End of the Astor Era: Vincent Astor's Townhouse

Рет қаралды 36,088

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 75

@swilkobarfingtoniii1642 6 ай бұрын

One of my Canadian relatives married an Astor. He built a fairly large office building on the corner where 47 Wall St. sits now. Their residence was at 7 W. 81st. where The Beresford later went up. At that point they moved across the park to a new building at E. 81st and 5th. Ave.

@peanut422hb 6 ай бұрын

They didn't build anything. They founded buildings. Actors like the other robber baron families were Freemasons. Occupying mason buildings for free

@jefflawrentz1624 6 ай бұрын

I had never read anything on this town house till watching this. I like the nice restrained Regency style simplicity of it. “The Last Mrs Astor” by Frances Kiernan was an excellent read. Well done, Ken. Thank you!

@williamtyre523 6 ай бұрын

Another fascinating story, well told. The summer home, Ferncliff, in Rhinebeck, NY, looks very interesting, hopefully the topic of a future video.

@ThisHouse 6 ай бұрын

I’ve been collecting photos of Ferncliff and the casino! I posted one of my clippings on our Facebook Page last night as a little teaser, and yes, I will be following up with a video soon. Cheers!

@andyross4856 6 ай бұрын

Brooke Astor was a wonderful person - I met Her at the Colony Club and , later She purchased five of My drawings. I was and , am grateful for that support. I wish She were still alive. She was gracious & FUN !

@SMtWalkerS 6 ай бұрын

The townhouse looks very elegant. Vincent actually did useful things with his life and fortune despite being so fabulously rich. An interesting life.

@TaDarling1 6 ай бұрын

I've always felt that was because that Gilded Age of excess that existed when Vincent was a child and teen was a bygone era by the time he became an adult, and he recognized the importance of evolving which led him to do more productive things with his life.

@mikenixon2401 6 ай бұрын

Amazing architecture. Talk about excess, though Vincent seems to one it down. As always I appreciate you adding the historic back stories. Good job, Ken.

@zovalentine7305 6 ай бұрын

Fascinating history with awesome architecture, thank you.

@davidward805 6 ай бұрын

The townhouse is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for this video! I live in Manhattan and love the splendid architecture that’s here.

@andreaberryhill6654 6 ай бұрын

I'd love to explore the architecture of underground NY!

@jimwiskus8862 6 ай бұрын

Pretty awesome that the least pretentious of the Astor properties still survives. Thank you Ken.

@lynngoing508 6 ай бұрын

I always enjoy the beautiful photographs you have.

@hozie22 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for another clear, concise and comprehensive update!!

@kevintonks3034 6 ай бұрын

Another great video. Thanks for taking us back in time.

@David-tm8sl 6 ай бұрын

The townhouse definitely looked more livable than the monstrosities that the family owned before.😮

@GlennMandeville154 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Ken... Another fantastic video about people living larger than life.

@vitasoy1437 6 ай бұрын

Took them 4 generations to give away the fortune. Vincent astor seemed like a good man

@cynthiaclark8050 6 ай бұрын

Actually he was brutally abusive in various degrees to his wives...especially Brooke.

@joemontano71 5 ай бұрын

@@cynthiaclark8050 Did not know this, can you please expound?

@jimbo1637 6 ай бұрын

I'd love to see a video about Vincent and Brooke's apartment on East End Avenue. I walk by the building relatively frequently, and it's gorgeous!

@Buckboy2024 5 ай бұрын

Me, too!

@RichardBarnett-hs1qy 5 ай бұрын

Great research as always. Thank you.

@LiamHudsonNYC 6 ай бұрын

I will be on the UES on Thursday and will seek out Vincent's town house

@martinadrempetic2395 6 ай бұрын

I love your videos. I adore old architecure and how people lived in those days. So sad how all the money in the world can't buy you hapiness. I am sorry he couldn't have children and maybe thats why his marriages failed.

@margarita8442 6 ай бұрын

blank loads ?

@BusyMom2mv 6 ай бұрын

Very interesting historic house and family, love this video !

@janefitzgibbon4312 6 ай бұрын

Always learn so much from your videos ♥️

@karenroot450 6 ай бұрын

Good job as always Ken. Any update of you two working on your own house?? Thanks for the tour.

@ThisHouse 6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! We’ll be doing an update at the one year mark.

@TheDarkDresser 6 ай бұрын

I really like the townhouse. The bathroom looks current. Seems all that wealth left Vincent numb. Bing born into such enormous wealth is way different from being born poor and then creating it. The latter cannot spend the money fast enough on uber-mansions and art. Losing both his parent at a young age, especially the tragic manner in which his father died, may have influenced his view of money. I wonder how much he missed not being able to have children. Impressive man.

@jilltagmorris 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Ken 😊

@NewRon2003us 6 ай бұрын

It looked nice yet preferred his family home

@calendarpage 6 ай бұрын

The gallery of the double townhouse was fantastic. I actually paused the video to take it in; I don't recall seeing a room with so much art in an American house. It looked like something you'd see in the great houses of England. The atrium was also marvelous. For once, I didn't like the new townhouse as much as I liked the older buildings.

