Greg O’s Garage: The Vanderbilt Museum and mansion tour
Eagle's Nest, Willie K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s summer home from 1910 until his death in 1944, has been the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium for about 70 years. Willie K. left the home and about 2 million dollars to the county to keep it operational as a museum to display the countless objects and sea specimens he had collected during his later years traversing the globe by land, or sea in his yacht, The Alva, named for his mother.
Since last Spring, like most of the world, the museum has been shut down due to COVID, but as of May 29th, the museum and planetarium are back in full swing giving public tours, and showing their wonderful presentations at the planetarium. It's been many years since I had taken a tour of the mansion, so I'd thought I'd give myself a refresher on the Willie K's living quarters on last Sunday's beautiful day. Last weekend also happened to be a great choice as the museum gives free admission to Bank of America card holders themselves on the first weekends of the month.
Due to renovations, some areas are still not quite ready to be publicly viewed, but museum staff hopes that will change soon. As of now, the nursery wing remains closed for renovation, which includes the Egypt room with the mummy display. The museum has been adding virtual exhibits to their website in the form of Alva Belmont's suffragette activism and other exhibits coming soon. Also closed, hopefully temporarily, the garage cannot be seen due to understaffing with the inability to keep a docent there. For us Motor Parkway enthusiasts, this is especially disappointing since we do not get to see the 1931 Lincoln (Now joined by a 1909 REO) or the hard work Howard and Al V. put into the wonderful Motor Parkway display down there. I was able to get a few photos of some of the closed areas that fingers crossed, may be open soon.
Greg O.
The courtyard where you meet your docent and the tour begins. Our guide for our day, Kathy, was excited to get back after a year away and this was her first tour in a long while.
Kathy letting us in through the huge Spanish front door adorned with various sea creatures.
The inside of the front door. A door knocker inside? Willie K's sense of humor!
Just inside the front door can be found a young Willie K, his mother Alva, and father Willie K Sr.
Moving into the dining room as our docent Kathy points out various artifacts in and around the room. Beautiful Spanish tiles, hand carved ceiling from the 1920's that mimic ceilings found in European castles, and the Vanderbilt coat of arms over the fireplace.
Onward to the Butler's pantry where meal courses are kept warm until serving, we find one of the first electrified refrigerators, knife sharpeners, early toasters and dumb waiter to bring the food up from the basement kitchen.
Who knew a knife sharpener could be so beautifully made?
The servant's quarters were generous at Eagle's Nest.
Artifacts the Willie K collected are everywhere, like this shield fashioned from an elephant ear.
One of my favorite rooms along the tour. The furniture filling this room was all aboard the Alva. When Willie K donated the Alva to the US Government for the war effort, the furniture was moved from the yacht to this room.
Another fantastic room is what can be described as the main living room. Here, family and friends would gather for a game of backgammon, relax, or enjoy the immense pipe organ hidden behind a tapestry.
Willie K's bedroom and bathroom are fitting for a Vanderbilt.
Always a bottle of champagne and Coke next to the tub if Willie K was thirsty.
When Willie K and Rosamund Warburton were married, her bedroom was constructed with French paneling found in Europe.
An impressive pink marble tub and dressing area for the lady of the house.
Rosamund's 'closet' that Dee asked if I could duplicate in our home. I'll get right on that!
Rosamund slept in while Willie K would get a round of golf in. They met late morning for breakfast in the beautiful pickled pine hallway that ran between the two bedrooms.
The tour ends in the memorial wing dedicated to Willie K III who was tragically killed in a car accident. All of Wille K III safari gatherings can be found here.
Currently not open for tours during renovation is the nursery wing, built for Rosamund's children and mother. Hopefully to return in here will be the Alva Belmont exhibition.
Also not currently open due to short staff, is the garage housing the 1931 Lincoln with leather fenders, and a 1909 REO. In here is where the museum also houses the Motor Parkway exhibit by Howard and Al.
let's hope this opens soon!
This post only scratches the surface of what's to see along the tour, so for a fascinating glimpse into Willie K's life, take a tour for yourself and walk the grounds. It's a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a nice weekend!
Comments
Are we going to have any antique car meets there this year??????
These folks knew how to live ! The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park is equally amazing-they have a 33 Cad V-16 and I think a Locomobile in the Carriage house that is now closed for many years due to low staffing (run by the fed parks dept of course)
Great tour of a National Register destination! Consider Vanderbilt’s Spanish Baroque front door ‘in reverse’. Its interior heavy hardware finds a counterpart to rose head nails used as an ‘outside’ show of strength & wealth on 17th century British-American doors, like that reconstructed c. 1908-27 at “Home Sweet Home,” East Hampton. Willy K’s huge front door looks like it came from a European castle and was lightheartedly hung to ‘return’ the sea creatures—‘originally’ carved on its interior—to face the elements and incredible views of Northport Harbor.
From Walt Gosden
Hi Howard,
Nice to read the Vanderbilt Cup Races weekly post today. Just a point of information - that Lincoln town car in the Vanderbilt museum collection is definitely not a 1931. It is a model L ( that series ended in 1930) and the Lincoln is of the 1926-28 era no later. The flat radiator shell style is a signature of the model L Lincoln since Lincoln’s were first made in the very early 1920s. Willy K would have ordered his car through the NY Lincoln dealer , which had a number of showrooms and service centers starting in Manhattan and extending out to long island ( one of which was near you and we did a story on March 20, 2019 , Roslyn Motors- that was located across the street from the clock tower). It would be either in Manhattan or at one of the dealer locations east on long island where WKV III would have had that car serviced when needed. Dealerships located in Roslyn, Flushing, and Southampton).
Walt