What Happened to Millionaire's Row in Manhattan?

[@ThisHouse]

Check out our playlist: The Many Mansions of Manhattan to see interiors and hear more individual histories here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHbFXqmvabijl7M Small Correction: When talking about the Triple Palace we say Commodore Vanderbilt built it and the correct person that built it was William H. Vanderbilt as the card reads on screen. 😅 Thank you everyone who pointed that out.

[@annickzodrow8831]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅qqq😅😅😅q😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅q

[@DawnMarie-q9v]

NYC sucks

[@DawnMarie-q9v]

Just goes to show you how badly NYC SUCKS

[@shelleyjoynson5172]

Pp

[@shelleyjoynson5172]

Pa

[@mikeifyouplease]

Many of these gorgeous homes should have been bought by NYC and repurposed as public spaces such as museums, libraries, social halls, and even houses of learning and faith.

[@stj971]

👍

[@mei6044]

That would have been smart.

[@Hillbilly_Bob.J]

Too much prime real estate used up that way. Needed the room for multiple family dwellings.

[@Hillbilly_Bob.J]

Or office buildings i suppose lol I guess I should watch the whole video before speaking..

[@Hillbilly_Bob.J]

Its just crazy they only lasted 20 to 25 yrs

[@vivianfoster702]

I'm a native New Yorker and had no idea this existed until I started watching Glided Aged on HBO and then looked this up. It is so awfully sad. So much money, time and heart poured into building these mansions, but the families really didn't have the means to continue. And greed lead them to be torn down instead of preserved. They could have been turned into museums, schools, repurposed. But again, greed destroyed what would have really looked like something out of Paris in the middle of Manhattan.

[@StrawberryFeildsforNever]

It’s funny how you say greed lead them to be torn down instead of preserved when that’s exactly what got some of them built in the first place 💀

[@AuthorLHollingsworth]

I agree. After watching " Downton Abbey" in the UK many of the families were unable to afford the upkeep of those homes, so they found a way to keep them, by turning the homes into museums. Only if the Vanderbilt's and other families would have made the same choices. You know that here in the USA, most of our historical places are torn down, and are replaced with a historical monument sign. 😳😳😳🤔🤔🤦🤦 Here in the South, we have so many historical placards, that I lost count. Blessings to you 😇🙏

[@MMijdus]

So greed destroyed beauty. That is a right way to put it.

[@Raytang778]

It is the city 1950's ill thinking these history are not visible anymore😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@lauriem2053]

*Gilded

[@StamperWendy]

When my great-grandma, Adolphine Mathilde, from Denmark, came to Manhattan, via Castle Garden in 1888, at age 18, maybe she and my great-grandpa, Harry, came around this area and saw Millionaire's Row for themselves. So cool! Thanks, Ken!

[@p2p104]

I have always admired the courage of those people, especially in such young age to go to completely different country without information.

[@katherinechase3674]

@@p2p104 I have had friends (many as kids) and their families who have done so, and saw first hand how they did, usually very well. They had to learn culture, language, history- wow! Much respect! Of course, this is much easier when young. It's silly that more foreign languages aren't taught, often, until high school & college. I live in San Diego & tried to learn Spanish, but couldn't get the hang of it in college enough for it to really stick-

[@KB-ke3fi]

@@p2p104 yeah they did'nt have cell phones and new clothes and free plane rides like todays illegal immigrants....plus they had to swear alligence to the U.S. and become a U.S. citizen in order to vote, be disease free, and get a damned job.

[@BLOXKAFELLARECORDS]

But never gained enough ambition to pass money down to you though...

[@linengray]

My uncle was a construction steel manufacturer. We used to have deep and constant discussions about preserving architecturally significant buildings. Losing these buildings is a shame.

[@TT-nh2od]

If I had a Time Machine I would go back just to walk around and see the many mansions lined along the streets. Congrats on 100k!

[@merebear87]

You can do that now. There’s still a few of them on fifth ave

[@johnkringe]

@@merebear87 Yeah like....5.

[@eastmanwebb5477]

I hope digital artists recreate 3D models of these homes so that people in the future can put on VR headsets and visit these places.

[@elainebmack]

You're not alone in that wish. I have often thought of the same thing.

[@IsaiahLove777]

if you had a time machine you'd be in pre-rapture Manhattan

[@AG-ng8gt]

I don't like NYC but I would have liked it back then. It looks so beautiful, and these houses were truly works of art.

