What Happened to Millionaire's Row in Manhattan?
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- čas přidán 24. 10. 2022
- What was life like in Manhattan before skyscrapers dominated the skyline? Join us as we explore millionaire's row mansions in Manhattan! This area was once home to some of the wealthiest families in the United States and was located in midtown Manhattan, near Central Park. While many of the mansions that once stood on this street have been demolished, a few still remain.
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Millionaire's row was once a famous stretch of Manhattan where many of the wealthiest people in the world lived. But nowadays, the row is practically nonexistent. We'll explore what happened and why millionaire's row disappeared, and we'll show you some of the other famous Manhattan streets that once hosted a wealthier class.
Location: Manhattan, New York, USA
What Happened to Millionaire's Row in Manhattan?
• What Happened to Milli...
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Video by Pablo Diaz
Video by Caleb Oquendo
Creative Commons 2.0(creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Photos from: Eden, Janine and Jim
Creative Commons 2.5(creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Photos from: Americasroof
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Music from Epidemic Sound
Check out our playlist: The Many Mansions of Manhattan to see interiors and hear more individual histories here: czcams.com/video/REb-vy4SpaQ/video.html
Small Correction: When talking about the Triple Palace we say Commodore Vanderbilt built it and the correct person that built it was William H. Vanderbilt as the card reads on screen. 😅 Thank you everyone who pointed that out.
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NYC sucks
Just goes to show you how badly NYC SUCKS
Pp
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Many of these gorgeous homes should have been bought by NYC and repurposed as public spaces such as museums, libraries, social halls, and even houses of learning and faith.
👍
That would have been smart.
Too much prime real estate used up that way. Needed the room for multiple family dwellings.
Or office buildings i suppose lol I guess I should watch the whole video before speaking..
Its just crazy they only lasted 20 to 25 yrs
My uncle was a construction steel manufacturer. We used to have deep and constant discussions about preserving architecturally significant buildings. Losing these buildings is a shame.
I'm a native New Yorker and had no idea this existed until I started watching Glided Aged on HBO and then looked this up. It is so awfully sad. So much money, time and heart poured into building these mansions, but the families really didn't have the means to continue. And greed lead them to be torn down instead of preserved. They could have been turned into museums, schools, repurposed. But again, greed destroyed what would have really looked like something out of Paris in the middle of Manhattan.
It’s funny how you say greed lead them to be torn down instead of preserved when that’s exactly what got some of them built in the first place 💀
I agree. After watching " Downton Abbey" in the UK many of the families were unable to afford the upkeep of those homes, so they found a way to keep them, by turning the homes into museums. Only if the Vanderbilt's and other families would have made the same choices. You know that here in the USA, most of our historical places are torn down, and are replaced with a historical monument sign. 😳😳😳🤔🤔🤦🤦 Here in the South, we have so many historical placards, that I lost count. Blessings to you 😇🙏
So greed destroyed beauty. That is a right way to put it.
It is the city 1950's ill thinking these history are not visible anymore😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
*Gilded
If I had a Time Machine I would go back just to walk around and see the many mansions lined along the streets. Congrats on 100k!
You can do that now. There’s still a few of them on fifth ave
@@merebear87 Yeah like....5.
I hope digital artists recreate 3D models of these homes so that people in the future can put on VR headsets and visit these places.
You're not alone in that wish. I have often thought of the same thing.
When my great-grandma, Adolphine Mathilde, from Denmark, came to Manhattan, via Castle Garden in 1888, at age 18, maybe she and my great-grandpa, Harry, came around this area and saw Millionaire's Row for themselves. So cool! Thanks, Ken!
I have always admired the courage of those people, especially in such young age to go to completely different country without information.
@@p2p104 I have had friends (many as kids) and their families who have done so, and saw first hand how they did, usually very well. They had to learn culture, language, history- wow! Much respect! Of course, this is much easier when young. It's silly that more foreign languages aren't taught, often, until high school & college. I live in San Diego & tried to learn Spanish, but couldn't get the hang of it in college enough for it to really stick-
@@p2p104 yeah they did'nt have cell phones and new clothes and free plane rides like todays illegal immigrants....plus they had to swear alligence to the U.S. and become a U.S. citizen in order to vote, be disease free, and get a damned job.
But never gained enough ambition to pass money down to you though...
I don't like NYC but I would have liked it back then. It looks so beautiful, and these houses were truly works of art.
