Cultural Landscape Report for Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Volume I: Site History, Existing Conditions, and Analysis

2009·14.7 MB·English

by  Hammond, John

National ParkService
U.S. DepartmentoftheInterior
I 29.86/4:1/V.2
ClemsonUniversity
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Cultural Landscape Report
For Vanderbilt Mansion
National Historic Site
Hyde Park,NewYork
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DFPORITORY ITEM c
OlmstedCenterforLandscape Preservation APR 19 201(1 c
National ParkService,Boston,Massachusetts,2009 CLEW60N
LIBRARY
CulturalLandscapeReportforVanderbiltMansionNationalHistoricSite
The Olmsted CenterforLandscape Preservation promotesthestewardship of
significantlandscapesthroughresearch, planning,andsustainable preservation
maintenance. The Centeraccomplishes its mission in collaborationwitha
networkofpartners includingnational parks,universities,governmentagencies,
andprivate nonprofitorganizations.Techniquesandprinciples ofpreservation
practicearemadeavailable throughtrainingandpublications.
Olmsted CenterforLandscape Preservation
Boston National Historical Park
Charlestown NavyYard, QuartersC
MA
Boston, 02129
www.nps.gov/oclp/
Publication Credits: Graphics fromsources otherthanfederal repositories may
notbe reproducedwithoutthepermissionofthe owners noted in the captions.
Otherinformation in this publication maybe copied andusedwith the condition
thatfull creditbegiven totheauthorsandpublisher. Appropriate citations and
bibliographiccreditsshouldbe madeforeachuse.
National Park Service, DenverTechnical Information CenterReport
NPS382/100216.
Library ofCongress control number: 94-155163
CoverPhoto: ViewofVanderbiltMansionand the Hudson Riverlooking
northwest(Bill Urbin,2009).
Title Page: View ofthe meadowsofVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
lookingnorth,with the Hudson Riverin thebackground (OCLP2008).
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES. DRAWINGS, AMD TABLES V
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IX
INTRODUCTION
1
Purpose andMethodology
l
Summary ofPark Planning 3
Description ofStudyArea 5
Summary ofSite History 6
SummaryofSignificance 1
UpdatedAnalysisand Evaluation 1
Summary ofIntegrity 31
FRAMEWORK FOR TREATMENT 63
I.
Landscape CharacterAreas 64
TreatmentAlternativesandImplications 66
PreferredTreatment: Rehabilitation 77
TreatmentPhilosophy 78
TreatmentDate 80
II. SITE-WIDE TREATMENT GUIDELINES 83
III. TREATMENT TASKS 87
Zone 1: MainGateand Entrance Drive 87
Zone2: Mansion Grounds 94
Zone 3:North Lawn,North Drive,andNorth Gate 98
Zone4: South Gateand South Drive 100
Zone 5: Coach Houseand Coach House Meadow 103
Zone6: ConiferScreen 104
Zone7: Crum ElbowCreek 106
Zone 8: LowerWoodlandsand Meadows 108
Zone 9: BardRock 113
Zone 10: Formal Gardens 115
REFERENCES 177
APPENDIX 1: CHRONOLOGY 179
APPENDIX 2: CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES 185
CulturalLandscapeReportforVanderbiltMansionNationalHistoricSite
LIST OF FIGURES, DRAWINGS, AND TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
1. MapshowingthelocationofVanderbiltMansion National 35
Historic Site
2. VanderbiltMansion lookingsouth,2008. 36
3. ViewoftheWhite Bridge lookingnorthwest,2008. 36
4. Viewofthe lowerperennialgarden inthe formalgardens 37
lookingnorth,2008.
5. NorthDrive lookingnorth,2008. 37
6. Crum Elbow Creek lookingnorthwith the PowerHouse 38
damvisibleupstream,2008.
7. John R. Murray, "SamuelBardand HisFamilyon theTerrace 39
ofHydePark, 1806."
8. ThomasCole, "TheCourse ofEmpire: Pastoral." 39
9. DrawingofHyde Park estatebyThomas K. Wharton during 40
the Hosackownership in 1839.
10. Diagrammaticplanview ofWalterLangdon'sgardens in 40
1875.
11. VanderbiltMansionduringconstruction, 1898. Photoby 41
Charles Sylvester Piersaull.
12. White Bridge lookingsouthwest, circa 1900. Photoby 41
Charles Sylvester Piersaull.