[@lauralunamartin7331]

And yet, there are so many that are still there today, and that you can visit. This video focused on the ones they tore down, but check out the Frick Museum, The Cooper-Hewitt, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, the Jewish Museum, and many others further north on 5th Ave.

[@timf2279]

It's a shit hole now

[@josephpetrino1741]

@@lauralunamartin7331 Absolutely. A strange omission in this video.

[@mikev.2945]

@@lauralunamartin7331 Yea, for a casual viewer that's never been to NYC, you'd think that almost nothing survived. Shocking as it may be that so many were torn down on 5th ave, there are still quite a few as you note along Museum Mile. Not to mention the beautiful townhouses on the streets east of there.

[@nunyabidness3075]

If you are young, you may live to appreciate the new trends in architecture which are trying to bring back ornate and beautiful building design. Personally, I like the simple look of early arts and crafts as well some, but not all, modern designs. I’m a fan of something for everyone though.

[@joe44850]

It's so depressing these houses were torn down. I'm sure they seemed ostentatious at the time, but they were works of art; absolute beauties from a Beau Arts and Victorian era that we are unlikely to see revived.

[@junyaiwase]

rip bozo😂

[@Lizard1582]

@@junyaiwase 0 iq engagement

[@spokee]

U say absolute beauties but even today if a developer wants to build somewhere they will make theirs sound more beautiful and it will be for like 1 year then it be worse than 1 before Like if these office buildings got knocked down the be people saying same as u forgetting what was there b4

[@Lizard1582]

@@spokee They were definitely better looking buildings by most people standards from any time period. Skyscrapers and such replaced private homes in the middle of NYC because they were practical, not pretty.

[@spokee]

@@Lizard1582 I’m not saying they wasn’t I prefer old designs like that I’m talking about others like u don’t think skyscrapers are pretty but the is a lot out there that would disagree with u

[@Gabialoha1]

The demise of these beautiful homes is so very sad to me. Tragic.

[@straightmanforever69]

I agree 😭

[@chisomo8088]

The removal of lower class people from their homes, so rich people can build mansions is more tragic.

[@MB-nn3jw]

Great video. It’s interesting and a bit sad to consider that all these houses lasted less than 100 years before they were torn down.

[@JulieWallis1963]

Americans don’t seem to really appreciate some of the beauties you have. I’ve seen far too many videos showing beautiful old homes, old metro stations etc. You need to fight to save your history.

[@suzyfarnham3165]

Most lasted less than 40 years? Built in the Gilded Ages and gone by the 1930's? Such a shame

[@stj971]

These older bldgs were far more architecturally artistic and interesting.

[@kyla738]

It’s more of an issue of space. NYC is home to 8 million people and there would not be enough space if these places still exist

[@glowycloey]

What is really sad is that many of the skyscrapers are mostly empty. The price of space is too high. These houses were removed for nothing.

[@bearcb]

The same happened to the Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, Brazil. It had the houses of the coffee barons in the early 20th century, but as the city grew (explosively, now bigger than NYC), the land got expensive and the houses were replaced by skyscrapers. Now only a couple of the old houses remain.

[@happyme3376]

How sad!

[@clah399]

So terribly sad, the older homes were so majestic and romantic making New York and stunning place to live in.

[@demoscratos4577]

Jeezus Christ I almost cried watching this. Can't believe all that beauty was torn down for crappy structures. As a preservationist, it's like a dagger through my heart. Great video, millions thanks for sharing. subscribed.

[@mai.vancon]

It's crazy to imagine how rich the Vanderbilt were. They even have mansions outside the city, and outside the state.

[@tobalinac6781]

We were at The Breakers this past summer. It's truly something to behold. And that was just their "Summer Cottage"

[@joannecohen-katz7335]

yes THE breakers Newport RI and the Biltmore in NC

[@tobalinac6781]

@@joannecohen-katz7335 That's it!

[@womandela7225]

They just took over the best buildings after the Reset.

[@tobalinac6781]

@@womandela7225 Bummer.

[@jotjotzzz5357]

So sad that these beautiful mansions were destroyed.

[@AnneEloiseOfCNY]

Thank you! I grew up near 86th Street and Madison Avenue. I loved roaming around the gorgeous houses still left. But I never knew this history! I am now your avid fan and will be going through that Manhattan collection.

