| A Short History of Lyndhurst
 Overlooking
the Hudson River in Tarrytown NY is Lyndhurst, one of America's finest
Gothic Revival mansions. The architectural brilliance of the residence,
designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, is complemented by a park-like
landscape and a comprehensive collection of original decorative arts. Its
noteworthy occupants included: former New York City mayor William Paulding,
merchant George Merritt and railroad tycoon Jay Gould.
The estate was shaped during more
than a century by these three families. Their influence is still evident
in the expansion of the main house from a country villa "in the pointed
style" to a Gothic mansion; in the rich furnishings; and in the park-like
design of the grounds.
The 19th century was a period of political
and technological change in America. Romanticism dominated the arts, and
the Hudson River Valley became the center of romantic painting and architecture.
Wealthy patrons commissioned the construction of mansions in a variety
of styles along the bluffs of the river from New York City to Albany.
 Lyndhurst
was first conceived in the minds of architect A. J. Davis and William
Paulding (left) who constructed the country villa in 1838 and called
it "Knoll" The romantic Gothic Revival design immediately drew attention
to the building, critics called it "Paulding's Folly" because its fanciful
turrets and asymmetrical outline were unlike most homes constructed in
the post-colonial era. But fascination with the property continued for
decades and, as ideas of wealth and status changed with the growing nation,
so did the estate, reflecting the tastes and interests of wealthy New York.
 In
1864-65 Davis doubled the size of the mansion for the second owner New
York merchant George Merritt (right) , who renamed it "Lyndenhurst"
after the Linden trees that were planted on the estate.
 Railroad
magnate Jay Gould (left) purchased the estate as a summer
home in 1880, seven years after Merritt died. By 1884 Jay Gould was at
the zenith of his power, having gained control of Western Union Telegraph,
the New York Elevated Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. Gould
used Lyndhurst as an escape from the pressures of his business life and
when his health was impaired by tuberculosis, Lyndhurst served as a country
retreat until his death in 1892.
Jay Gould's daughter, Helen, who later
married Finley J. Shepard, was given
charge of the property upon her father's death. She was involved in numerous
philanthropic works during her lifetime. After her death in 1938, her sister,
Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand- Perigord, returned from France and maintained
Lyndhurst until her death in 1961 when the 67-acre estate passed to the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
 The
grounds at Lyndhurst survive as an outstanding example of 19th century
landscape design. Elements include sweeping lawns accented with
shrubs and specimen trees, the curving entrance drive revealing
"surprise" views, the angular repetition of the Gothic roofline
in the evergreens, and the nation's first steel-framed conservatory.
The rose garden and fernery are later additions.
For additional information or photo permission, please contact
Lyndhurst's Archives Department at (914) 631-4481 ext. 106.
|
