Lyndhurst Mansion - Lyndenhurst
Romanticism dominated the arts
during the 19th century America and
it was during this time the grand
mansion of Lyndhurst was first
conceived in the minds of architect
A. J. Davis and William Paulding who
constructed the villa in 1838. They
called it the "Knoll" at first and
the Gothic Revival design
immediately drew notice to the
building. Admirers also called it
"Paulding's Folly" due to its
fantastic turrets and asymmetrical
outlines, a type of architecture
seldom seen in post-colonial era
homes.
As the norms of wealth and status
changed with the growing nation, so
did the estate, reflecting the
tastes and interests of wealthy
society New York. In 1864-65 Davis
doubled the size of the manor for
the second proprietor, New York
merchant George Merritt, who renamed
it "Lyndenhurst", after the Linden
trees that were planted on the
property.
Railroad magnate Jay Gould bought
the estate as a summer home in 1880.
He used Lyndhurst as an escape from
the pressures and stress of his
business. Jay Gould's daughter,
Helen, was given charge of the home
upon her father's death. She was
involved in various humanitarian
works during her lifetime. After her
death in 1938, her sister, Anna,
Duchess of Talleyrand- Perigord,
maintained Lyndhurst until her death
in 1961 in which the 67-acre estate
was passed to the National Trust for
Historic Preservation.
The grounds at Lyndhurst endure as
an outstanding illustration of 19th
century landscape design. Sweeping
lawns accented with shrubs and
specimen trees, a curving entrance
drive revealing "surprise"
landscapes and views, the
angular-sharp repetition of the
Gothic roofline in the evergreens,
as well as the nation's first
steel-framed conservatory. A latter
addition was the rose garden and
fernery.
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