[@anthonyd9844]

If I could go back in time and live in the gilded age for a a few months, I'd work as a will writer with all of these wealthy families and have an unbreakable clause written in to their wills preventing the destruction, structural modification or sale of any of these homes. The loss of craftsmanship, culture and history in the name of short term profit is insane. Still blows my mind that cases like these still happen today!

[@MarkAnderson-ng8vc]

"short term profit." You mean in the name of enabling millions of people to live in NYC? If we kept all the old mansions instead of building skyscrapers New York never would've grown more than a fraction of it's current size. It's aesthetically sad that beautiful buildings need to be torn town, but they did need to be torn down for the city to grow. That's an unavoidable fact.

[@brianc3761]

Then you would pass, and no one would care 🎉

[@indfnt5590]

They’re more of a testament to the people who died to make their wealth possible. Millions must live short lives to create billionaires.

[@katherinechase3674]

@@indfnt5590 that people can't seem to grasp that...? Of course it isn't advertised, but common sense-

[@flymetothemoon2023]

@@MarkAnderson-ng8vc As for the buildings mentioned in the video it seems like it only provided space for capitalism, office buildings and super-rich-people-flats. In this case, I think the cultural value was way higher than the developer's plans, even if they provide more vertical space.

[@georgesealy4706]

I have toured the Frick and Cooper Hewitt mansions. Remarkable. It is too bad that the Vanderbuilt mansion is gone. It was amazing.

[@mileshigh1321]

This was a good one showing all the houses and many you have made videos of! I have been to the Henry Frick house in NYC in the 80's on a school art trip! It was amazing and I still have some post cards from it! So much great art work and the rooms brought from France and reconstructed was very cool! I think there was a Louis IV room with all the furnishings too! The William Clark house would still be nice to see now !

[@shayg4327]

Gosh the city was beautiful , so much history gone, the office buildings really brought the area down a lot 😢

[@timf2279]

It's a nasty place now

[@vgotnofingers]

Wow only in America. Imagine what a lovely district would it be today. Probably filled with museums and art galleries.

[@Maleficent84]

I love the architectural design of the William K. Vanderbilt II Mansion. So many aesthetically pleasing features that draw the eye to the structure. It is sad that it no longer exists, but it does look to be designed by the same architect that designed the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Biltmore House still exists and I got a chance to see it. It really is one of the most beautiful structures in America. If you like that style and have never seen Biltmore House, you should definitely go as you won’t be disappointed!

[@carlajo4036]

Agree! The Biltmore is wonderful!

[@Noname13773]

Wow. Beautiful architecture. Stepping out your home and look at central park must have been amazing.

[@francogimenez2119]

It is really sad the lost of all those amazing buildings. Im from Argentina and at the beginigs of XX century we were an important and rich countrie, and you can see it reflected in the buildings around the city. Fortunaly a lot of those buildings were saved, a lot were demolished, but we still have a lot of examples of mansions and palaces from the belle epoque. You can search "Avenida Alvear" or "palacios de Buenos Aires" and you can see a lot of houses developed in hotels, boutiques or embassies. A fun fact is that in Avenida Alvear there is an spectacular palace or mansion, where the original family stills living, in a 130 years old house, its caled "Residencia Maguire". A lot of tourist come to see architecture of the city called "The Paris of the south".

[@veronicaroach3667]

Yes these old huge homes were beautiful & most of us would say they should be saved, but the oppposite side of that society was the poverty that so many had to endure. Same with all the castles & stately homes in UK & Europe- too big for most folks to keep going, and many now empty or museums or they turn them into some kind of business. Outrageous wealth is not something we should want to return to !

[@lorenheard2561]

​@@veronicaroach3667 Looks like people are STILL poor though.... Socialism does Not work,and Neither does Communism!!

[@Emily_Paris]

Wow!! Excellent work on telling the story of millionaires row in Manhattan. I find it extremely interesting but sad that a lot of these magnificent buildings no longer exist. Thank you Ken for your extraordinary and fascinating work😊

[@bulbasaur1232]

Americans have always seemed to not value old historical buildings. Vast majority were all replaced by boxy skyscrapers or car parking garages.

[@josephrego2527]

Shameful, and extremely sad, that such magnificent examples of grand architecture no longer exist. All demolished by a human desire called exploitation.

