Customer Reviews

The Vanderbilts and the Gilded Age: Architectural Aspirations, 1879-1901

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent book for architectural lovers. It contains vintage photos of the period and an excellent genealogical chart of the Vanderbilt Family. The pictures are great and I really like that it includes pictures of the floorplans of each of the Vanderbilt mansions. I recomend this book to those who love architecture or enjoy reading of the lavish lifestyles of the Vanderbilts.

Over the years, I have grown fonder and fonder of the tastes, houses, and lives of the Vanderbilt family. Not only does this book detail all of those attributes, it is also superbly written. I also enjoy the way the book details biographical information of the family along with their favorite hobby- building houses. I also enjoyed the fact that it shows the floor plans and numerous vintage photos of the houses in it. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down! This is truly one of the best books I have ever read! I would also highly recommend, Biltmore Estate: The Most Distinguished Private Place by John M. Bryan.

This books captures the spirit of the gilded age via the life of the Vanderbilts. Their huge homes in Newport, Ashville, Hyde Park and Vermont are each featured. The book also gives a great account of perhaps the country's best Beaux Arts architect, Richard Morris Hunt (Vanderbilt family architect).

Learn first hand about the duals between Vanderbilt wives to outdo each other in architecture and the scandal that rocked Bellevue Ave! I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy architecture and America's wealthy family lifestyles.

This book is a great look at the stories of all the houses the Vanderbilts purchased or created with their spetacular wealth- and also some of the fascinating stories of the eccentric family members behind the houses. The book is filled with rare photographs and stories of all the Vanderbilt castles.

I found the book to be very entertaining- a must have if you're interested in the Vanderbilt family or the Gilded Age in general.

If that Library Journal reviewer read more than just the Introduction, which contains a couple of typos, he'd have realized this book tells more about the Vanderbilts and their world than any other book on the subject. Obviously, he didn't. It's a great read.

I loved this book. If you are looking for a book that shows you sites deep inside the long lost mansions of 5th avenue, then this is your book. Read it from cover to cover or just skim through the pages over and over again. These photos tell a million stories, from the caen stone interiors to the triple mansions' immense proportions and details to the lives of the architects themselves. This is a great book!

I found this book to be truly fascinating! Especially for those interested in the Great Vanderbilt family and the marvelous architectural masterpieces they created! Excellent pictures and full of tidbits about various members of the Vanderbilt family.

This books captures the spirit of the gilded age via the life of the Vanderbilts. Their huge homes on Newport, Ashville, Hyde Park and Vermont are each featured. The book also gives a great account of perhaps the countries best Beaux Arts architect, Richard Morris Hunt (Vanderbilt family architect).

Learn first hand about the duals between Vanderbilt wives to outdo each other in architecture and the scandal that rocked Bellevue Ave! I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy architecture and America's wealthy family lifestyles.

I've had this book since it came out and still consider it to be peerless in capturing all that the Vanderbilt heirs attempted to build as monuments to themselves. It is a great read and the amount of research invested to unearth so many top-notch photos is amazing. I'm dismayed at the original remarks from the library reviewer who panned it!

You'll never see more insightful photos as to what happened to Elm Court in Lenox, MA - the largest shingle-style manor house ever built - or even the wealth of historical photos for Shelburne Farm. The latter produced their own smaller hardcover book which pales in comparison to what "Architectural Aspirations" captures in the one chapter devoted to the estate. As an aside, Elm Court rose again with heirs to the family have restored it between 2000 and 2006.

Picking up even a used copy to add to ones collection is something I strongly recommend.

The research that went into this book must have taken years. The authors left no stone unturned in detailing the life and times of the Vanderbilts. I am so happy I purchased this book and would recommend it to everyone.