Walking In Time

A few days ago, I was contacted by a man named Alan M. Engler, a plastic surgeon from New York City. He wanted to compliment me on my blog and tell me about his new book, which was a fantasy about a surgeon from New York City, who enjoyed doing walking tours. I didn't quite understand him at first and I thought it would be one of those walking tour guidebooks. He offered to send me an actual copy, for free, even after I said I would be happy to buy if off of Amazon. The book arrived yesterday, and it was nothing I expected. Instead of some guidebook, it was an actual story and a good one at that. 

Thomas Randolph, M.D., is a world-renowned plastic surgeon on Manhattan’s elegant 

Upper East Side. People come from around the globe to have him do their surgery: 

facelifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, breast surgery. He operates at the Park Avenue 

Teaching Hospital, New York’s premier specialty hospital. Dr. Randolph is also a history 

and architecture buff. He is particularly drawn to New York City during the late 1800s: The 

Gilded Age. His favorite museum is The Frick Collection, which he visits regularly. In order 

to share his interests and enthusiasm, he leads Walking Tours of the Upper East Side, 

including his most-popular tour, “Mansions, Money, and Scandal.” However, the political 

landscape at the hospital is changing and the administration is trying to force the doctors 

to give up their independence. They’ve turned up the heat on some of them, including Dr. 

Randolph, and both his private practice and his livelihood are under fire. At the same 

time, his marriage is unraveling but the shocking dénouement nevertheless catches him 

by surprise. Facing a combination of challenges, he increasingly seeks refuge in the world 

he inhabits during his walking tours. And then, in a moment, he is taken on an unforgettable journey, one that will transform his life.

It is a really good book. I highly recommend it. If you want to learn more about New York City's important historical buildings, and want to read a good descriptive history about each of them, then this is the book for you. When Dr Randolph goes on a walking tour, though it is only on paper, it feels like you are actually there. It is a great book! Thank You Dr. Engler for sending me that copy!

Click HERE To See It On Amazon 

Nuala and Eileen

Above is a photo I found recently of Nuala O'Donnell Pell and Eileen Gillespie Slocum, both prominent members of Newport's Old Guard. Nuala Pell was the wife of the late beloved US Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI). Nuala grew up at her mother's estate The Waves, overlooking Bailey's Beach. She and Claiborne built a home on her mother's property, which they named Pelican Ledge. Though The Waves is no longer in her family, Nuala still lives at Pelican Ledge. Probably one of the most outspoken Republicans in Rhode Island, Eileen Slocum was a truly wonderful woman. She grew up in Newport and remembers playing hide and seek at The Breakers with Countess Anthony Szapary as a young girl. In the 1960's, she and her husband, diplomat John Slocum, redid Eileen's massive childhood mansion, where she would live for the rest of her life, The Harold Brown Villa, a pink stone mansion the scene of many Republican fundraising dinners. From 1998 to her death in 2008 she served as co-committeewoman with Noreen Drexel for Rhode Island's Republican National Committee. She was the Queen of Newport's Old Guard. 

Nuala Pell Campaigning For Her Husband In The 1960's, "A Forward Thinking Democrat" PELL FOR U.S. SENATE 

Eileen Slocum Attending Her First Republican National Convention In 1960, From Then On She Would Never Miss An RNC

To Read More About Eileen And Her Newport Estate, Click HERE

To Read A Bit About Nuala And Pelican Ledge, Click HERE

Two Bottom Photos Courtesy of G. Wayne Miller, Who Wrote A Book About Claiborne Pell And A Movie About Eileen Slocum

Book Recommendation

I recently bought this wonderful book called Newportraits for $2 bucks. It is by the Newport Art Museum and features wonderful paintings and busts of many of Newport's Gilded Age elite and their descendants. Among those whose paintings or busts are featured are: Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Caroline Astor, OLiver Hazard Perry, Abraham Redwood, Ogden Goelet, Elizabeth Drexel (Mrs Harry Lehr), John Carter Brown, Mrs William Watts Sherman, John R and Noreen Drexel III, John Nicholas Brown, The Cushing Family, Elizabeth Blake (Betty Blake), Jackie Kennedy, Hugh D Auchincloss, James Gordon Bennett Jr, Jimmy and Candy Van Alen, Olive Pell, Claiborne Pell, Doris Duke, Mrs. Louis Bruguiere, Cynthia Cary (Mrs Guy Fairfax Cary), Ruth Buchanan Wheeler, Katherine Warren, Mr and Mrs Arthur Curtiss James and Barton Gubelmann. It is a truly fascinating book, with fabulous images and brief, but good, descriptions of the artists and the sitters. 

To See A Copy on Amazon, Click HERE 

Private Newport

I recently read a book called Private Newport byBettie Pardee. It was a brilliant book, documenting some of Newport's last private "cottages". Every since 1851, when the Wetmore family built Chateau Sur Mer, millionaires, debutantes, socialites, tycoons, businessmen, philanthropists, architects, historians, heirs, heiresses, celebrities, Presidents, senators and more have built "cottages" and summered in Newport (even a few billionaires, like Doris Duke, Dodo Hamilton and Lawrence Ellison). Today, many of the grand mansions they built are now museums and institutions, a few have even been demolished or burned down, but there are some that are still private homes, many owned by newcomers, but a few owned by occupants that have lived there decades or even grew up their. Here are some of those privates homes. 