[@jorgschwantje1239]

I would have saved the Astor double mansion. From outside classy and not so overdone, clear structures, from inside the staircases one of a kind.

[@jorgschwantje1239]

@Lucien Did he said why? There seems to be always a black sheep in the family... 😎

[@jorgschwantje1239]

@Lucien ... and then they put a church there... 🤷🏻

[@katherinechase3674]

@Lucien office buildings, what a bummer, you can put those up anywhere these days-

[@joedaily2]

NYC looked so much better before all of the skyscraper building took over. It's too bad that these developers didn't value , for the most part, what was there already and found creative ways to use those places. The greed that played into removing these magnificent homes is a very sad thing. The same thing has happened in towns and cities all across America , unfortunately.

[@PeugeotRocket]

The economic benefit from developing the area was substantial and so many people across the board have benefited. The amount of jobs created and economic growth that has resulted was worth it. And it wasn't greed that spurred people to want to develop. Everyone has to make money.

[@cassandraralph5906]

The Frick house was my favorite, and also the Hewlett house. I am very pleased that they have been preserved for the future generations. I couldn't help being reminded of the song from "Annie, Get Your Gun," the one that says "Anything you can do, I can do better......" I hope you understand. Thank you again.

[@jspihlman]

Forest Park in St. Louis still has a "millionaire's row" equivalent of sorts along Lindell Blvd. The homes were among some of the most expensive and lavish and a lot of them are still standing to this day. It's a beautiful area to drive through.

[@sandrajohnson2832]

Is that in the area of the beautiful art museum built for 1904 worlds fair?

[@timf2279]

Thanks for the fun fact.

[@artvandelay4545]

@@sandrajohnson2832 Yes, that building is one that survived after the Worlds Fair and can be seen from Lindell blvd where the OP is speaking of.

[@sandrajohnson2832]

Art Vandelay😊Thank you for responding.I visited that area in 2019 while on my way to the museum and fell in love with that historic impeccably preserved area.The houses and yards are breathtaking🥰

[@mangos2888]

Yeah but then you're in Missouri. Yuck.

[@elainebmack]

The same thing happened in Philadelphia. Rittenhouse Square was once lined with incredible mansions, but most are gone now. Ironically, the humble row homes known as "Trinity" homes (one room on each floor - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost with the kitchen in the basement) have been occupied continually since they were built in the early 1700's. They were built as houses for laborers and have outlived the grand mansions of the Gilded Age wealthy. Maybe less really is more.

[@sharahaslett8232]

Yay we made it new videos are very interesting about the mansions or the famous people. Thank you having this video

[@sweetsiren8841]

Seneca Village should have been covered in more details. A lot of families lost their ability to move upwards economically due to the destruction of their communities. These mansions, although beautiful, only represented greed and indifference to those who were not wealthy.

[@crazynamehere6701]

I imagine they could of covered quite a bit in more detail. But at the end of the day the video was titled "What Happened to Millionaire's Row in Manhattan?" and not "What Happened to Seneca Village in Manhattan?" I appreciate they stayed on track, and covered what the title described, in a clear and concise way, unlike many youtubers. They even have a playlist pinned that has deep dives on each of the mansions mentioned. They are probably saving Seneca Village for its own video. 😀

[@winter_s_44]

I agree! The comments under the video from everyone saying they wish all these building still stood while ignoring the fact that (as is the pattern) poor, working class and middle-class people (particularly people of color) were displaced by greed and ostentatious displays of wealth, greed and privilege, is something I can’t endorse. I like seeing bits of history, but I don’t “wish they still stood.” They were simply replaced with the new century’s display of wealth, privilege and greed. In 100 years, they will be torn down and future generations will be looking at the taller buildings and saying how great they were.

[@wolverineeagle]

@@winter_s_44 Those people lived on land that once belonged to Native Americans. They displaced Native Americans and then were in turn displaced by millionaires who were in turn bought out by developers.

[@wolverineeagle]

Their community was built on the land of previous communities.

[@nancykenny1376]

Maybe there will be more research on Seneca Village, but like most poor areas/towns/neighborhoods, it was lost and forgotten by history. History is written by those with money

[@tudorjason]

Congrats on nearing 100K subs, Ken!

[@kellingtonlink956]

Congratulations on hitting a KZbin milestone! Well done you! Well deserved. Thanks for all the well thought out videos.