And yet, there are so many that are still there today, and that you can visit. This video focused on the ones they tore down, but check out the Frick Museum, The Cooper-Hewitt, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, the Jewish Museum, and many others further north on 5th Ave.
It's a shit hole now
@@lauralunamartin7331 Absolutely. A strange omission in this video.
@@lauralunamartin7331 Yea, for a casual viewer that's never been to NYC, you'd think that almost nothing survived. Shocking as it may be that so many were torn down on 5th ave, there are still quite a few as you note along Museum Mile. Not to mention the beautiful townhouses on the streets east of there.
Great video. It’s interesting and a bit sad to consider that all these houses lasted less than 100 years before they were torn down.
Americans don’t seem to really appreciate some of the beauties you have. I’ve seen far too many videos showing beautiful old homes, old metro stations etc.
You need to fight to save your history.
Most lasted less than 40 years? Built in the Gilded Ages and gone by the 1930's? Such a shame
These older bldgs were far more architecturally artistic and interesting.
It’s more of an issue of space. NYC is home to 8 million people and there would not be enough space if these places still exist
What is really sad is that many of the skyscrapers are mostly empty. The price of space is too high. These houses were removed for nothing.
A lot of reasons why the Row fell to pieces.
First it was a change in lifestyle...in the 1860s-1910 or so the wealthy entertained largely at home, so ballrooms, great halls and dining rooms were mandatory. By the 20s the lavish entertaining lifestyle had waned...the Old guard had largely died and their children didnt feel compelled to still live like royalty...even if they could afford it
income tax starting in 1913...
a lack of servants following the immigration act of 1924....
increased taxes...the land on which these mansions stood was heavily taxed.They taxed what COULD be built there( 12 story apartments)not what was actually there( 4 story single family houses)...
another thing to consider is that the wealthy just didnt spend as much time in the city in the 20s as they had 40 years prior-the emergence of places like palm beach, new port meant they were more often than not out of town...so why bother with the high taxes, upkeep etc of a huge mansion
they also traveled abroad alot more, on those great fast ocean liners. American society started mingling with London and Paris society...so during the social season in London they would go there...they could afford it and had the free time.
And of course you have those great apartment architects that perfect the luxury floor plans by the 1920s...those apartments just made sense as they were luxurious and large enough but way cheaper to rent or buy( most apartments in NYC before 20s were rental, even the best buildings on Fifth).
There are even stories of wealthy families choosing to stay at hotel than bother opening up their colossal mansions when in town.
very interesting! thanks for this comment.
Nice write up. You left out one thing though. The automobile, the great depression, WW2, interstate highways, and freaking Democrats and their taxes to create their little worlds in their twisted minds and to stay in office and get rich for their families generations....
@@KB-ke3fi The automobile greatly facilitated getting to the country houses/mansions
the Great depression was just the final blow, but most of NYC's elite had transitioned to luxury apartments before the Wall St Crash
the creation of the interstate highways made suburbs accessible to the masses, we're here discussing the rich which moved to the suburbs long before the 1950s( they had the time and money , masses didnt)
Impossible to heat.
After the owner died the kids could not buy out eachother or wanted to.
Monument listing did hardly exist in those days and perhaps they did not see these buildings as exquisite, the way we do today, perhaps just old fashioned. Changing houses into apartments, as we do with old canal houses in Amsterdam, art nouveau houses in Brussels, or just demolishing the inside for new modern use but retaining the exterior, like in 19th century Pera buildings in Constantinopel, was just not heard of in those days. Then they had no idea how hideous modern architecture from after wo2 would be. What was a travesty was the demolition of buildings in the sixties, when we did know better, like the Singer building. Actually, that whole block. Look what’s there now. Just glass. Horrible waste. 1968. Why so little protest.
It's still not justifiable in my opinion. Old buildings in Paris and London far less remarkable than some of these were preserved. If there's a will, there's a way. I guess there was no will.
The demise of these beautiful homes is so very sad to me. Tragic.
I agree 😭
The removal of lower class people from their homes, so rich people can build mansions is more tragic.
It's so depressing these houses were torn down. I'm sure they seemed ostentatious at the time, but they were works of art; absolute beauties from a Beau Arts and Victorian era that we are unlikely to see revived.
rip bozo😂
@@junyaiwase 0 iq engagement
U say absolute beauties but even today if a developer wants to build somewhere they will make theirs sound more beautiful and it will be for like 1 year then it be worse than 1 before
Like if these office buildings got knocked down the be people saying same as u forgetting what was there b4
@@spokee They were definitely better looking buildings by most people standards from any time period. Skyscrapers and such replaced private homes in the middle of NYC because they were practical, not pretty.