13. Viewofthe poolandpool house in the formalgardens 42
lookingsouth,circa 1930.
14. View oftheupperperennialgarden lookingsouth,circa 42
1934.
15. "Hyde Park, Hudson River," CurrierandIves print, circa 43
1835.
16. View ofLangdon's house lookingnorth,circa 1890. 43
PhotographbyCharlesSylvester Piersaull.
17. Viewofwoodlandsalongthebanksofthe Hudson River 44
lookingsouth from nearthe Mansion,2008.
18. Viewofnorth meadows looking north from theoverlook, 44
2008.
19. View ofVanderbilt Mansion and EastLawn lookingwest, 45
2008.
20. Specimen trees and theview toward the river looking 45
northwest,2008.
21. Viewofthe largeginkgospecimen tree,theSouth Lawn,and 46
the Mansion lookingnorth, 2008.
22. The largeginkgospecimen treeand the South Lawn looking 46
south,2008.
23. Perennials on the lowerperennial terrace in the formal 47
gardens lookingsoutheast, 2008
CulturalLandscapeReportforVanderbiltMansionNationalHistoricSite
24. Solidgeometricbeds ofannuals on theupperannual terrace 47
intheformalgardens lookingnortheast,2008.
25. Viewlookingnorthwestofthe Main Gate piersandurnswith 123
encroachinglimbs,moss, andweeds,2008.
26. ViewlookingnortheastoftheWhite Bridgesowingrecent 123
restorationwork,2008.
27. Damaged caststone curbattheMain Gate,2008 124
28. Viewofthe MainGate lookingnorthwest,circa 1930s. 124
29. View oftheWhite Bridge andthe mapleallee lookingeast 125
towardthe Main Gate, circa 1900.
30. ViewoftheWhite Bridge andthe mapleallee lookingeast 125
towardtheMainGate,2008.
31. View oftheentrance pond,white Bridge,and theWhite 126
Bridge dam lookingnorthfrom South Drive,showingaquatic
and emergentvegetation alongthe nearbank,circa 1900.
32. Viewofthe entrance pondand Route 9bridge lookingnorth 126
fromtheWhiteBridge,2008.
33. Vieweastofferns nearthe maingate, 2009. 127
34. ViewsouthofdenseunderstoryofNewYorkFerns,2009. 127
35. Darkgreen foliage ofbulbsinthe lawnbythe main entry 128
gate,2009.
36. Daffodilfloweringalongthewoodededge nearpond, 2009. 128
37. Viewofthe entrance driveand mapleallee, 1926. 129
38. Viewofthe entrance driveandmapleallee,2008. 129
39. Oversized National ParkService arrowheadsign affixedto 130
theMain Gate lookingsouth,2008.
40. Viewofdamaged lawnareaswestside ofthe Mansion, 130
lookingsouth,2008.
41. Plan drawnby RobertCridlandforthe Mansionfoundation 131
plantings, 1923.
42. ViewoftheMansion lookingwest,showingthefoundation 132
plantings,circa 1940s.
43. Viewofthe Mansionfoundation plantings lookingnorth, 132
circa 1940s.
44. "Garden Plan preparedforF. W.Vanderbilt, Esq.,Hyde 133
Park, N. Y.," specifyingtheshrubsplanted alongthe outside
ofthewallbyThomasMeehan andSons, 1910.
45. "PlantingPlan forGarden Plat, Estate ofFred'kW. 134
VanderbiltEsq., Hyde Park, N. Y.,"byRobertCridland,
1917.
46. Aerialviewoftheformalgardensandsurroundinglandscape, 135
circalate 1930s.
47. Dogwood and redbudgrovesouth oftheformalgardens 136
lookingnorth,showingdensevinesand underbrush,2008.
48. View lookingnorth ofrhododendrons nearthe formal 136
gardens,2009.
49. Arhododendron neartheformalgarden,2009. 137
50. Grove ofrhododendrons nearCrum ElbowCreek, 2009. 137
51. View lookingeastfrom the north pergolaand northeast 138
cornerofthe formalgardenstowardSouth Drive,2008.
52. North Gate,showingremnantsprucefrom historicgate 138
plantings,2008.
53. Damaged lawn areaunderthebench atthe overlook north of 139
theMansion lookingsouthwest, 2008.