[@izzy1563]

Several of these homes are still going strong - including 2 of my favorites The Frick and JPMorgans Library which still is wonderful. I went there often to see the wonderful literary collections and personal letters. The Vanderbilts built the Breakers and Marble House in Newport which have both been incredibly preserved along with many other architectural beauties. It’s only a few hours from NYC and is worth a few days or even a few weeks. Jay Leno bought a home there on the water. He’s from Mass and a few years ago on a drive with his wife stopped when seeing it and went in and bought the home and furnishings for his wife. New England is full of surprises.

[@thesilversurfer7136]

It's amazing how lavish and beautiful those homes were. I wish they would keep things for posterity.

[@oliverrojas3185]

Thanks for an eye opening acknowledgement that Seneca Village was once home to many and became Central Park by eminent domain. Thanks for explaining a portion of New York city's growth through out the 1850's thru the 19th century. It's a bonus to also learn about family's, their rivalries, and how sections of their home's were art exhibits and examples of fine quality craftsmanship and construction..

[@KandeShack]

Congrats on 100K subscribers!! Much deserved!

[@patriciahall2223]

I cannot believe that these magnificent architectural structures with such intricate details one can only imagine the man hours that went into building these beautiful homes , disturbing & sad that so many were demolished . Many of these homes belonged to the history makers of yesterday they should have kept their place in history.....🇨🇦

[@guyvanarsdall7686]

I'd save Clark's Folly, a true Beaux-Art gem.

[@walteranthony6435]

Yes so underrated it actually is a magnificent example of the style and built with no expense spared. Also a number of it's grand interior French panelled rooms are today located in the Barnum Art museum in Sarasota Florida, look them up.

[@guyvanarsdall7686]

@@walteranthony6435 great to know some of the interiors survived.

[@mritzs5142]

I am enjoying my new found channel Yours! Imagine waking up every day to so much beauty.. .Homes fascinate me, all homes, from all different eras . Thank you, This House

[@JeriScarborough]

I absolutely love history and content about what NYC must've been like so many years ago. Glad I found the channel and congrats on 100K subs!!❤️

[@pjc2262]

I’m a fan of NYC history. This is a great video. Progress prevails. So sad those beautiful buildings were torn down. Thank you for this video.

[@jeanfranklin7918]

Do you think anyone nowadays would build a place of that extraordinaire??? I think not. Ohhh, the good old days. Thanks Ken.

[@thunderb00m]

yes but in a place with cheaper land. its seems impossible even for the wealthiest people to clear out enough land near central park for a palacial estate.

[@leahelizabeth7861]

you should search up the Queen of Versailles! The Siegel family is almost done building a Versailles-style mansion in Miami

[@Sparky12355]

Yes Taylor swift would

[@maryellenhardy]

Ugh, the colossal waste of demolishing those beautiful old buildings!

[@ezee-e]

wish most of these mansion were still here as museums fro us to roam through and admire and behold with wonder just how life was like back then.

[@ChristiOfTexas]

Wow I was really excited to watch and I didn't expect to end up angry! What a tragedy for these beautiful homes.

[@glennmcgee1729]

Happy to see your channel has seen many people hop aboard and so quickly. Congrats.

[@MMijdus]

Clark's Folly was a real architectural gem. It was demolished! How insane!

[@clairetrinkle3034]

FANTASTIC Video👍👍👍👍 and your Narration is Perf3ct👍‼️❤️

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Ken, congratulations on 100,000 subscribers & thank you for sharing all of the fascinating information your videos provide!!! 👍👍🙂

[@0617kitty]

Thank you for making this video. I didn't know Manhattan was looking like this. I thought it is all sky scrapers. It was so beautiful in the past.

[@j1st633]

Born and raised On the upper west side of Manhattan I frequented the Frick museum and cooper Hewitt many many many many times.I would recommend anyone going to New York city for a vacation That they stop by these 2 museums

[@pashvonderc381]

2nd that.. Loved the UWS when we lived there..

[@48mavemiss2]

So you rich rich huh? Lol

[@pashvonderc381]

@@48mavemiss2 huh? What ?

[@shutitdown1026]

All the Vanderbilt houses and the Clark mansion 💖💖 So beautiful. So sad they are gone

[@jacobbernard1393]

I'd love for some of the mansions to have been preserved as facades on ground level, with skyscrapers erected behind and above them; I think it would make for an incredible, eclectic visual style.