@@Lizard1582 I’m not saying they wasn’t I prefer old designs like that I’m talking about others like u don’t think skyscrapers are pretty but the is a lot out there that would disagree with u
So terribly sad, the older homes were so majestic and romantic making New York and stunning place to live in.
Gosh the city was beautiful , so much history gone, the office buildings really brought the area down a lot 😢
It's a nasty place now
The same happened to the Paulista Avenue in São Paulo, Brazil. It had the houses of the coffee barons in the early 20th century, but as the city grew (explosively, now bigger than NYC), the land got expensive and the houses were replaced by skyscrapers. Now only a couple of the old houses remain.
How sad!
So sad that these beautiful mansions were destroyed.
I'd save Clark's Folly, a true Beaux-Art gem.
Yes so underrated it actually is a magnificent example of the style and built with no expense spared. Also a number of it's grand interior French panelled rooms are today located in the Barnum Art museum in Sarasota Florida, look them up.
@@walteranthony6435 great to know some of the interiors survived.
It's crazy to imagine how rich the Vanderbilt were. They even have mansions outside the city, and outside the state.
We were at The Breakers this past summer. It's truly something to behold. And that was just their "Summer Cottage"
yes THE breakers Newport RI and the Biltmore in NC
@@joannecohen-katz7335 That's it!
They just took over the best buildings after the Reset.
@@womandela7225 Bummer.
If I could go back in time and live in the gilded age for a a few months, I'd work as a will writer with all of these wealthy families and have an unbreakable clause written in to their wills preventing the destruction, structural modification or sale of any of these homes. The loss of craftsmanship, culture and history in the name of short term profit is insane. Still blows my mind that cases like these still happen today!
"short term profit."
You mean in the name of enabling millions of people to live in NYC? If we kept all the old mansions instead of building skyscrapers New York never would've grown more than a fraction of it's current size. It's aesthetically sad that beautiful buildings need to be torn town, but they did need to be torn down for the city to grow. That's an unavoidable fact.
Then you would pass, and no one would care 🎉
They’re more of a testament to the people who died to make their wealth possible. Millions must live short lives to create billionaires.
@@indfnt5590 that people can't seem to grasp that...? Of course it isn't advertised, but common sense-
@@MarkAnderson-ng8vc As for the buildings mentioned in the video it seems like it only provided space for capitalism, office buildings and super-rich-people-flats. In this case, I think the cultural value was way higher than the developer's plans, even if they provide more vertical space.
NYC looked so much better before all of the skyscraper building took over. It's too bad that these developers didn't value , for the most part, what was there already and found creative ways to use those places. The greed that played into removing these magnificent homes is a very sad thing. The same thing has happened in towns and cities all across America , unfortunately.
The economic benefit from developing the area was substantial and so many people across the board have benefited. The amount of jobs created and economic growth that has resulted was worth it.
And it wasn't greed that spurred people to want to develop. Everyone has to make money.
I have toured the Frick and Cooper Hewitt mansions. Remarkable. It is too bad that the Vanderbuilt mansion is gone. It was amazing.
It's amazing how lavish and beautiful those homes were. I wish they would keep things for posterity.
It is really sad the lost of all those amazing buildings. Im from Argentina and at the beginigs of XX century we were an important and rich countrie, and you can see it reflected in the buildings around the city. Fortunaly a lot of those buildings were saved, a lot were demolished, but we still have a lot of examples of mansions and palaces from the belle epoque. You can search "Avenida Alvear" or "palacios de Buenos Aires" and you can see a lot of houses developed in hotels, boutiques or embassies. A fun fact is that in Avenida Alvear there is an spectacular palace or mansion, where the original family stills living, in a 130 years old house, its caled "Residencia Maguire". A lot of tourist come to see architecture of the city called "The Paris of the south".
Yes these old huge homes were beautiful & most of us would say they should be saved, but the oppposite side of that society was the poverty that so many had to endure. Same with all the castles & stately homes in UK & Europe- too big for most folks to keep going, and many now empty or museums or they turn them into some kind of business. Outrageous wealth is not something we should want to return to !
@@veronicaroach3667 Looks like people are STILL poor though.... Socialism does Not work,and Neither does Communism!!