@bethbartlett5692 4 ай бұрын

Hope their remaining family receives a refueling of their wealth. Their story evokes Compassion. Vincent was charitable, leaving Brooke in charge of the estate, she continued successful charitable works, for NYC.

@SugarWildflower-si4ox 6 ай бұрын

Vincent had a step brother 20 years younger from the second marriage of his father. The brother was called John Jacob he had a boy and a girl Astors as an adult however only received a small portion of the Astor wealth. He also had a sister by his mother who was about 9 years younger resided with her mother. Vincent lived with his father after his mother and father divorced.

@christinehouston4636 6 ай бұрын

It would be really helpful if you provided the addresses of the historic homes that still remain.

@josephpiskac2781 6 ай бұрын

Valued history.

@Mr5thWave 6 ай бұрын

Sparrows roost where once eagles flew.

@loumcast 6 ай бұрын

Admirable of Mr. Vincent Astor to donate all his fortune to good causes, but I found the townhouse too plain a boring, inside and out.

@123pb 6 ай бұрын

Opulance was boring to him and materialism bored him since he lost his dad

@jec1ny 6 ай бұрын

"Money is a little bit like shit. It doesn't do any good unless you spread it around." -Brooke Astor.

@Richardsonprincess00 6 ай бұрын

Two failed marriages with a third marriage is about is almost done until his passing in 1959. So the Astor legacy is left with his half-brother who have children and even grandchildren from different marriages.

@WaKincaid 6 ай бұрын

Cute joint

@pmjones13 6 ай бұрын

I am glad he seem to have done good with his wealth.

@xjAlbert 6 ай бұрын

I can't decide if the narrator is a machine or a human. Whichever it is, there's a strangeness about it.

@JonesJones-np2kq 6 ай бұрын

6:43 can you talk about Tony Marshall, Brooke Astors, son, and the $200 million he LOOTED from her

@JonesJones-np2kq 6 ай бұрын

Tony Marshall was convicted of swindling his mother out of millions after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the last few years of her life Brooke Astor, a philanthropist and socialite, died in 2007, aged 105 One of Marshall's sons first tipped off authorities when he became concerned about his grandmother's living conditions Marshall, who had Parkinson's disease and heart problems, served time in prison last year but was released after he was granted medical parole His wife Charlene announced his death in a cryptic New York Times obituary that did not mention his mother or his two sons, who testified against him

@christophersmith1155 6 ай бұрын

where is the brook/ vincent astor town house ?

@MarkJ-s2p 6 ай бұрын

Well-lived life.

@ronen160 6 ай бұрын

excellent and informative video! Thank you for this. I find it interesting that a man of such wealth would not move mountains to create an heir, at that time it would have been a biological son. I mean, he had the wherewithal to do so............ It's wonderful that this billionaire family gave their money to worthwhile causes such as the Arts and housing, and not to space travel for millionaires..... I do wonder, if I had this kind of wealth, what charities or issues I would give my resources to. And yeah, i'd get myself a yacht. And multiple houses.

@stevefranks1711 6 ай бұрын

What is the use of the townhouse today?

@garryferrington811 6 ай бұрын

Vincent seems to be a man who wanted to contribute. His mansion was quite liveable, without all that gilded age frou-frou.

@josedanielrodriguez1126 6 ай бұрын

He did not think to leave a legacy to the family.

@jackmorrison7379 6 ай бұрын

First. thank you for your recent videos on the monied families of the "Gilded Age" (did Mark Twain invent that phrase?). Second, not to be a scold (as Brooke Astor might have said) but there is a branch of the Astor family in the UK. This resulted from an American Astor abandoning the USA for the UK when he felt his native land was too lowbrow and hostile to wealthy persons. Besides it didn't have REAL castles or aristocratic titles.

@bmcshane80 6 ай бұрын

Wait, so Mumps made you sterile back then?

@garryferrington811 6 ай бұрын

It was a Bill Gates hoax! 😁

@edcomedian357 6 ай бұрын

So the son that stole from her before her death at 100 he was her child and not an actual Astor?

@jerrilynhenson9024 6 ай бұрын

I wish they hadn’t torn down those houses. Sad…

@corbittgenter 6 ай бұрын

I’m constantly how the Astors and Vanderbilts lost their fortunes, I know several descendants of both families and they are very wealthy, but no longer have the ancestral surname

@joshuamontgomery4992 6 ай бұрын

It's like the huron mountain club where they say it's all old money no one important just want privacy

@tanyamessimer6731 6 ай бұрын

I wonder why he didn't adopt??

@asylumlover 6 ай бұрын

RELATIVELY SIMPLE ARCHITECTURE, BUT I WOULD STILL SAY, DEFINITELY ANOTHER DEMOLITION FREE ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS LEFT OF THE INTERIORS?????????? AND WHAT IS IN "THIS HOUSE" TODAY??????????????