had no children. It was also used by male guests after dinner for smoking and drinking while they “digested” their food. As mentioned earlier, the women usually spent post-dinner time in the Living Room.

Den of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

RECEPTION ROOM

The Reception Room was decorated as a typical French salon that became popular during Napoleon III’s reign (1852-1870). The Vanderbilt’s salon was not used very often, and when it was, it was mainly to impress Louise’s most important female guests, typically during a formal tea reception or for a gathering for sherry before dinner was served. The two giltwood Louis XV armchairs still have their original silk upholstery on them, that’s how little they were used. When there were no guests at the house, Louise used the Reception Room as her private space.

The mural on the ceiling was painted by Edward Simmons in 1897 and features the Roman goddess Aurora and her lover, Trojan prince Tithonus. Some time later the painting was covered over with white paint. During a renovation in 1962 by the National Park Service, the mural was discovered and restored.

Reception Room of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

MAIN FLOOR RESTROOM

There is one restroom on the main floor for use by guests and twelve more on the other floors, mostly in the bedroom areas. The Vanderbilt Mansion had hot and cold running water, and each restroom had a flush toilet. Frederick Vanderbilt also had a private bathroom on this floor that was connected to his office.

First floor restroom of Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

SECOND FLOOR ROOMS

Second floor plan of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

LOUISE VANDERBILT’S ROOM

Louise Vanderbilt’s bedroom is decorated in the Louis XV style and is based on the Marie Antoinette suite in Versailles Palace.  The railing around the bed was common in the bedrooms of female European royalty. The rug on the floor was custom made for the room and weighs over one ton. The room is connected to Frederick’s room by a door, so the couple did not have to venture into the hallway to visit each other.

Louise Vanderbilt’s Bedroom on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

FREDERICK VANDERBILT’S ROOM

Frederick Vanderbilt’s Bedroom on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

RED ROOMS

A large and small room with a red theme are connected together by a door to form a suite.

The Vanderbilts only stayed at their Hyde Park home in the spring and fall. The rest of the time, the house was closed up and all furnishing—furniture, statues, paintings—were covered with linen dust covers. It took the household staff one to two weeks to open and to close the house each season. The furniture in the Large Red Room has dust covers on them to show visitors to the Vanderbilt Mansion how the rooms looked when the house was closed for the season.

Large Red Bedroom on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

BLUE ROOM

The Blue Room is the largest guest room in the mansion. It was used by Margaret Van Alen whenever she visited the Vanderbilts. Margaret was their favorite niece, and it was she who inherited the estate when Frederick died in 1938.

Blue Room on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

MAUVE ROOM

The Mauve Room was typically for first-time guests to the Vanderbilt’s Hyde Park mansion.

Mauve Room on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

LOUISE VANDERBILT’S BOUDOIR

Louise Vanderbilt’s Boudoir on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

BATHROOM

There is only one bathroom on the second floor that is accessible to tour participants, but there are a total of five on the floor.

One of five bathrooms on the second floor of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

BASEMENT

Basement floor plan of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

There are two basement levels in the Vanderbilt Mansion. The tour stops on the first lower level. Most of the floor was used by the male servants for sleeping quarters. Female household servants lived on the third floor of the mansion (not visited on a tour). It was also the location of the main kitchen, the servants’ dining and recreation room, and two laundry rooms, one for the Vanderbilts’ and guests’ laundry and one for the servants’ laundry.

Main Hall of the basement at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Servants Hall in the basement of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Kitchen in the basement of the Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

For more information about the history of Vanderbilt Mansion, see the Vanderbilt Mansion History web page here on National Park Planner.

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