Jeezus Christ I almost cried watching this. Can't believe all that beauty was torn down for crappy structures. As a preservationist, it's like a dagger through my heart. Great video, millions thanks for sharing. subscribed.
Wow!! Excellent work on telling the story of millionaires row in Manhattan. I find it extremely interesting but sad that a lot of these magnificent buildings no longer exist. Thank you Ken for your extraordinary and fascinating work😊
Americans have always seemed to not value old historical buildings. Vast majority were all replaced by boxy skyscrapers or car parking garages.
Shameful, and extremely sad, that such magnificent examples of grand architecture no longer exist. All demolished by a human desire called exploitation.
I would have saved the Astor double mansion. From outside classy and not so overdone, clear structures, from inside the staircases one of a kind.
Vincent Astor HIMSELF wanted to tear it down and replace it with an apartment building...its in the NY Times archives...
@@TheLusianPopa Did he said why? There seems to be always a black sheep in the family... 😎
@@jorgschwantje1239 well keep in mind the Astors were always huge real estate owners and developers..so he knew the value of the land on which the house stood..
april 1924 is when he actually filed plans for an apartment building on the site( which in the end never got built).Its weird that the plans didnt go forward, as the mid and late 20s they were demolishing mansions like crazy to replace them with either luxury apartments or office buildings
@@TheLusianPopa ... and then they put a church there... 🤷🏻
@@jorgschwantje1239 not just some church, the largest JEWISH in the world, we all know astors despisee jews....lol its so ironic.
Seneca Village should have been covered in more details. A lot of families lost their ability to move upwards economically due to the destruction of their communities. These mansions, although beautiful, only represented greed and indifference to those who were not wealthy.
I imagine they could of covered quite a bit in more detail. But at the end of the day the video was titled "What Happened to Millionaire's Row in Manhattan?" and not "What Happened to Seneca Village in Manhattan?" I appreciate they stayed on track, and covered what the title described, in a clear and concise way, unlike many youtubers. They even have a playlist pinned that has deep dives on each of the mansions mentioned. They are probably saving Seneca Village for its own video. 😀
I agree! The comments under the video from everyone saying they wish all these building still stood while ignoring the fact that (as is the pattern) poor, working class and middle-class people (particularly people of color) were displaced by greed and ostentatious displays of wealth, greed and privilege, is something I can’t endorse. I like seeing bits of history, but I don’t “wish they still stood.” They were simply replaced with the new century’s display of wealth, privilege and greed. In 100 years, they will be torn down and future generations will be looking at the taller buildings and saying how great they were.
@@winter_s_44 Those people lived on land that once belonged to Native Americans. They displaced Native Americans and then were in turn displaced by millionaires who were in turn bought out by developers.
Their community was built on the land of previous communities.
Maybe there will be more research on Seneca Village, but like most poor areas/towns/neighborhoods, it was lost and forgotten by history. History is written by those with money
The Frick house was my favorite, and also the Hewlett house. I am very pleased that they have been preserved for the future generations. I couldn't help being reminded of the song from "Annie, Get Your Gun," the one that says "Anything you can do, I can do better......" I hope you understand. Thank you again.
I love the architectural design of the William K. Vanderbilt II Mansion. So many aesthetically pleasing features that draw the eye to the structure. It is sad that it no longer exists, but it does look to be designed by the same architect that designed the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Biltmore House still exists and I got a chance to see it. It really is one of the most beautiful structures in America. If you like that style and have never seen Biltmore House, you should definitely go as you won’t be disappointed!
Agree! The Biltmore is wonderful!
Thank you! I grew up near 86th Street and Madison Avenue. I loved roaming around the gorgeous houses still left. But I never knew this history!
I am now your avid fan and will be going through that Manhattan collection.
The same thing happened in Philadelphia. Rittenhouse Square was once lined with incredible mansions, but most are gone now. Ironically, the humble row homes known as "Trinity" homes (one room on each floor - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost with the kitchen in the basement) have been occupied continually since they were built in the early 1700's. They were built as houses for laborers and have outlived the grand mansions of the Gilded Age wealthy. Maybe less really is more.
Forest Park in St. Louis still has a "millionaire's row" equivalent of sorts along Lindell Blvd. The homes were among some of the most expensive and lavish and a lot of them are still standing to this day. It's a beautiful area to drive through.