Bellevue House

Bellevue House is owned by Ronald L Fleming, the noted preservationist, urban planter and President of the Townscape Institute, who bought the home from the estate's second owner. He restored Bellevue House's beautiful rose gardens and added several intricate outbuildings, included a teahouse, which is a replicate of the main house. Built in 1910 by Ogden Codman Jr, it was the summer home of heiress Martha Codman. She later shocked her friends by marrying opera singer, Maxim Karolik, 30 years her junior. After Martha's death, Maxim continued to summer in the home until his death. It was then owned by singer and actress Jane Pickens, whom Fleming purchased it from. Fleming hopes to one day live in a small keeper's cottage at the back of the property, his kids having the main house, and that he will occasionally be invited over for dinner. 

Beaulieu 

Newport would not be the place it is today without people like Ruth Buchanan Wheeler of Beaulieu. Heiress to the Dow Chemical Company fortune, she has lived in the home for fifty years. Her late husband Wiley T. Buchanan, who served as President Eisenhower's (a fellow Newporter) Chief of Protocol, bought the dump of a house in the 1960's and he and Ruth restored the estate to the masterpiece it is now. Built in 1859 by a Peruvian merchant, it was later bought by William Waldorf Astor, whose aunt lived in nearby Beechwood. He sold the home to Cornelius and Grace Vanderbilt. When Grace died in 1953, the home slowly faded, until the Buchanans purchased it. After Wiley's death, Ruth married her high school sweetheart, Edward Wheeler, who died in 2009. When asked if she wished her husband had picked a different home to restore, back in 1961, Ruth quickly retorted "No" she further says "The house is perfect. It was a headache. But now it is perfect" 

The Ledges

Occupying one of the most spectacular promontories in Newport, overlooking Bailey's Beach, is the graceful estate, The Ledges, also known as The Cushing Family Compound. Howard Cushing III, the owner and current President of The Sprouting Rock Beach Association (Bailey's Beach), lives in the main house with his wife, Nora, and their two sons, Jamie and Howard.  The estate was built by Howard's great grandfather, Robert Cushing, and passed down through family hands until he ended up with it in 1964. Also living on the estate, residing in a small cottage, is Howard's brother, Thomas Cushing, and his wife, Caterine. Down the street his Howard's sister, Minnie Coleman. Recently redone by interior designer John Peixinho, the home was featured, in 2007, in the film Evening. The Ledges is the only home on Ocean Avenue still in the hands of descendants of it's original occupants. 

Wildacre

Though currently for sale, Wildacre had been for many years, up until it was listed, the home of billionairess Dorrance "Dodo" Hamilton. Dodo, an heiress to the Campbell's Soup fortune whose net worth is around $1.1 billion, purchased the home back in 1998, when she first came to Newport. Hamilton set out to restore the home, which was a wreck, back into the former beauty it was. Originally built as a bungalow in 1901 by Irving Gill, with gardens designed by the Olmstead Brothers, it was, overtime, enlarged into the mansion it is today. In 2008, the estate and grounds were the scene of Dodo's 80th Birthday Party. An avid preservationist, Hamilton has purchased what remains of the Blue Gardens on the former Curtiss James estate, Beacon Hill, which she plans on restoring and living after she moves from Wildacre. 

Stonor Lodge

On November 6, 2012, Noreen Stonor Drexel died at her summer home, Stonor Lodge. Named after her parent's home in England, Stonor Lodge was Noreen's residence for more than 50 years. Noreen, who was famous for her large financial contributions to the Newport Hospital, Newport Birthing Center and the Preservation Society of Newport, usually headed up Rhode Island's Republican National Committee with her good friend, Eileen Slocum, who died in 2008. Stonor Lodge was built by Noreen and her husband, John R Drexel III, who grew up in Newport and died in 2007, back in the early 1950's. Noreen also spent her winters in Palm Beach and New York City. After her husband's death, she had moved into the spacious former garage house of the estate, which she converted into a residence like her friend Oatsie Charles. 

The Whim

Formerly the gardener's cottage and garage to the neighboring estate, Land's End, it is now the dower house of famed Georgetown hostess Marion "Oatsie" Charles, wife of the late Robert H. Charles, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for President Kennedy. Oatsie, the current President of The Newport Restoration Foundatio, purchased the cottage when she also bought Land's End with her first husband, Thomas Leiter, in 1940. When Thomas died, she moved into The Whim with her second husband, Robert. The six-bedroom cottage was redone by Oatsie and turned into what she called "A lovely jewel". Charles filled the home with a large assortment of antiques, including antique panels from nearby Marble House, which she purchased at it's auction and now grace The Whim's "garage" walls. Oatsie also redidi the grounds, which she filled with several beautiful gardens. 

