Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Where Are They Now?

If you're a regular reader of Big Old Houses (and I sincerely hope that you are), you'll immediately recognize Lyndhurst (seen above), the astonishing "American Gothic" castle located in Tarrytown, New York, completed in its present condition in 1865. The celebrated (by architectural historians, anyway) Alexander Jackson Davis designed it, but it is better known for the villainous Wall Street manipulator who bought it in 1880, Jay Gould.

After Mr. Gould's death in 1892, first his daughter Helen, and then her younger sister Anna (who became the Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord) continued to own the house until 1961. That's the duchess, clutching her little dog after a prudent departure from Paris on the eve of the Second World War.


Here's the girls' brother, George Jay Gould, virtuoso of the "wrong step" in everything from business to marriage to real estate. Frank Crowninshield's amusing 1908 book, "Manners for the Metropolis," warns social aspirants (tongue in cheek, OK?) to beware a certain category of acquaintances who are, as he puts it, "on the green, but not dead to the hole." That was George Gould, all right, and you could say the same about his spectacular house, Georgian Court, whose gates and garden facade are illustrated below. It's in Lakewood, New Jersey, a fleetingly fashionable resort deserted by society types with (as we say in real estate) rockets on their butts many (many) years ago. Both Lyndhurst and Georgian Court have been explored in depth in earlier columns. The topic of today's post is: Where are the people who owned them today?



The answer is Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, the greatest necropolis in America and (maybe) in the world. Three hundred thousand people, among them "Le tous" New York Society, share 400 acres of rolling hills, shimmering lawns, specimen trees and, in certain swankier districts, a stunning total of 1,271 private mausoleums, ranging in design from the merely expensive to the historically important. Woodlawn was founded in late 1863, the first "loved one" lowered into the earth in January of 1865. It caught fire with the plutocracy after the 1884 construction of the Gould family mausoleum, designed by one Hamilin French, an architect of whom I've never heard. Funny isn't it? Although loathed by the general public, the construction of Gould's mausoleum ignited a fashion for the cemetery. (Maybe understandable, if you think about it). The weeping beech beside the mausoleum is now bigger than the building itself. I wanted to go inside, but the key didn't work.





Also at Woodlawn are former owners of another of my big old houses, Belcourt in Newport, R.I. They are Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, charming son of Rothschild represent August Belmont, and his redoubtable wife, Alva. Mrs. B was many things - builder of palaces from Fifth Avenue to Newport, brave divorcee (from W.K. Vanderbilt, at a time when divorce was social suicide), braver champion of women's rights, and the mother who forced her daughter to marry the Duke of Marlborough. Her reasons for the latter were actually quite sound but, as all of us must learn (hopefully sooner than later), we must let our children make their own mistakes. Richard Morris Hunt, who designed 660 Fifth Avenue and Marble House in Newport for Alva, also designed Belcourt for her husband in 1894, before the Belmonts' marriage. Their mausoleum at Woodlawn is an immodest miniaturization of the chapel of St. Hubert in Amboise, France, designed by Hunt's sons in 1908.








Alva Belmont, erudite student of Gothic art and a great one for fitting out her many houses with Gothic Rooms, was clearly the guiding hand behind Hunt and Hunt's design. Some years ago, a clever Woodlawn intern announced that the praying figure above the front door was actually Mr. Belmont. The story has currency to this day. Had that intern also been clever enough to look at pictures of Mr. Belmont, he would have realized the statue looks nothing like him. Considering Alva's mad preoccupation with Gothic accuracy, it might well depict some actual historical character from the middle ages. But her husband, it ain't.





Here are Jonathan and Harriet Thorne, presently horizontal residents of Woodlawn, but formerly builders of another subject of my column, 1028 Fifth Avenue. The Thorne family has a railed plot, as opposed to a mausoleum, and within it rest numerous generations with room for numerous more. I'm assuming Mrs. Thorne is in here somewhere, but I forgot to look for her. (I'm bad).