Is that in the area of the beautiful art museum built for 1904 worlds fair?
Thanks for the fun fact.
@@sandrajohnson2832 Yes, that building is one that survived after the Worlds Fair and can be seen from Lindell blvd where the OP is speaking of.
Art Vandelay😊Thank you for responding.I visited that area in 2019 while on my way to the museum and fell in love with that historic impeccably preserved area.The houses and yards are breathtaking🥰
Yeah but then you're in Missouri. Yuck.
I will again state that I was definetly born at the wrong time in history. Thank you for all you share. I absolutely love it !
idk if you can say that. Back then you would've most likely been a poor factory worker with almost no free time.
@@IceBro Good point, they would of existed, but unless you were a member of noble descent, or one of the 'Nouve Rich" you weren't touching thos mansions.
These homes are beautiful but remember there was no antibiotics back then : One and six women died giving birth. People would die if they had appendicitis
Are you from one of these families or some other old money family? If you’re not, it wasn’t a life of gilded palaces and carriage rides. It was dank, miserable and diseased.
I'd love for some of the mansions to have been preserved as facades on ground level, with skyscrapers erected behind and above them; I think it would make for an incredible, eclectic visual style.
luckily we still see that scattered in parts of the city… including along the park on 5th ave!
Yes like imagine the mansions as like malls or like a community center or theatre
@@char6081 they could have passed for luxury goods stores just looking at the enormous size of their exteriors- You could get lost looking for your bedroom, although your servents could help you out- a full staff at all times for homes like those? I wonder how they've faired in places like Paris etc.? Another video 💡!
Clark's Folly was a real architectural gem. It was demolished! How insane!
wish most of these mansion were still here as museums fro us to roam through and admire and behold with wonder just how life was like back then.
This was a good one showing all the houses and many you have made videos of! I have been to the Henry Frick house in NYC in the 80's on a school art trip! It was amazing and I still have some post cards from it! So much great art work and the rooms brought from France and reconstructed was very cool! I think there was a Louis IV room with all the furnishings too! The William Clark house would still be nice to see now !
Wow. Beautiful architecture. Stepping out your home and look at central park must have been amazing.
So sad to see all those well built mansions demolished.
Do you think anyone nowadays would build a place of that extraordinaire??? I think not. Ohhh, the good old days. Thanks Ken.
yes but in a place with cheaper land. its seems impossible even for the wealthiest people to clear out enough land near central park for a palacial estate.
you should search up the Queen of Versailles! The Siegel family is almost done building a Versailles-style mansion in Miami
Yes Taylor swift would
FANTASTIC Video👍👍👍👍 and your Narration is Perf3ct👍‼️❤️
Several of these homes are still going strong - including 2 of my favorites The Frick and JPMorgans Library which still is wonderful. I went there often to see the wonderful literary collections and personal letters. The Vanderbilts built the Breakers and Marble House in Newport which have both been incredibly preserved along with many other architectural beauties. It’s only a few hours from NYC and is worth a few days or even a few weeks. Jay Leno bought a home there on the water. He’s from Mass and a few years ago on a drive with his wife stopped when seeing it and went in and bought the home and furnishings for his wife. New England is full of surprises.
I always wondered why you don't find this kind of architecture in USA all over the place, as they were often contracting architects from Europe. Now I understand they demolished every beautiful building to raise the skyscrapers, so, so sad.
Congrats on nearing 100K subs, Ken!
Yay first comment!! 🎉
🎉
All the Vanderbilt houses and the Clark mansion 💖💖
So beautiful. So sad they are gone
Seneca village was actually a middle-upper middle class neighborhood! A lot of the beautiful architecture there was destroyed.
It was like a village inside a city. They disappear in most growing cities.
That’s exactly what I was saying! I see this a lot in the south. Where African-American towns that are prosperous literally disappear for these parks that at the time didn’t even allow us to be there because of Jim Crow type laws. Makes me sick and sad. This is the history that also needs to be remembered.
@@48mavemiss2 yeah yeah white people and capitalism BAD! Black people royalty and communism good!
@@ligametis No, they stole their land and called it imminent domain. These people didn’t get an opportunity to build grand homes nor sell to commercial developers because they walked away with NOTHING.
The park was worth getting rid of these people.
