This
beautifully illustrated book features the magnificent
estates built in the early part of the twentieth
century by the wealthy residents of Long Island's
North Shore. Many of the mansions are no longer
standing, making this book a critical archive and
monument to their glory. In their heyday, they were
inhabited by the aristocracy of America's gilded
age, among them Vanderbilts, Phipps, and Pratts.
The author's evocative photographs capture the splendor
of these once luxurious homes, from the houses'
turrets, porticos, columns, and courtyards to their
vaulted entry halls, spacious ballrooms, and vast
libraries. Accompanied by histories of the estates
and the families that built them, this book is a
classic and evocative reminder of a bygone era and
lifestyle.
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A
stunning architectural tour of 28 abandoned estates
that loom as mysterious ruins along the Hudson River
between New York City and Albany. Many of the now-faded
mansions were designed by Stanford White, the premier
architect of New York's gilded age, and were owned
by such illustrious families as the Vanderbilts,
Astors, and Whitneys. The author's evocative, sepia-tinted
photos capture the architectural splendor of these
once luxurious homes, as well as the ravages of
time, from the houses' crumbling turrets and spires,
porticos, columns, gargoyles, and weed-choked courtyards
and gazebos, to their interior vaulted ceilings,
spacious ballrooms, and huge, empty libraries. Paired
with ghost stories and legends about the estates,
this
book is a haunting reminder of a bygone
era and lifestyle.
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In the 1960s Monica was living
in one of the fabled mansions built by a Five-and-Dime
heiress. While there, she began a career scouting
locations for movie; she used many of the surrounding
estates including Winfield. After a brief incarnation
as a charm school, Winfield was closed and auctioned
off. At the auction, Monica met a mysterious European
businessman, who bought the house. After a whirlwind
romance, they became engaged, and Monica moved
in to Winfield, only to have her suspicions confirmed:
Winfield is haunted. Amid magnificent gilded carvings
and marble, a labyrinth of secret passageways,
hidden chambers, and deserted tunnels help reveal
the true nature of its eccentric builder.
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