54. North Drive lookingnorth, circa 1907. 139
55. North Drive lookingnorth, 1941. 140
56. NorthDrivelookingnorth, 2008. 140
57. South Gate,showingBoston ivyandbarberry hedge, circa 141
1960.
58. South Gatehouse lookingsouthwest, 1898. 141
59. South Gatehouse lookingsouthwest,showinglow 142
foundation plantings, 1956.
60. South Gatehouse lookingwest,showingovergrown and 142
incompatiblefoundation plantings,2008.
61. "South Entrance,F. W. VanderbiltEsq.,Hyde Park,N. Y.," 143
circa 1898.
62. View ofSouth Drive lookingnorth,showingrhododendron 144
coveredinvines,2008.
63. ViewofSouth Drive lookingnorth,showingincompatible 144
temporaryparkingshelter,2008.
64. Downspoutdrain pipeandlawn ornamentsattheSouth 145
Gatehouse,2008.
65. Bicyclesign in frontofa historicjuniperneartheentranceto 145
the LowerWoodland Drive, 2008.
66. Viewofthe Coach Housesouthelevation lookingnorth, 146
showingthetwo historicwhite pinetrees thatare in decline,
2008.
67. View oftheCoach Housewestelevationwith twolarge 146
spruce treesin front, dateunknown.
68. Viewofthe subwaylookingwest, showinginvasive 147
vegetation, includinga largeailanthusgrowingatthebaseof
one ofthewalls,2008.
69. Viewofone ofthesubwaywalls,showingcrackingand 147
spalling, 2008.
70. Viewoftheconiferscreen lookingeast,showingthe three- 148
tiered planting, 1941.
71. Viewofthe PowerHouse retainingwall with a collapsed 148
portion in the lower leftofthe photo, 2008.
72. Viewofthe path alongCrum ElbowCreek lookingsouth 149
from theWhite Bridge,2008.
73. View ofCrum ElbowCreek lookingnorth,showingthe 150
remnantsofthestonecauseway path,2008.
74. Broken claydrain pipe nearthe PowerHouse,2008. 151
75. Dry-laid fieldstone wall alongnorth side ofBard Lane, 2009. 151
76. Collapsed fieldstonewall alongnorth side ofBard Lane, 152
2009.
. .
CulturalLandscapeReportforVanderbiltMansionNationalHistoricSite
77. Gardener'scottage stepsand retainingwall nearthe railroad 152
bridge,2009.
78. View lookingnortheastfrom Bard Lane ofrailroad line,2009. 153
79. View lookingnorthwestfrom the Mansion, showing 153
ailanthusandotherbrush obscuringtheview,2008.
80. Aerialphotofrom 1943,showinganarrow rowoftreesbut 154
noforeston theslopesbelowtheformalgardens.
81. Viewofthefootpath alongthe ridge south ofthe formal 155
gardens lookingnorth,showingthecurrentdense forest
character,2008.
82. ViewofthefootpathbetweentheMansion andtheformal 155
gardens lookingsouth,2008.
83. ViewoftheLowerWoodland Drive lookingsouth,showing 156
thedeepwoodedcharacterofthe drive,2008.
84. Stone headwall andculverton LowerWoodlandDrive,2008. 156
85. Theiron boathookatBard Rock, showingrust,2008. 157
86. Theiron eyeletaffixedtoBard Rock,showingrust,2008. 157
LIST OF DRAWINGS
1 1830PeriodPlan,Hosack Estate 49
2. 1890 Period Plan, LangdonEstate 51
3. 1938 Period Plan, PropertyOverview 53
4. 1938 Period Plan,VanderbiltEstate 55
5. 1938 Period Plan,formal Gardens 57
6. 2008ExistingConditions 59
7. 2008ExistingConditions, Formal Gardens 61
8. TreatmentZones and LandscapeCharacterAreas 159
9. TreatmentPlan, South Portion ofProperty 161
10. TreatmentPlan,North Portion ofProperty 163
11 TreatmentPlan,Zone 1: Main Gateand Entrance Drive 165
12. TreatmentPlan,Mansion Foundation Plantings 167
13. TreatmentPlan, RoseGarden SurroundingShrubs 169
14. TreatmentPlan,Zone4: South Gate and South Drive 171
15. TreatmentPlan,Zone 5: Coach House and Coach House 173
Meadow
16. TreatmentPlan,ConiferScreen 175
LIST OF TABLES
1. Comparison ofTreatmentAlternatives 76
2. TreatmentTasksand Prioritization 118