When we arrived in late afternoon we were faced with a tough decision. Time allowed for only one tour but what to choose? The home and estate of beloved FDR or the opulence of the Vanderbilt Mansion? We went with the vacation shack.
Frederick Vanderbilt, one of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt's eight grandchildren and considered the least extravagant of his siblings ended up being the most successful, increasing his $10 million inheritance to $70 million in his lifetime. His Hyde Park Mansion only had 50 rooms and was the smallest of the 43 homes owned between the third generation. Staffed with 60 people year round Frederick and his wife only spent a few weeks there each year.
If this is the smallest house we cannot even imagine what their regular Mansion looked like.
Vanderbilt Mansion
FDR's Mansion
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