There are two main entrances to Woodlawn. This one is on Jerome Avenue, a little south of East 233rd Street, practically facing the last station on the #4 train. Yes, you can take the subway to Woodlawn. The second entrance is on the opposite side of the cemetery, at the corner of 233rd Street and Webster Avenue, across from the Woodlawn stop on Metro North. Proximity to the railroad (tracks were laid in 1865) vaulted Woodlawn over its great competitor, Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. You could take a train to the former from 42nd and Park, as opposed to fighting downtown traffic and taking a ferry across the river to the latter. After 1871 you could even rent a special Woodlawn car at Grand Central, to whisk loved one and mourners alike directly to the Webster Avenue gate.

Very early on, in 1867, Woodlawn adopted the so-called "landscape-lawn" plan which, the Thorne plot notwithstanding, substituted circular plots and a serpentine road plan for the usual right-angled geometry and abundant fencing of most cemeteries to that date. Woodlawn was - and still is - a for-profit undertaking, continued improvements to which included a fashionable replacement of the Jerome Avenue gate in 1915. You might think of Woodlawn as a sort of enormous coop, whose Cemetery Corporation owns the land and collects a form of maintenance from individual Cemetery Association members, each of whom who can build whatever he wants on his designated plot. In 2011 Woodlawn became a National Historic Landmark. So far none of the major mausoleum owners has attempted any architectural bollixing, and let's hope none does.

You could loop around this place for hours, in part because roads followed in one direction look completely different when followed in another. Plus which, it's typical to admire some stunning vista of weeping angels, towering obelisks, specimen trees, etc., etc. without realizing you've already looked at it from three other angles.









I will spare you Woodlawn's list of important architects and sculptors, which you probably wouldn't remember, and limit myself instead to a short "statue tour."






Not every business heavyweight or society leader was buried so magnificently. Birdie (Mrs. Graham Fair) Vanderbilt, owner of the beautiful French mansion at 60 East 93rd Street seen below (one of my BOH favorites), rests beneath a comparatively simple bench.





Society leader Percy Rivington Pyne, builder of 680 Park Avenue, lies beneath a simple slab in a sort of sacred grove. Part of this simplicity may stem from the fact that Mr. Pyne died 60 days before the stock market crash of 1929, which fact did not deter the powers that be from taxing his estate at its pre-crash value.






I wanted to check out three more individuals whose houses appeared on Big Old Houses. We'll take the scenic route to the first.





This fierce looking individual was Henry H. Cook, a prototypical Victorian macher who summered at Tanglewood (today's warm weather home of the Boston Pops), and kept a big and not particularly beautiful house on Fifth Avenue and 78th Street. He was the man who developed the famous Cook Block, located between Fifth, Madison, 78th and 79th Streets, whose original restrictive covenants, despite no longer being in force, have managed to preserve the grandest and most intact mansion block on Manhattan. Cook's house was replaced in 1912 by Horace Trumbauer's palace for tobacco baron James B. Duke.






William Sloane, of the W. & J. Sloane furniture emporium family, hired society architects Delano & Aldrich to build Merestead in the country and 686 Park Avenue in town. The Sloane family mausoleum looks a sight better indoors than Mr. Cook's.






The last (and possibly the richest) of those persons whose houses I've written about, is Standard Oil heir Edward Harkness, seen below with his wife Mary. James Gamble Rogers designed the Harkness house in New York, at 75th and Fifth, as well as the mausoleum below, whose walled garden was designed by Beatrix Farrand. Woodlawn's elaborate funerary architecture was originally complimented by equally elaborate landscaping, much of which has disappeared from lack of maintenance. The Harkness plot is an exception.





The people I've written about in Big Old Houses belonged to an important group at Woodlawn, but they constitute a small - if highly visible - fraction of the cemetery's total number of "loved ones." Somewhere on these 400 acres is an example of pretty much every style of monument you can think of, sitting on top of a whole lot of people you've heard of, and a whole of others you haven't.







Did you know that Herman Melville is buried at Woodlawn? So is Thomas Nast, Joseph Pulitzer, Irving Berlin, Admiral Farragut, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Moses, Duke Ellington and the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. The biggest private plot covers six and a half acres; the smallest accommodates a simple slab with enough room to walk around it. Some people, like Col. William Boyce Thompson who, together with the staircase in his beautiful Yonkers mansion is illustrated below, built a mausoleum, had a change of heart, and sold it to someone else. Thompson sold his to a Brooklyn resident named Ernest Arata.



