@samantha smith this is not colonial architecture nor was the colonial period 1650-1800 it was 1492-1763 it’s a neo-baroque architecture that we were taught brought by European settlers however this same Architecture can be seen in much earlier structures in Egypt turkey greece and much of India This you can see in a basic google search.when I was in art school I hated learning about this But after visiting these sites through the world it is clear they had another function entirely And we can see the narrative Is just that. A story Check out the mud flood and the worlds fairs It was like put on to destroy these buildings that were also found here under “ the mud flood” very interesting as there is no explanation of how, in a time of horse and buggy That’s these incredible 700,000 square foot megalithic gorgeous buildings were made. And then burned or destroyed Why is the question

@samantha smith here are about 100 examples of identical architectural elements from the same period around the world Colonial styles of architecture include Baroque, Orientalism, and Art Nouveau. The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptures which display important aspects of Baroque style, but are not of the original Baroque period. Elements of the Baroque architectural tradition were an essential part of the curriculum of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the pre-eminent school of architecture in the second half of the 19th century, and are integral to the Beaux-Arts architecture it engendered both in France and abroad. where I also studied and travelled extensively An ebullient sense of European imperialism encouraged an official architecture to reflect it in Britain and France, and in Germany and Italy the Baroque Revival expressed pride in the new power of the unified state.The Robber Barons of NY loved this architecture and kept it for their own. what I am saying is I don't agree with the age of these buildings, that we are being told a very different story of our recent past(last 200 years) and the tech we had built into these structures has been hijacked by those that wished to monopolize and profit from these technologies.(radiant electricity) But you wish to argue about historical details, missing the entire point of my original comment. Ironically, The Vanderbilt family is one of those families I speak of. . I was merely making a point by asking a question of our past "isn't it interesting" is all. My apologies, I didn't mean to blow up your pre-programmed world of academia, I asked you to think outside of the information we are fed and to come up with your own opinion of what resonates as the truth. I challenge you to use critical thinking, as well as your intuition and question the narrative of our time. While you come up with your own opinion, here are some examples of the same architecture at the same time, around the globe that I spoke of: Akasaka Palace , Tokyo, Japan Alferaki Palace (1848), Taganrog, Russia Ashton Memorial , Lancaster, England Belfast City Hall , Belfast, Northern Ireland Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace (1747), Saint Petersburg, Russia Bode Museum Berlin, Germany British Columbia Parliament Buildings , Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Burgtheater (1888), Vienna, Austria Cardiff City Hall, Cardiff, Wales Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark Cluj-Napoca National Theatre , Cluj-Napoca, Romania Ortaköy Mosque , Istanbul, Turkey Dolmabahçe Palace , Istanbul, Turkey The Elms Mansion , Newport, Rhode Island, United States Näsilinna (also known as the Milavida Palace) (1898), Tampere, Finland National Theatre (1899), Oslo, Norway Palais Garnier (also known as the Paris Opera) (1861-1875), Paris, France Port of Liverpool Building Liverpool, England Rosecliff Mansion , Newport, Rhode Island, United States Royal Museum for Central Africa , Tervuren, Belgium Semperoper (1878), Dresden, Germany Sofia University rectorate, Sofia, Bulgaria Zachęta National Gallery of Art Warsaw, Poland St. Barbara's Church , Brooklyn, New York, United States St. John Cantius Church , Chicago, United States Church of St. Ignatius Loyola , New York City, United States Church of Saints Peter and Paul , Athlone, Ireland Cathedral of Salta , Salta, Argentina Széchenyi thermal bath , Budapest, Hungary Volkstheater (1889), Vienna, Austria National Art Gallery of Bulgaria (the former royal palace), Sofia, Bulgaria Wenckheim Palace (1886-1889), Budapest, Hungary Stefánia Palace (formerly named Park Club) (1893-1895), Budapest, Hungary Gran Teatro de La Habana, Havana, Cuba Old Parliament Building, Colombo, Sri Lanka House of the National Assembly of Serbia Belgrade, Serbia. Durban City Hall, South Africa Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, Principality of Monaco

Unpaid property taxes. The land under the house became much more valuable as the base for a modern skyscraper. Thus, the land for the old mansion cost $2000; but, was now worth millions. Hence, no longer viable in its former usage.

New usage is usually considered; but, will usually be found impractical as too expensive.

The basis for the Vanderbilt fortune was their ownership of New York Central railroad. As time passed, NY Central RR went bankrupt leaving Vanderbilt RR stock worthless thus wiping out the Vanderbilt fortune. Needless to say, their profligate spending on homes didn't help!

Are you kidding? Mrs. Astor was an international society figure with friends in high places in Europe. Have you ever been in Paris? It has a vibe that nowhere else can match!

"...pared back smaller version..." - Do you mean like Blenheim Palace or Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle or whatever?

@@fredh999harris8, I mean a simplified version of no more than 4000 square feet. Buckingham Palace is now just basically a museum, and office space, and a lot of reception rooms. Blenheim Palace is now effectively a huge museum. Windsor Castle is mixture of museum, private accommodation for the Royal family, and their favorite staff, plus a large chapel and accommodation for the ministers who work in the church.

@@cassandraralph5906 Buckingham P also contains apartments to house the Queen & others. Blenheim P also contains apartments for the latest Duke of Marlborough & his family.