One point that I forgot to mention before is that while these were beautiful (for the most part - there were the Huntington, where Tiffany now stands, and the Dodge mansions that were nothing to look at), at least they were replaced by mostly upscale commerce or luxury apartment buildings. They did not go in the ways that the Millionaires' Rows in Cleveland and Detroit that you already showed in prior videos went as industrial areas and (being brutally honest) slums. The house that I would have saved (at least on 5th Avenue) was the Henry Phipps mansion at the corner of 5th Ave and E 87th St. The dining room was salvaged and a wing to rebuild it was added onto their great estate of Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island (one of the most beautiful house museums that I've ever visited).
Born and raised On the upper west side of Manhattan I frequented the Frick museum and cooper Hewitt many many many many times.I would recommend anyone going to New York city for a vacation That they stop by these 2 museums
2nd that..
Loved the UWS when we lived there..
So you rich rich huh? Lol
@@48mavemiss2 huh? What ?
It's sad that those buildings were torn down. Skyscrapers are everything!
Congratulations on hitting a CZcams milestone! Well done you! Well deserved. Thanks for all the well thought out videos.
I absolutely love history and content about what NYC must've been like so many years ago. Glad I found the channel and congrats on 100K subs!!❤️
Thanks for an eye opening acknowledgement that Seneca Village was once home to many and became Central Park by eminent domain. Thanks for explaining a portion of New York city's growth through out the 1850's thru the 19th century. It's a bonus to also learn about family's, their rivalries, and how sections of their home's were art exhibits and examples of fine quality craftsmanship and construction..
Wow I was really excited to watch and I didn't expect to end up angry! What a tragedy for these beautiful homes.
As a British person I find it incredible that Americans seem to crave beautiful historical buildings, however when they had them tore often them down in favour of drab office buildings and condos or just abandoned them altogether such as in Detroit
These are stunning!! Imagine if they still stood today and the skyscrapers started just a block behind them. New York would be even more iconic! These roads full of old mansions rival the most beautiful european cities like Prague, Vienna and Paris!!
What a shame they were torn down...
Are similar works still standing in the foreign cities you just mentioned?
@@katherinechase3674 yes, there are! Many European cities didn't tear down the buildings from that era, and the building styles in Europe and the USA were very similar at the time. Even smaller european cities have these kinds of buildings.
Doesn't apply to all cities though of course. Many were destroyed in the World Wars.
I cannot believe that these magnificent architectural structures with such intricate details one can only imagine the man hours that went into building these beautiful homes , disturbing & sad that so many were demolished . Many of these homes belonged to the history makers of yesterday they should have kept their place in history.....🇨🇦
Yay we made it new videos are very interesting about the mansions or the famous people. Thank you having this video
I believe the "Triple Palace" was built by William Henry Vanderbilt. He, his wife and son George (of Biltmore) live in one and two daughters lived in the duplex.
Would have saved Clark’s Folly
Happy to see your channel has seen many people hop aboard and so quickly. Congrats.
Congrats on 100K subscribers!! Much deserved!
Ugh, the colossal waste of demolishing those beautiful old buildings!
Hey Ken, congratulations on 100,000 subscribers & thank you for sharing all of the fascinating information your videos provide!!! 👍👍🙂
I’m a fan of NYC history. This is a great video. Progress prevails. So sad those beautiful buildings were torn down. Thank you for this video.
I am enjoying my new found channel Yours! Imagine waking up every day to so much beauty.. .Homes fascinate me, all homes, from all different eras . Thank you, This House
So sad they’re no longer standing.
Wonderful news, Ken! Congratulation on reaching the 100,000 mark. So many remarkable houses it's hard to pick a favorite but I think I'll choose that house that was on a corner and occupied by one of the Vanderbilt daughters. I think that one may still be standing and that it's part of a university or college. Maybe someone else can add a comment.
I really appreciate your work! You bring the past back to life!
Interesting that there’s no remorse for the Seneca Village who preserved greenery for a park
But a lot of remorse for the mansions who were replaced by skyscrapers. People pick and choose justice instead of it being across the board 🥴
Their village would have disappeared anyway. I’m not seeing the comparison between shacks in a village and gilded Victorian architecture. Would you care if it was a purely an Irish village? Or are you only mad because black people lived there too? That’s what I thought
I work in a building that was built on the foundation of one of these old mansions. The orginal wine cellar still remains there today.
fantastic episode as ever! would love to know more about John Taylor Johnston, first president of the Met Museum, he inducted the Obelisk at Central Park too, but his mansion was by Washington Park on 5th.