For years I've been telling people they'd be amazed by this place. My visit today was a result of a call from Eline Maxwell at the Woodlawn Conservancy, suggesting I write about it for Big Old Houses. Good idea; I'm glad I did.



46 comments:

  1. The landscape-lawn cemetery concept ensured the survival of generations of sculptors -- and the continuing delight of generations of sketch artists like myself. Thanks, John, for posting that last image of yourself on the steps of Luxor. The scale of this monument, and Woodlawn, is awe inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOODLAWN CEMETERY IS AN ARCHITECTURAL FEAST! Thanks for highlighting it in your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. From a longtime reader, very much enjoyed this week's edition. It has inspired me to make a visit to Woodlawn - I had no idea it was so incredible! I especially enjoyed the Harkness Mausoleum by Rogers with landscape by Farrand. The two worked frequently for Harkness, and the mausoleum is especially redolent of their work at Yale. If you are interested, you should visit the Harkness summer house, Eolia (now Harkness Memorial State Park), near New London, CT. It is another Rogers-Farrand collaboration, and as I recall, though the house lacks most of its furnishings, the service areas are unusually intact. Might make for a good BOH post! If you go, make sure they show you the carriage house with its recreation wing as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Off the top of me 'ead, I think John covered the Harkness house of which you speak a couple of years ago.

      Delete
  4. I didn't realize how much decadence they put on death. It reminds me of the Pharaohs who oversaw their place of rest. The comparison in the Cook mausoleum in its deteriorating state where no one has visited in years decades probably then the Sloane mausoleum where still visitors come to pay their respects. I'm also curious about the notes on Miles Davis grave. Out of all of them my favorite are the ones with just a bench, gives me an idea. Terrific post, thank you, again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Haven't seen Woodlawn since I was a child. I thought it beautiful then but can really appreciate it now; thank you so much for this post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A fascinating entry to BOH and the architecture is truly diverse yet largely it appears tasteful. Sadly many a Tiffany stained glass window, for example, over the years has been filched as noted with a few high profile cases.

    It was mentioned that aside from owning the plot that the owner must continue to pay in ongoing maintenance fees. So who is making those payments- e.g. are Jay Gould's heirs today still having to pay in? I have to assume a few old fortunes of those interred there have (well beyond the 1929 crash and the depression) been whittled to truly nothing. If there is failure to pay by the succeeding generations what becomes of the family mausoleum?

    ReplyDelete
  7. i LOVE cemeteries -!

    next time you're in Bawlmer, take a tour of Green Mount; absolutely worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. There you are John, sitting grandly in the shade by the BACHE monument fashioned in faux ancient Egyptian mode. I wonder why.

    But upon closer inspection we see that the columns, capitals, abacus and architraves support absolutely nothing. I suppose this is symbolic of mortuary architecture in general. That being, little buildings that are totally inutile , except as baffling miniature monuments to the deceased, departed and generally the forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The figures on the facade of the Belmont tomb, a faithful replica of the chapel at Amboise, are of King Charles VIII and his queen Anne de Bretagne, praying to the Virgin and Child.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Visibly Wealthy certainly didn't let a little matter such as death interfere with their one-upmanship! Thanks for a marvelous post.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I was unaware of this gem. It reminds me of Springrove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, the current home of Presidents Taft, Procter and Gamble and many others, known and unknown. I think springrove has survived with stunning intact landscaping due to its being combined with the arboretum. You should take a look.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Are you paying over $5 / pack of cigs? I buy all my cigarettes from Duty Free Depot and I'm saving over 50% on cigs.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've been using online dating sites for some time and got a lot to write about. That's why I started my blog about dating sites. If you're interested, read my recent victoria hearts review.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We are the best truck rental in Dubai & we deal in 1 ton and 3 Ton Pickup For Rent in Dubai . Deals in areas like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Ain, Fujairah, Sharjah and all over dubai. Pickup Rental Dubai for Home shifting, Office shifting, Man with van, We deal in 1 ton and 3 ton pickup for rent in Dubai.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Safe Driver Dubai is your all-inclusive resource when you are searching for the Safe Driver Service Dubai. We have aptitude in giving you the best wellbeing driving administrations. At the point when you are searching for a dependable individual to comfort drive for you or your friends and family, our best protected Safe Drivers in Dubai will meet your interests. We spend significant time in offering security driver administrations. You can rely on us while chasing for the best protected driver organization in UAE.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Moving Companies in Abu Dhabi
    https://wemovers.ae/blog/moving-companies-in-abu-dhabi?id=4
    Professional Movers in Abu Dhabi #1 Moving companies in Abu Dhabi Offers Budget Moving Services Abu Dhabi Professional Movers Award Winner Offers Urgent Movers in Abu Dhabi.
    1632468010421-9