The Windmill 

Designed by Jackie Kennedy and owned by the same people for decades, The Windmill is now for rent. The reason, a recent hike in property taxes. It was owned by the Auchincloss Family, who lived at the nearby Hammersmith Farm, the last farm in Newport and now privately owned. When Janet Auchincloss sold Hammersmith Farm in 1977, she and the other family members kept many of the outbuildings, where they would continue to summer for decades. The main buildings they kept were The Castle (formerly the farmhouse), The Palace (formerly the garages) and The Windmill (a windmill). For many year Jackie Kennedy herself summered at The Castle, but then gave it to her stepbrother, Hugh D "Yusha" Auchincloss, when she died. The Windmill was occupied by Nina Auchincloss, half sister of Gore Vidal, and was where she, for many years, spent her summers away from DC. With an increase in property taxes, Nina thought she would have to sell The Windmill. After celebrating Yusha's 80th birthday there, procedures were made to sell the home. Fortunately, Nina decided not to sell the home, but instead rent it out.

TO BE CONTINUED...........

The Art Gallery Of The Havemeyer Mansion

The upstairs loft area of the art gallery of the Henry Havemeyer mansion in New York City. One of the largest homes on Fifth Avenue, it was built at a cost of $3 million. The mansion was interesting in that it was built in three different parts: The residence, art gallery and servant's area, each with a visible entrance along Fifth Avenue. The mansion was demolished in 1927, after Mrs. Havemeyer's death. 

Click HERE For More. 

The Last Great Mansion Built On Fifth Avenue

 In 1926, ten years after her husband's death, Florence Vanderbilt Twombly, Vanderbilt heiress and reigning grande dame of New YOrk City's Old Guard, decided she wanted a new Fifth Avenue palace. She sold her mansion at 680 Fifth Avenue and bought a long narrow plot way uptown, facing Central Park on one side and facing the Henry Clay Frick mansion on another. Next door was the townhouse of Mrs Alexander Rice, a survivor of the Titanic. 

Florence Twombly Inherited A Total of Around $80 Million From Her Father, William H Vanderbilt, And Her Husband, Hamilton

Florence Twombly Commissioned The Famed Architect Whitney Warren To Design Her New Palace, Which Would Cost $1.3 million (Photo: Robert Bruce Collection) 

Construction began that year, and continued through 1927. The mansion featured the latest and most up-to-date gadgets of the time, which included 2 elevators, central heating, bathrooms with every bedroom, a modern kitchen and 2 boilers in the basement. Florence would occupy the home during the winters with her daughter, Ruth, whose bedroom would be on the third floor, across from Florence's. 

Ruth Loved To Party, Normally Partying Till 4 AM And Sleeping In Till 2 PM, She Spent Most Of Her Time At The Twombly Estate, Florham

Furniture for the home was imported from England and Paris, with a few antiques and heirlooms being taken from the 680 Fifth Avenue home. The beautiful parquet floors in the ballroom were especially crafted in Italy and so did the ballroom's 3 massive crystal chandeliers. The dining room table was capable of seating 55 comfortably. The oak library held an antique collection of 100 volumes. The reception room came from a chateau in Paris. The total cost, $1.3 million.

The Circular Staircase At The Twombly Townhouse

The Reception Room At The Twombly Townhouse

In 1946, Florence's last surviving sibling, Emily White, died. This left Florence as the last surviving daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt and the last surviving grandchild of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of the Vanderbilt family. 

When Florence Twombly Arrived At The Opening Of The Metropolitan Opera House In A Maroon Rolls Royce And Attended By Her Chauffeur In Maroon Livery It Was Quite A Memorable Scene

Florence managed to tough it out till 1952, when she died at her New Jersey estate, Florham. Her estate of $22 million was diminished down to $4 million by the government, who took $18 million. Ruth died two years later and the Twombly residences were sold. The townhouse was demolished, along with the Rice mansion, and replaced with an apartment house, which stands their today. 

To Read About The Layout Of The Home, Click HERE 

Exterior Photo, Courtesy of The Robert Bruce Collection 

Interior Photos, Courtesy of Shirley Burden, Grandson of Florence Twombly 

Demolition of the Cornelius Vanderbilt II Mansion

The largest home in New York City ever built at the time, and still the largest home ever built there, the Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion was truly a masterpiece. Occupying an entire full block, it had around 130 rooms. Among those rooms was a ballroom, an art gallery/dining room, a grand salon, small salon, drawing room, library, water color reception room, smoking room (the Moorish Room), an office, breakfast room, service pantries, 2-story great hall, more than 17 bedrooms, more than 6 bathrooms and numerous servant's rooms. The home had been sold in 1925 by Vanderbilt's widow, Alice, because her $7 million trust, which produced an annual income of $250,00, could not pay for the $130,000 in property taxes on the home and meet her other expenses (one of which was the property taxes on her other home in Newport, The Breakers, which was $85,000 annually). Besides keeping a few personal pieces of furniture, Alice had most of the fixtures and furnishings auctioned off. 

"The Ballroom is as big as a house, and the bathrooms are so big, a taxi could do a complete circle in one of them" the magazines said. The home was eventually sold for $7 million by Bergdorf Goodman, who planned on building a retail palace on the site. The home was demolished in 1927. 

For More, Click HERE