Vanderbilt

The Classicist: America's Finest Equestrian Architecture

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Sports, The Classicist, Wealth

Kathryn Masson, author of the book on Hunt Country Style which we wrote about back in 2008, has returned with another brilliant exposition on equestrian style for our enjoyment. Stables: Beautiful Paddocks, Horse Barns, and Tack Rooms takes us on an alluring journey through America's horse country. Collaborating once again with Hunt Country photographer Paul Rocheleau, Masson visits some of the most notable stables and equestrian centers from coast to coast. Ranging from private to historic to state-of-the-art, from homes for retired racehorses to lodgings for polo ponies, thoroughbreds and world champions, 25 distinctive examples of equestrian architecture and interiors are profiled, showcasing their design, construction, and landscaping.

Each of the featured buildings evokes its distinctive regional heritage, from an enormous 1830s English-style barn near the Saratoga Springs Racetrack, to the Mediterranean aesthetic of one of the world's leading Arabian breeding farms, Om El Arab International in California's Santa Ynez Valley. Also highlighted are the world-famous racing stable Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia, home of Kentucky Derby winner Genuine Risk, and the quintessential Western working ranch Centennial Ranch in Ridgeway, Colorado. Three historic Vanderbilt family stables are featured: The Breakers in Newport, Sandy Point Stables in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and the newly restored project of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland.

Avid equestrienne and professor Dr. Perky Beisel explores the history of the American stable and the long tradition of horsemanship in this United States in an informative preface. "For some Americans, horse ownership and participation in horse sports became a lifestyle and, for others, a way to join the upper class," She notes. "Families who reaped the benefits of 19th-century expansion in industries such as railroads and manufacturing had seemingly unlimited wealth with which to satisfy their desires. While some became notable art collectors, yachtsmen, or horticulturalists, others became active participants in horse sports. In so doing, not only did they create a new upper class, but they also transformed the physical landscape of equestrian recreation and leisure."

Gallery: Great American Stables

U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Center, Gladstone, NJ

Tags: architecture, book, California, coffee table book, coffee table books, Colorado, equestrian, foxhunting, horseracing, horses, hunt country, Kathryn Masson, Kentucky Derby, luxury book, Maryland, polo, Rhode Island, Saratoga Springs, stables, The Breakers, upper class, Vanderbilt, Virginia

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The Classicist: Set Sail on a 100-Year-Old Superyacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Yachts & Sailing, The Classicist

Among yachting historians the name Nathanael Herreshoff is spoken with awe. With a degree in mechanical engineering from M.I.T., Herreshoff - known as "Captain Nat" - revolutionized the world of yacht design and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup winners between 1893–1920. The elegant yachts he designed for those who could afford them were the largest, most expensive and most powerful ever built to defend the famed sailing trophy. Among the moguls who commissioned sailing superyachts from the Rhode Island-based naval architect were Jay Gould, William Randolph Hearst, J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, William Kissam Vanderbilt, Harry Payne Whitney and Morton F. Plant.

Plant, who liked to be known as "Commodore", was a financier, yachtsman and philanthropist who founded the Connecticut College for Women. These days however he is best remembered as the man who traded his opulent Fifth Avenue mansion to Parisian jeweler Cartier in 1917 for $100 and a pearl necklace. Plant owned several yachts during his lifetime, but one of the most famous was the "peerless schooner" (according to the New York Times) Elena which he commissioned from Herreshoff in 1910. His instructions to the great naval architect were simple: "Build me a schooner that can win!" The yacht claimed several victories before Plant's death in 1918, later passing into the hands of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Elena's crowning triumph came in 1928 when she won the 3,400 mile King's Cup Trans-Atlantic Race from New York to Santander, Spain.

All ancient history, you're probably thinking; but the Elena (above) has now been rebuilt and relaunched in all its original splendor, and what's more it is now listed for sale in the South of France via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for $12 million. Spain's Factoria Naval de Marin tracked down 320 original hand-drawn plans, in the possession of Herreshoff's alma mater MIT, prior to beginning the restoration process. 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 beautiful woodwork throughout and elegant, period correct fittings discreetly updated with modern technology. All guest cabins are exquisitely finished with mahogany panellng, while all interior ornamental details follow the original Herreshoff designs. Check out the gallery for glorious images.

Gallery: The Elena

Tags: Americas Cup, classic yacht, Nathanael Herreshoff, sailboat, sailing, sailing yacht, superyacht, Vanderbilt, wooden boat, yacht

Vacation Like a Vanderbilt at Revamped Fisher Island Resort

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wealth

Exclusive Fisher Island off the coast of Miami, where the likes of André Agassi, Ricky Martin, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey have houses, is frequently named as the country's most expensive zip code. Now even if you can't afford a chunk of the island's prime real estate you can still vacation like a mogul at the newly revamped Fisher Island Club. The historic Vanderbilt Mansion there (above), centerpiece of the Fisher Island Hotel & Resort, has just been restored to its original glory as part of a $60 million island-wide restoration project. The Mediterranean-style mansion, built by William K. Vanderbilt II in 1925, crowns the 216-acre property housing a luxuriously-appointed 45-room boutique hotel. Other luxe amenities include a brand new private beach club and revamped 9-hole professional golf course, tennis center and marina.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Fisher Island, FisherIsland, Florida, Miami, resort, Vanderbilt

100 Year Old Superyacht Sets Sail Once Again

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

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]

Tags: Cornelius Vanderbilt, CorneliusVanderbilt, sailing, superyacht, Vanderbilt, yacht

The Classicist: The History of America's Upper Class

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, The Classicist, Wealth

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."

Gallery: High Society

National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, 1960s.

Heiress, socialite and model Lydia Hearst.

Tags: aristocrats, Assouline, Astor, Barack Obama, BarackObama, Nick Foulkes, NickFoulkes, socialite, society, Vanderbilt

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The Classicist: Magnates, Mansions & Millionaires

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Books, The Classicist, Wealth

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.

Gallery: Magnates' Great Estates

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (former Carnegie Mansion)

Tags: Astor, Bill Gates, BillGates, Frick Collection, FrickCollection, Hearst Castle, HearstCastle, Henry Clay Frick, HenryClayFrick, Jay Gould, JayGould, Lyndhurst, Mansion, Rockefeller, San Simeon, SanSimeon, Tycoon, Vanderbilt, Warren Buffett, WarrenBuffett, William Randolph Hearst, WilliamRandolphHearst

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Villa Venezio, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

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.

Source

Tags: estate of the day, florida, hearst, luxury real estate, manalapan, vanderbilt, villa venezio, VillaVenezio

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Vanderbilt Residence Club

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

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.

Source

Tags: newport, rhode island, travel, vanderbilt

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