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nice Blog !!
    Required Safe driver Dubai? Call +971 52 894 8931 to hire a driver in Dubai.
    Are you not in a position to drive your car? Hiring a safe driver Dubai is the best thing to do if you are in Dubai and Awesome Drive is the best safe Driver Company. Awesome Drive welcomes you to a chauffeur-driven service. It is a driver company operating in Dubai.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for such a great post.how nice idea you shear hear!Its really some more needed articles of human life.Really I enjoyed the blog varsity jackets

    ReplyDelete
  19. Our the purpose is to share the reviews about the latest Jackets,Coats and Vests also share the related Movies,Gaming, Casual,Faux Leather and Leather materials available Teddy Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love to recommend you Where can crawl Exciting Products latest Jackets, Coats and Vests Click Here Def Jam Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  21. The Self Storage Dubai Prices was the result of a basic idea for example to add solace and straight forwardness in the moving system. we improved on the moving cycles where others were making moving complex for the client. The Move It, today, remains at a steady situation in positions of top trucking organizations in Dubai that work on "Client First" approach rather than zeroing in on month to month deals target. Since moving industry works distinctively where client is the ruler and awful verbal exchange can end the excursion for a moving specialist co-op.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Best Tarot Reader in Dubai

    There are many reasons for why tarot readings are so popular. A tarot reading can provide insight into specific situations. It also helps you navigate them. Furthermore, it can also offer you support and guidance when it comes to big decisions and issues in your life with relationships, career, job, business, finances and so much more.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am glad to be here and read your very interesting article, it was very informative and helpful information for me. keep it up.John Lennon Rubber Soul Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  24. Crystal Healing in Dubai

    The art of arrangements to a crystal healing, to oneself, to another person, or to any aspect of life, is one of the most valuable tools that can be learnt. There are many ways that healing crystals UAE and stones can be used for healing and consciousness rising. They will work whether or not you think or believe that they work. In one method, the practitioner places crystals on different parts of the body, often corresponding to chakras; or else the practitioner places crystals around the body in an attempt to construct an energy grid, which is purported to surround the client with healing energy. Scientific investigations have found no evidence that such "energy grids" actually exist, and there is no evidence that crystal healing has any greater effect upon the body than any other placebo. Every crystal has its own property and energy. There are birth stones that come with the zodiac sign that are universal. At Humeira crystal healing in Dubai center stones are given keeping in mind the issues of the people like fear, anxiety, protection of evil eye, concentration, luck, positivity, financial gain, love and awakening of the third eye, etc. Humeira tarot card reader in Dubai uses stones are programmed for each individual. Directions are also given as how to take care of the stone and use it.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/crystal-healing-in-dubai

    ReplyDelete
  25. Pranic Healing in Dubai

    Pranic Healing Dubai utilizes “life force,” “energy,” or prana to accelerate the body's inborn ability to heal itself. Pranic Healing Middle East is an energy healing system based on the fundamental principle that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. This invisible bio-energy or vital energy keeps the body alive and maintains a state of good health. Pranic Healing is a highly developed and tested system of energy treatment that uses prana to balance, harmonize and transform the body’s energy processes. Prana is the Sanskrit word that means life-force. This invisible bio-energy or vital energy keeps the body alive and maintains good health. In acupuncture, the Chinese refer to this energy as Chi. In Japanese it is called Ki, as in Reiki. Pranic Healing is a simple, yet powerful and effective system of non-touch energy healing. It is based on the fundamental principle that the body is a self-repairing entity that possesses the innate ability to heal itself. Pranic Healing works on the understanding that the healing process is accelerated by increasing the life force or vital energy to the affected part of the body. Pranic Healing is applied on the bio- electromagnetic field known as the aura, or energy body, which is a mold or blue print that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/pranic-healing-in-dubai

