History of the
Vanderbilt Estate
F. W. Vanderbilt Garden Association |
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Welcome to the home page of the Frederick W. Vanderbilt Garden Association. A non-profit organization, we are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the formal gardens of the F. W. Vanderbilt National Historic Site. Built by a grandson of the infamous Comodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, the estate is a beautiful example of the lifestyle of the rich and famous during the early part of the 20th century, America's 'Gilded Age'. Its location on the banks of New York's beautiful Hudson River Valley also affords magnificant views of one of the most important places in American history.
New Volunteers:
Anyone who would like to be a new volunteer, please click here for more information.
Tour the gardens through the
seasons
Saying "Farewell" to Orpheus.
Pictures of the fountain removal.
Special Events for 2008
Travel information and
directions
Calling for Photos!
The FWVGA is looking for any historic photos that show the garden area
of the Vanderbilt estate prior to 1960. If you have any such photos and
are willing to provide copies to the FWVGA, please send us an email
at fwvga@marist.edu.
A large, formal garden was common to most estates of the period. Vanderbilt,
who was an avid gardener himself, established an Italian-style, terrace
garden containing many varieties of roses, annuals and perennials. Unfortunately,
after his death in 1938, the gardens were not maintained and soon fell
into ruin.
In 1984, with the permission of the National Park Service, a small group
of local gardeners joined together to attempt to restore the gardens to
their former glory. Since then, the volunteers of the FWVGA have grown
to over 100 and have put in nearly 100,000 hours raising money, researching
garden history, planting, weeding and caring for the plants and
fountains of the garden. Known for their green t-shirts and tireless devotion
to their work, the FWVGA has brought life back to a garden once thought to
be beyond repair.
The work of the FWVGA is far from over, however. Each year brings challenges in restoring new areas of the garden as well as maintaining those areas already re-established. All the money necessary to purchase plants, equipment and make repairs are raised by the volunteers through various special events, activities and donations. The FWVGA does not receive money from the National Park Service or from the federal or state governments.
The results are a volunteering as well as a gardening success story. Visitors
from all over the world have enjoyed the Vanderbilt gardens and we hope you will
too.
The gardens and grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site are open
daily until dusk
and admission is free. There is a charge to tour the mansion. For more
information about the FWVGA or group garden tours, please send us
e-mail at fwvga@marist.edu.
Interesting web sites:
National Park Service -
Vanderbilt Historic Site web page
Dutchess County Tourism
web site
GardenNet Web site
GardenWeb site