LOWER HUDSON
Lyndhurst
635 South Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Hours: Open seasonally Thursday to Tuesday, 10 AM to 4 PM. See website for more information including admission rates. Lyndhurst also offers tours in Spanish. "¡Hay visitas en español disponibles! Comuníquese con nosotros a [email protected] para preguntar sobre las opciones."
Phone: (914) 303-4481 Email: [email protected]
Historical Description:
A. J. Davis and William Paulding constructed the country villa in 1838 and called it "Knoll." The romantic Gothic Revival design was called "Paulding's Folly" by critics because of its unusual design. Nevertheless, fascination with the property continued for decades and, as ideas of wealth and status changed with the growing nation, so did the estate, reflecting the tastes and interests of wealthy New York. From 1864 to 1865, Davis doubled the size of the mansion for the second owner New York merchant George Merritt, who renamed it "Lyndenhurst" after the Linden trees that were planted on the estate. Railroad magnate Jay Gould purchased the estate as a summer home in 1880. By 1884, Jay Gould was at the peak of his power, having gained control of Western Union Telegraph, the New York Elevated Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad. Gould used Lyndhurst as an escape from the pressures of his business life and when his health was impaired by tuberculosis, Lyndhurst served as a country retreat until his death in 1892. Jay Gould's daughter, Helen, who later married Finley J. Shepard, was given control of the property. After her death in 1938, her sister, Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand- Perigord, returned from France and maintained Lyndhurst until her death in 1961 when the 67-acre estate passed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Site:
The grounds at Lyndhurst serve as an outstanding example of nineteenth-century landscape design. Elements include sweeping lawns accented with shrubs and a variety of trees, the curving entrance drive reveals views of the angular repetition of the Gothic roofline in the evergreens, and the nation's first steel- framed conservatory. The rose garden and fernery were later additions. The Lyndhurst Guide to the House and Landscape, Lyndhurst's official guidebook, and the complimentary Lyndhurst Historic Landscape Tour Brochure are also available in the Museum Shop and offer expanded in-depth information about the estate. For younger visitors, a Family Tour is also featured on the audio tour and has an accompanying activity card. A variety of additional activity cards and the “ABC’s of Lyndhurst” can be found at the Carriage House.