    ReplyDelete
  26. Reiki Healing in Dubai

    The word “Reiki” means “mysterious atmosphere, miraculous sign.” It comes from the Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” meaning life energy. Reiki healing is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation. Reiki is a form of complementary therapy relating to energy healing. Proponents say that it works with the energy fields around the body and involves the transfer of universal energy from the practitioner’s palms to the client. It is made up of two Japanese words – Rei which means, ‘spiritually guided’ and Ki which means ‘life force energy’. Humeira Reiki Healer Dubai believes that transfer of energy through palms or hands and promotes effective self-healing align is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation. It is made up of two Japanese words – Rei which means, ‘spiritually guided’ and Ki which means ‘life force energy. Reiki Healing believes that transfer of energy through palms or hands and promotes effective self-healing.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/reiki-healing-in-dubai

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tarot Card Reading in Dubai

    Tarot card reading is a deck of tarot cards to give your insight and clarity into your life. You can consult with Humeira Tarot card Reader in Dubai who is the best tarot card reading in Dubai. She provides you the best tarot card reading in Dubai experience with 100% positive results. You can also avail tarot card reading online facility. Best tarot card reading Dubai helps you to take responsibility for the life you need help to create. Tarot cards in Dubai are also available online. While the tarot Dubai gives suggested actions to take and a likely outcome for the situation in love or career, it does not predict the future. Humeira Tarot reading in Dubai can show you where you are now, where you’ve come from, where you want to be and how to get there. Humeira Tarot reading UAE is well-known and is an expert to provide the best insight site to enhance your vision of life. She is enlisted in best tarot card reader in Dubai.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/tarot-card-reading-in-dubai

    ReplyDelete
  28. Tarot reading in Dubai

    Tarot card reading is a deck of tarot cards to give your insight and clarity into your life. You can consult with Humeira Tarot card Reader in Dubai who is the best tarot card reading in Dubai. She provides you the best tarot card reading in Dubai experience with 100% positive results. You can also avail tarot card reading online facility. Best tarot card reading Dubai helps you to take responsibility for the life you need help to create. Tarot cards in Dubai are also available online. While the tarot Dubai gives suggested actions to take and a likely outcome for the situation in love or career, it does not predict the future. Humeira Tarot reading in Dubai can show you where you are now, where you’ve come from, where you want to be and how to get there. Humeira Tarot reading UAE is well-known and is an expert to provide the best insight site to enhance your vision of life. She is enlisted in best tarot card reader in Dubai.

    https://www.humeiratarot.com/tarot-card-reading-in-dubai

    ReplyDelete
  29. Nice post!..good information,it is really helpful..it really impressed me alot and i just loved it.Thanks for posting such an informative content:
    Packers and Movers Taloja

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have been an avid reader of this astrology blog for quite some time, and I am consistently impressed by the profound knowledge and insightful content it provides. Recently, I had the pleasure of discovering astrologer Rajsharma's astrology services in the USA, and I must say that his expertise and advice have proven to be exceptionally valuable.

    Best Spiritual Reading in New Jersey

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you, I’ve just been searching for info about this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have discovered till now. John Dutton Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm really shocked to see your work and how you make the writeups. Keep it up! Halloween Costume for sale

    ReplyDelete
  33. In my fashion class, I always refer your content to students because I know the quality and truth of your blogs. They are mesmerizing. Christmas Collection

    ReplyDelete
  34. A design like yours with a few simple adjustments would really make my blog shine.

    ReplyDelete
  35. its much more to learn from your article.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Its an amazing website, really enjoy your articles.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Keep doing this in future. I will support you.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your weblog is definitely worth a read if anyone comes throughout it

    ReplyDelete
  39. That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate info.

    ReplyDelete