Vanderbilt

A 137-ft. racing schooner dubbed the Elena, built in 1910 for financier Morton F. Plant and one of the most coveted superyachts of its day, has been rebuilt and relaunched in all its original splendor. Plant, who is best remembered these days as the man who traded his Fifth Avenue mansion to Cartier in 1917 for $100 and a pearl necklace, later sold the yacht to Cornelius Vanderbilt, and it won several of the major regattas of its day. Elena's crowning triumph came in 1928 when it won the 3,400 mile 1928 King's Cup Trans-Atlantic Race from New York to Santander, Spain. Now the Elena (above) has been completely rebuilt by Spain's Factoria Naval de Marin with help from the original hand-drawn plans donated by MIT. Historic images of the yacht were painstakingly studied to ensure that every detail was restored to perfection, from her towering masts and nearly 1,200 square meter sail plan to the wide teak deck and luxurious appointments. The Elena can accommodate 10 guests in Gilded Age luxury, with mahogany paneling throughout and elegant, period correct fittings discreetly updated with modern technology.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Interestingly enough it took a foreigner - namely super-stylish British historian, author, and journalist Nick Foulkes - to realize that for most people the appeal of society swells is purely decorative. What sets his recently published book - High Society: The History of America's Upper Class - apart from the usual social history is the amazing array of archival photographs. Beginning with the early 17th century, Foulkes focuses on the famous families - the Vanderbilts, Fricks, Morgans, and Astors among them - who came to embody the American aristocracy. He also plots the social trajectory all the way to the present day, and heiresses such as the famed Miller Sisters, aka Pia Getty, Princess Alexandra von Furstenberg and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, pictured on the book's cover, above.

Of course, you first have to accept Foulkes' premise that America does in fact have a class system, even if the current recession has painfully demonstrated that no one should take their positions for granted while Barack Obama's ascendancy proved that traditional barriers are no longer as formidable. "I am often told that 'American high society' is an oxymoron, either by those who hold the quaint belief that the United States is a classless society in which opportunity is open to all," Foulkes notes, "or by Europeans who believe themselves to be superior and look down pejoratively upon the social aspirations of a country that is younger than many families, social clubs, educational establishments, and even socks in the Old World."

The fact of the matter, however, Foulkes writes, is that "The United States is no longer a young country; it is a middle-aged nation with its own social codes and structures locked into its collective DNA. It has its prominent families, an untitled aristocracy, who exerted such a profound effect on the nation or have just been around for so long that the doings of their descendants are still a source of interest." The second pillar of American society is the plutocracy, "Men who made so much money that they simply floated to the pinnacle of the social structure on a tide of cash, building huge mansions and amassing art collections that remain among the most impressive the world has ever seen."

The excesses of today's tycoons have come under lots of scrutiny lately due to the dire financial situation. Titans of business have always been at the forefront of American mythology however, in both good times and bad, and it's worth putting today's crop of nabobs in their proper historical context. That's what William G. Scheller has done admirably in his new book, Great Estates: The Lifestyles & Homes of American Magnates (Universe, $35). The oversized, lavishly illustrated volume celebrates the history of 40 of America's true barons of business, from the 1700s through this year's Forbes list, and opens the door into their private palaces along the way.

Beginning with the colonial era, when trade was overtaking landholding as a way to get rich, Great Estates follows the "restless careers of our most brilliant and driven merchants, industrialists, and financiers as they mastered a new economic world of textiles, railroads, oil, and steel." With the twentieth century came fresh opportunities: "automobiles, motion pictures, broadcasting, publishing, and retailing on a massive scale, and the vast horizon of high technology." And of course the massive mansions that men of great fortune erected as monuments to their success along the way.

These include Henry Clay Frick's Manhattan mansion, now a magnificent museum; William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon in California, aka Hearst Castle; and one of our personal favorites, railroad magnate Jay Gould's gothic castle on the Hudson River, Lyndhurst (pictured above on the book's cover). Shortly after he purchased the estate as a summer home in 1880, 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 with rapacious methods that once caused him to be beaten by a Wall Street mob.

Today's estate comes from The Real Estate Journal. Veronica Hearst and Randolph Apperson Hearst bought this stunning home in 2000 for nearly $30 million. The nine-bedroom stone mansion was built in 1929 by the Vanderbilt family and was formerly known as Eastover. The home is now called Villa Venezio and has more than 30,000 square feet of space on 3.5 acres in Manalapan, Florida. It fronts both the ocean and the intracoastal waterway. The estate also has a guest house, dock and a six-car garage. This classic Maurice Fatio-designed home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The most stunning feature of the home, aside from the location and the size, is the ornate carved stonework on the columns, ceilings and walls. It is listed at $27 million. After the jump, buy your own pedigree.

Vanderbilt Hall, a luxury hotel in Newport, Rhode Island is now the Vanderbilt Residence Club. The renovated hotel now has 33 oversized suites. Each suite has 14-foot ceilings and antiques paired with modern furniture. Each suite also has a media center with two plasma screens and an optional iPod docking station. Guest have access to shared amenities including a private club room, screening room, wine room, dining courtyard, robe lounge and a pillow library. A full-service spa will open in October.

The new Vanderbilt has an ever-so-slight eco-friendly bent with carpeting made from recyclable materials, cork floors and occupancy sensors in the suites for energy conservation. Special introductory 21-day memberships begin at $75,000 plus annual dues. Individual stays are available starting at $295 per night.