History of the
Vanderbilt Estate
Garden Tour through the Seasons
History of the Vanderbilt Estate |
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The Hosack Era (1828-1835)
William Bard inherited the estate and sold it in 1828 to Dr. David Hosack, his father's friend and partner. Like Samuel Bard, Dr. Hosack loved the natural beauty of the area, but also took important steps to improve the estate. He renovated the mansion and built numerous outbuildings, some of which remain today.
Most importantly, he
commissioned landscape designer, Andre Parmentier to redesign the landscape.
Like his contemporary, Andrew Jackson Downing, Parmentier strove to
enhance rather than overpower the natural beauty of an area. Roads,
bridges and lawns were laid out in such a way as to compliment the natural
features of the landscape, while large areas were left wild.
The estate would eventually
become as well known for its landscape as for its views of the
Hudson River.
Fortunately, succeeding owners of the estate also admired the landscaping
and changed little of it over the years. Today, much of Parmentier's
original design remains and continues to be admired for its grace
and beauty.
Dr. Hosack also had a passion for botany, particularly for exotic plants. He founded the first botanic garden in the United States, the Elgin Botanic Garden in 1801, on the site of what is now Rockefeller Center in New York City. It appears that he also was the first to establish what would become the formal gardens on the estate. The original gardens were located close to the main house, on what is now a lawn. According to surviving documents, the main feature of the gardens were the extensive green houses which contained Hosack's large collection of exotic plants. Dr. Hosack died suddenly of a stroke in 1835 and the collection was sold at auction. Later owners of the estate would move the gardens farther away from the mansion. Today, nothing remains of Dr. Hosack's garden.