[@word42069]

luckily we still see that scattered in parts of the city… including along the park on 5th ave!

[@char6081]

Yes like imagine the mansions as like malls or like a community center or theatre

[@katherinechase3674]

@@char6081 they could have passed for luxury goods stores just looking at the enormous size of their exteriors- You could get lost looking for your bedroom, although your servents could help you out- a full staff at all times for homes like those? I wonder how they've faired in places like Paris etc.? Another video 💡!

[@sheelahaulet1259]

Great video! Thank you for sharing! Definitely I’d preserve the Vanderbilt and Stewart’s mansions 🤩👏🏽

[@ThisHouse]

We are launching a limited edition 500 piece puzzle featuring Mrs. Astor's Mansion along Manhattan's 5th Avenue! Get your limited edition puzzle here: puzzle.thishouse.media/

[@v300-f8v]

I just received my puzzle. Thank you very much 😊

[@2sons1lv]

I so enjoy your channel. Thank you ❤

[@shadronayne8760]

fantastic episode as ever! would love to know more about John Taylor Johnston, first president of the Met Museum, he inducted the Obelisk at Central Park too, but his mansion was by Washington Park on 5th.

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Wonderful news, Ken! Congratulation on reaching the 100,000 mark. So many remarkable houses it's hard to pick a favorite but I think I'll choose that house that was on a corner and occupied by one of the Vanderbilt daughters. I think that one may still be standing and that it's part of a university or college. Maybe someone else can add a comment.

[@shereemorgan1430]

It's sad that those buildings were torn down. Skyscrapers are everything!

[@iluvsilva8236]

So sad to see all those well built mansions demolished.

[@amongussus9818]

Seneca village was actually a middle-upper middle class neighborhood! A lot of the beautiful architecture there was destroyed.

[@ligametis]

It was like a village inside a city. They disappear in most growing cities.

[@48mavemiss2]

That’s exactly what I was saying! I see this a lot in the south. Where African-American towns that are prosperous literally disappear for these parks that at the time didn’t even allow us to be there because of Jim Crow type laws. Makes me sick and sad. This is the history that also needs to be remembered.

[@v.l.7656]

@@48mavemiss2 yeah yeah white people and capitalism BAD! Black people royalty and communism good!

[@memej3753]

@@ligametis No, they stole their land and called it imminent domain. These people didn’t get an opportunity to build grand homes nor sell to commercial developers because they walked away with NOTHING.

[@timf2279]

The park was worth getting rid of these people.

[@garlandstrife]

The mansion where the Neue Galerie is housed at 86th and Fifth also survived. Shame it wasn't mentioned.

[@garlandstrife]

@@Justin-Beeper funny

[@tuanshaw2489]

I believe the "Triple Palace" was built by William Henry Vanderbilt. He, his wife and son George (of Biltmore) live in one and two daughters lived in the duplex.

[@somosasaluk]

Even so, on these road along the central park are still so captivating, with the mixture of modern and old eras. I really love this city

[@davidmorris8319]

These are stunning!! Imagine if they still stood today and the skyscrapers started just a block behind them. New York would be even more iconic! These roads full of old mansions rival the most beautiful european cities like Prague, Vienna and Paris!! What a shame they were torn down...

[@katherinechase3674]

Are similar works still standing in the foreign cities you just mentioned?

[@davidmorris8319]

@@katherinechase3674 yes, there are! Many European cities didn't tear down the buildings from that era, and the building styles in Europe and the USA were very similar at the time. Even smaller european cities have these kinds of buildings. Doesn't apply to all cities though of course. Many were destroyed in the World Wars.

