Vanderbilt Family Cemetery | |
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Details | |
Location | |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 40°34′48″N74°7′00″W / 40.58000°N 74.11667°W |
Size | 22 acres (8.9 ha) [1] |
Find a Grave | Vanderbilt Family Cemetery |
Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum | |
Location | 2205 Richmond Rd., Staten Island, New York |
Built | 1885–1886 |
Architect | Richard Morris Hunt |
Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 100006780 |
NYCL No. | 1208 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 30, 2021 [2] |
Designated NYCL | April 12, 2016 |
The Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum is a private burial site within the Moravian Cemetery in the New Dorp neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City. It was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century, when the Vanderbilt family was the wealthiest in America. [1]
The Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum is on the eastern slope of Todt Hill, [3] inside the Moravian Cemetery located at 2205 Richmond Road. The cemetery opened in 1740 and is the largest and oldest active cemetery on Staten Island.
Todt Hill is the highest natural point on the Eastern Seaboard between Cape Cod and Florida, rising to 410 feet (120 m). [3]
In 1865, Cornelius Vanderbilt gave the Moravian Church 8.5 acres (3.4 ha). Three years later, he donated an additional 45 acres (18 ha), which is the majority of the Moravian Cemetery and the site of the private Vanderbilt plot. Later, his son William Henry Vanderbilt gave a further 4 acres (1.6 ha) and constructed the residence for the cemetery superintendent. William commissioned the family mausoleum, and was the richest person in America when he died in December 1885. [1]
The Vanderbilt mausoleum, designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed in 1885–1886, [3] is part of the family's private section within the cemetery. Hunt's design was inspired by the 12th-century Romanesque Saint-Gilles-du-Gard Abbey near Arles, France. The landscaped grounds around the mausoleum were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The Vanderbilt section is not open to the public. Interment within the mausoleum was reserved to those with the Vanderbilt name, including sons, their wives, and unmarried daughters. It houses the remains of all four of William and Maria's sons and three of their wives. [1]
The mausoleum was made a New York City designated landmark in 2016. [4] [5] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission's chair said at the time: "The Vanderbilt Mausoleum is an extraordinary monument to America's Gilded Age." [3] In June 2021, the mausoleum was nominated for inclusion on the New York State and National Register of Historic Places. [6] It was added to the NRHP on July 30, 2021. [2]
The nonprofit Vanderbilt Cemetery Association was created in 2010 by members of the Vanderbilt family to help preserve and protect the property. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III is chairman. [7]
Notable burials in the Vanderbilt family's private section within the cemetery include: [1]
Cornelius Vanderbilt, nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into leadership positions in the inland water trade and invested in the rapidly growing railroad industry, effectively transforming the geography of the United States.
William Henry Vanderbilt was an American businessman and philanthropist. Known as "Billy," he was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family. Vanderbilt became the richest American after he took over his father's fortune in 1877 until his own death in 1885, passing on a substantial part of the fortune to his wife and children, particularly to his sons Cornelius II and William. He inherited nearly $100 million from his father. The fortune had doubled when he died less than nine years later.
Cornelius "Corneil" Vanderbilt II was an American socialite and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City; luxurious "summer cottages" in Newport, Rhode Island; the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina; and various other opulent homes. The family also built Berkshire cottages in the western region of Massachusetts; examples include Elm Court.
William Kissam Vanderbilt I was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments.
Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the American Vanderbilt family. He was a director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years, and also a director of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and of the Chicago and North Western Railroad.
New Dorp is a neighborhood on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York City, United States. New Dorp is bounded by Mill Road on the southeast, Tysens Lane on the southwest, Amboy and Richmond Roads on the northwest, and Bancroft Avenue on the northeast. It is adjacent to Oakwood to the southwest, Todt Hill to the northwest, Dongan Hills and Grant City, and Midland Beach and Miller Field to the southeast. New Dorp Beach, bordering to the east, is often listed on maps as a separate neighborhood from Mill Road to the shore of Lower New York Bay, but is generally considered to be a part of New Dorp.
Todt Hill is a 401-foot-tall (122 m) hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic coastal plain from Florida to Cape Cod. The summit of the ridge is largely covered in woodlands as part of the Staten Island Greenbelt, although much of the surrounding area is developed and residential. It is considered one of the most exclusive and most expensive areas of Staten Island.
George Washington Vanderbilt II was an American art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He commissioned the construction of a 250-room mansion, the largest privately owned home in the United States, which he named Biltmore Estate.
The Moravian Cemetery is a cemetery in the New Dorp neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, United States.
The term East Shore is frequently applied to a series of neighborhoods along the Lower New York Bay and the Raritan Bay and within New York City's borough of Staten Island.
Grymes Hill is a 374 feet (114 m) tall hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the second highest natural point on the island and in the five boroughs of New York City. The neighborhood of the same name encompasses an area of 0.894 square miles (2.32 km2) and has a population of 8,263 people. The hill also includes parts of the Silver Lake neighborhood. The area includes part of ZIP Codes 10301 and 10304.
Samuel Barton was an American politician and a one-term U. S. Representative from New York from 1835 to 1837.
Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and reigned as the matriarch of the Vanderbilt family for over 60 years.
Grace Graham Vanderbilt was an American socialite. She was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt III. She was one of the last Vanderbilts to live the luxurious life of the "head of society" that her predecessors such as Alice and Alva Vanderbilt enjoyed.
Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt was a member of the Vanderbilt family. He was the father of Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandfather of Anderson Cooper. An avid equestrian, Vanderbilt was the founder and president of many equestrian organizations. He gambled away most of his inheritance.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard was an American heiress and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. As a philanthropist, she funded the YMCA, helping create a hotel for guests of the organization. She was married to prominent New York City lawyer, banker, and newspaper editor Elliott Fitch Shepard.
Mark W. Allen was an American lumber dealer and politician.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III is a retired public relations executive. Vanderbilt was heavily involved with bringing the Grammys back to New York and the tall ships to New York for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas. He is the father of James Platten Vanderbilt, son of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., and the grandson of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt. His great-grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, had been one of America's most revered businessmen; his great-great-grandfather, William Henry Vanderbilt had been the richest man in the world.