Great vid thank you
Great video! Thank you for sharing! Definitely I’d preserve the Vanderbilt and Stewart’s mansions 🤩👏🏽
Except for the tower, the Clark Mansion looked to be the most architecturally interesting to me.
For those interested in the SENATOR CLARK MANSION, the book "Empty Mansions" offers an interesting glimpse of the Gilded Age, and the life of his daughter, Huguette Clark, who inherited his massive fortune.
@@raywest3834 That is a great book
Wish they could have saved them all!
Love your videos. Always VERY INFORMATIVE. Can you recommend any video resource showing the original.inhabitants of Central Park whose communities were demolished for its establishment. Thanks
Congrats on 100k! You should see what you can dig up on the Carlton Villa in NY.
Love architecture but love people of all kinds.The designing over and over when one nice home would be sufficient to redo over and over.😅
Please do Millionaire’s Row (Delaware Avenue) in Buffalo NY, from similar time frame as this video when you’re able. We also have Darwin Martin/Frank Lloyd Wright history here. And, Roycroft/E. Hubbard in East Aurora NY. Thanks!
Fascinating, thank you!
Thank you for making this video. I didn't know Manhattan was looking like this. I thought it is all sky scrapers. It was so beautiful in the past.
In my opinion The greatest home lost was the William Clark mansion
Though I love and appreciate skyscrapers, it is the saddest thing in the world seeing this beautiful architecture being bulldozed for these office towers. It stings to see the before and after photos lol.
Really enjoyed this, never even thought about how nice these homes were.
Wow only in America. Imagine what a lovely district would it be today. Probably filled with museums and art galleries.
If you liked this subject, then you might light like a book called "Empty Mansions" which is the story of William H. Clark, owner of one of the homes on this list....it's an incredibly fascinating story.
Congratulations 🍾🎊
it looked pretty chill back then. today you step out your door and there are crazy people and hooligans everywhere
good channel, subbed
Hi. Ken. In Europe they care about works of grand architecture..some centuries old, in this country... tear it down. It's such a shame it's all about money. Thank you for another well done presentation.
I would love to see a video on the mansions of Tuxedo Park, NY.
Unfortunately it is still a private community, you wouldnt be able to get in, unless invited by an owner.
My favorite in all of Tuxedo Park is Chastellux, which was for sale the past several years but no longer on the market. (Sold? Taken off market?)
Tuxedo Park always held a mysterious sway. Would love to see inside. My roommate from schools older sis went to Academy of Mt St Vincent.
so racist.
Even so, on these road along the central park are still so captivating, with the mixture of modern and old eras. I really love this city
Loved it. Was soo interesting
If I could go back and save 1, it would have been the original Seneca Village, that the City stole from poor people.😢
Exactly. Imminent domain was the excuse used to undervalue the land and pay peanuts for it. The same thing happened in GA with Lake Lanier.
@@RCKMSCKM the same thing happened allllllll over the United States. To all races. Not just black people.
@@v.l.7656 No one mentioned anything about race. However I see your comments mentioning race all over this video. Lake Lanier impacted people in general in that area. Don't be that person.
@@RCKMSCKM and downtown Nashville in the 1990s.
What a shame to destroy all these beautiful homes for office buildings.
Not all of them are offices. Plus you have to remember the West side still has a lot of beautiful buildings/condos and hotels only the wealthy can afford. I think between the upkeep and taxes on those original homes the families probably thought it wasn’t worth the trouble.
Thank you! I’ve been reading a ton of books set in that era - late 1800s to early 1900s - and have wondered what happened to those homes and what it looked like back then?
Imagine if all the Royal family in the 18 or 17 century in Europa thought the same than the American Investors or these rich families !!! No more Castles! No more European mansions !!! It was a HUGGGGGE mistakes to demolish these beautiful mansions or « Petit Château »!!! It was Manhattan history ! At the same time they could construct in other places the big high buildings!!! Only 12 years or 20 years for living in these incredible mansions : it was a big waste of money ! It was like a whim for living only few years in these houses! I wished that all or the greater part of these houses were here ! Imagine visit the Clarck mansion !!! What a dream !!!!
A great video but SUCH a shame. We have lost so much of our history.
The Astor and Stewart Houses were at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. They were south of Central Park as was "Vanderbilt Row" built in the East 50s.
Yes Indeed! In fact, any mansion built below 59th street was south of Central Park.
Congratulations, all of your stories are informative and intriguing “well done sir”