[@brendadrew834]

Always fasinated by the history of old New York City, Manhattan and have a couple of great photography books by Dover Publications of life in Manhattan in the 19th century! I lived on the Upper East Side on East 91rst Street in an old 19th century brownstone, rent controlled for 90 dollars a month in Yorkville in the late 1960s/early 1970s when I worked as a fashion illustrator in midtown. Today, that same apartment goes for $2300 a month or more! And we thought inflation was bad in the 1970s? GREED rules these days! Huge difference of course! I worked right around from the corner of the J.Pierpont Morgan Library and mansion and one of my favorite walks was up Fifth Ave. heading north towards East 86th Street especially on a beautiful crisp Fall afternoon opposite gorgeous Central Park thanks to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Boston's Public Garden, Mt. Auburn Cemetery and the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago aka "The White City"! Every Sunday I used to hang out at the MET, the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Central Park and another great mansion on Fifth Ave. The Frick Museum, the home of the late Henry Clay Frick, American industrialist and patron of the arts! On a Sunday afternoon for free you could view his great art collection and listen to a free quartet concert in the inner palm court with a beautiful skylight, potted palms and a reflecting pool! His dining room was the loveliest with a beautiful floral arrangement on the round dining room table that was polished to a high gleam overlooking Fifth Ave. A great peaceful respite from the daily grind of city living! Thanks for the memories of "The Big Apple", This House! ♥♥

[@AITreeBranches]

I always wondered why you don't find this kind of architecture in USA all over the place, as they were often contracting architects from Europe. Now I understand they demolished every beautiful building to raise the skyscrapers, so, so sad.

[@davidhewitt9097]

This is the time when the Ultra Wealthy (well beyond super rich) had style and good taste. When you compare modern society of the 21st century, and especially the ultra wealthy, its a graceless age. (To quote the Eagles)

[@michellefullerton137]

I will again state that I was definetly born at the wrong time in history. Thank you for all you share. I absolutely love it !

[@IceBro]

idk if you can say that. Back then you would've most likely been a poor factory worker with almost no free time.

[@johnkringe]

@@IceBro Good point, they would of existed, but unless you were a member of noble descent, or one of the 'Nouve Rich" you weren't touching thos mansions.

[@lisamcandrews5739]

These homes are beautiful but remember there was no antibiotics back then : One and six women died giving birth. People would die if they had appendicitis

[@Dreyno]

Are you from one of these families or some other old money family? If you’re not, it wasn’t a life of gilded palaces and carriage rides. It was dank, miserable and diseased.

[@annresnik6059]

I really appreciate your work! You bring the past back to life!

[@bleedingfinger]

Yay first comment!! 🎉

[@ThisHouse]

🎉

[@alexayres4525]

Really enjoyed this, never even thought about how nice these homes were.

[@cathycasuccio3227]

Please do Millionaire’s Row (Delaware Avenue) in Buffalo NY, from similar time frame as this video when you’re able. We also have Darwin Martin/Frank Lloyd Wright history here. And, Roycroft/E. Hubbard in East Aurora NY. Thanks!

[@MC32595]

so sad to see these beautiful homes torn down…

[@sopwithsnoopy8779]

I would love to see a video on the mansions of Tuxedo Park, NY. Unfortunately it is still a private community, you wouldnt be able to get in, unless invited by an owner. My favorite in all of Tuxedo Park is Chastellux, which was for sale the past several years but no longer on the market. (Sold? Taken off market?)

[@samanthab1923]

Tuxedo Park always held a mysterious sway. Would love to see inside. My roommate from schools older sis went to Academy of Mt St Vincent.

[@MM-rr1kp]

so racist.

[@bbsara0146]

it looked pretty chill back then. today you step out your door and there are crazy people and hooligans everywhere

[@herpderp7418]

I work in a building that was built on the foundation of one of these old mansions. The orginal wine cellar still remains there today.

[@redsand848evo]

Congrats on 100k! You should see what you can dig up on the Carlton Villa in NY.

[@cromwellg60]

As a British person I find it incredible that Americans seem to crave beautiful historical buildings, however when they had them tore often them down in favour of drab office buildings and condos or just abandoned them altogether such as in Detroit

[@iwantthe80sback59]

Read the book Empty Mansions. Co-authored by one of Wm Clark’s only surviving daughters great nephews. Fascinating.

[@ThisHouse]

Empty Mansion's is such a fascinating book. We highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed this video.

[@LJB103]

One point that I forgot to mention before is that while these were beautiful (for the most part - there were the Huntington, where Tiffany now stands, and the Dodge mansions that were nothing to look at), at least they were replaced by mostly upscale commerce or luxury apartment buildings. They did not go in the ways that the Millionaires' Rows in Cleveland and Detroit that you already showed in prior videos went as industrial areas and (being brutally honest) slums. The house that I would have saved (at least on 5th Avenue) was the Henry Phipps mansion at the corner of 5th Ave and E 87th St. The dining room was salvaged and a wing to rebuild it was added onto their great estate of Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island (one of the most beautiful house museums that I've ever visited).

[@erinrising2799]

its sad so many of them became office buildings, it would be so disheartening to know what a beautiful building once stood where now people must toil away

[@tudorjason]

Except for the tower, the Clark Mansion looked to be the most architecturally interesting to me.

[@raywest3834]

For those interested in the SENATOR CLARK MANSION, the book "Empty Mansions" offers an interesting glimpse of the Gilded Age, and the life of his daughter, Huguette Clark, who inherited his massive fortune.

[@samanthab1923]

@@raywest3834 That is a great book

[@Rosie_C]

Thank you! I’ve been reading a ton of books set in that era - late 1800s to early 1900s - and have wondered what happened to those homes and what it looked like back then?

[@queenana9]

Interesting that there’s no remorse for the Seneca Village who preserved greenery for a park But a lot of remorse for the mansions who were replaced by skyscrapers. People pick and choose justice instead of it being across the board 🥴

[@v.l.7656]

Their village would have disappeared anyway. I’m not seeing the comparison between shacks in a village and gilded Victorian architecture. Would you care if it was a purely an Irish village? Or are you only mad because black people lived there too? That’s what I thought

[@lila6117]

Congratulations, all of your stories are informative and intriguing “well done sir”

[@rob-time]

If you liked this subject, then you might light like a book called "Empty Mansions" which is the story of William H. Clark, owner of one of the homes on this list....it's an incredibly fascinating story.

[@F...........................]

einfach schrecklich was mit den schönen Gebäuden passiert ist, die Zeit war früher einfach eine schönere als heute

[@tamieckert4548]

Love architecture but love people of all kinds.The designing over and over when one nice home would be sufficient to redo over and over.😅

[@morgancrossley6166]

5th ave never ran through Seneca Village. Seneca Village was located on the Upper West Side of the park in the West 80s.

[@Dan-pd9ys]

Though I love and appreciate skyscrapers, it is the saddest thing in the world seeing this beautiful architecture being bulldozed for these office towers. It stings to see the before and after photos lol.

[@dougm5341]

A very nice video. You should do one on the mansions built in Morris County by these same millionaires once the train service came out to the area. Having grown up there, I remember the last of these mansions and their ultimate demise.

[@dhowe5180]

Interesting video. One correction: the triple palace was built by William Henry Vanderbilt who was the son of the commodore, Cornelius Vanderbilt. The video incorrectly refers to William Henry as the commodore. Cornelius lived off Washington square

[@LJB103]

Your captions are correct except that 660 5th Ave was the home of Alva and William K Vanderbilt, Sr., not "II." You referred several times to William Henry Vanderbilt's triple palace as being built by his father Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Also, William B. Astor, Jr was Caroline Astor's husband, not her son. Marjorie Post wasn't waiting so much for a deal as she finally getting fed up with the constant increase of traffic in front of her mansion. Other grand mansions were turned into museums: Felix Warburg's gothic mansion is the Jewish Museum; and the William Starr Miller mansion is now the Neue Galerie (home to "The Lady in Gold," the unbelievably magnificent portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer by Klimt). There had been a discussion to turn 660 5th into a museum, but the price offered was too tempting (the sculpture of Richard Hunt from the roof was mover to Willie K Jr's Long Island mansion). The other great 5th Avenue art collections were housed in the Havermeyer mansion at 1 E 66th St (corner of 5th and 66th) and the Clark mansion shown in the video. All in all a very good video. Needs to be a multi-part series.

[@ThisHouse]

Whoops. Thanks for pointing that out. We are doing what we can with the back end KZbin editor to change the video a bit.

[@anabelvargas6987]

Que belleza de arquitectura clasica se veia antes en NY antes de ser demolidas en nombre del progreso

[@brianscotpatterson2101]

Would have loved to have seen the Triple Palace and Le Petit Chateau.

[@ThisHouse]

We covered them more in depth in this playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHbFXqmvabijl7M

[@sallyclay1974]

I luv the old architecture in Manhattan. It's so opulent!

[@dalvinocosta4651]

Um período de grande e imensa beleza. É muito triste saber que grande parte do legado cultural de New York está sepultado nos escombros da história. Pelo visto, a destruição da beleza arquitetônica se deu em vários lugares do mundo.