Idle Hour is a former

Vanderbilt estate Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is a historic house museum in Hyde Park, New York. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1940. It is owned and operated by the National Park Service. The property, historically known as Hyde Park, wa ...

that is located in Oakdale on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County () is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It is mainly located on the eastern end of Long Island, but also includes several smaller islands. According to the 2020 United States census, the county's populatio ...

. It was completed in 1901 for

William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam "Willie" Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kiss ...

. Once part of

Dowling College Dowling College was a private college on Long Island, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in Oakdale, New York on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, ...

, the mansion is one of the

largest houses in the United States This is a list of the 100+ largest extant and historic houses in the United States, ordered by area of the main house. The list includes houses that have been demolished, houses that are currently under construction, and buildings that are not cu ...

History

In 1878, Alva and

began building a lavish, wooden 110-room home known as Idle Hour, on a estate on the

Connetquot River The Connetquot River (also known as Great River) is a river in Islip, New York. It is one of the four longest rivers on Long Island and is recognized by the state as a Wild, Scenic and Recreational River. It is particularly known for its broo ...

. The building, initially completed in 1882, was designed by

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

Hunt & Hunt Richard Howland Hunt (March 14, 1862 – July 12, 1931) was an American architect and member of the Hunt family of Vermont who worked with his brother Joseph Howland Hunt in New York City at Hunt & Hunt. The brothers were sons of Richard Mor ...

(an American who studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Paris), continuously added to until the home was destroyed by fire on April 15, 1899, while his son, Willie K. Vanderbilt, was honeymooning there. Willie and his new wife,

Virginia Fair Vanderbilt Virginia Fair Vanderbilt (January 2, 1875 – July 7, 1935) was an American socialite, hotel builder/owner, philanthropist, owner of Fair Stable, a Thoroughbred racehorse operation, and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family by marriage. E ...

, escaped the fire. His daughter Consuelo had also honeymooned there when she married the

Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, (13 November 1871 – 30 June 1934), styled Earl of Sunderland until 1883 and Marquess of Blandford between 1883 and 1892, was a British soldier and Conservative politician, and a ...

in 1895. It was promptly rebuilt of red brick and gray stone in the English Country Style, with exquisite furnishings, for $3 million. The building, at the time was considered among the finest homes in America, was designed by Hunt's son,

Richard Howland Hunt Richard Howland Hunt (March 14, 1862 – July 12, 1931) was an American architect and member of the Hunt family of Vermont who worked with his brother Joseph Howland Hunt in New York City at Hunt & Hunt. The brothers were sons of Richard Mor ...

. The rebuilt "estate included nearly all of Oakdale, 290 or 300 buildings, a herd of steer and a paddlewheel steamer to ferry guests up and down the Connetquot River alongside the mansion." Around 1902, an addition was made to Idle Hour by the prominent architectural firm of

Warren & Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...

Later ownership

After Vanderbilt's death in 1920, the mansion went through several phases and visitors, including a brief stay during Prohibition by gangster

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the nu ...

. Around that time, cow stalls, pig pens and corn cribs on the farm portion of Idle Hour were converted into a short-lived bohemian artists' colony, known as the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians, that included figures such as George Elmer Browne and Roman (Bon) Bonet-Sintas as well as sculptress Catherine Lawson, costume designer Olga Meervold, and pianist Claude Govier, and

Francis Gow-Smith Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Francis is an En ...

and his wife Carol. In 1963,

Adelphi College Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

purchased the estate and, in 1968, spun the campus off as

(named after city planner and philanthropist

Robert W. Dowling Robert W. Dowling (September 9, 1895 – August 28, 1973) was a real estate investor and philanthropist in the New York City area. Dowling College was named for him. Biography Robert Whittle Dowling was born in New York City. His father Robert Em ...

). In March 1974, the home sustained its second fire and required a $3 million renovation. The estate was home to Dowling College, a private co-educational college, until the college closed in August 2016. In 2017, Idle Hour and the Dowling Campus were set to be auctioned off. In 2018, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Central Islip approved the $14 million purchase of the site. by Mercury International LLC of Delaware, an affiliate of NCF Capital Ltd. which owes over $3 million dollars in back taxes to Suffolk County.

Largest homes in America

The 70,000 sq. ft. mansion is tied for the 15th largest house in the United States of America with Woodlea in

Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor inc ...

(built for his sister

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

and brother-in-law

Elliott Fitch Shepard Elliott Fitch Shepard (July 25, 1833 – March 24, 1893) was a New York lawyer, banker, and owner of the '' Mail and Express'' newspaper, as well as a founder and president of the New York State Bar Association. Shepard was married to Marg ...

in 1895) and

Lynnewood Hall Lynnewood Hall is a 110-room Neoclassical Revival mansion in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Vacant today, it was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A. B. Widener and built between 1897 and 1900. Consid ...

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the northern suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which it borders along Cheltenham Avenue roughly from Cent ...

(built for Peter A. B. Widener in 1900).

Gallery

File:Country residence ("Idle Hour") for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York LCCN2017650941.jpg, Photograph of Idle Hour, 1880 File:Country residence ("Idle Hour") for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York). (Kitchen and servants' rooms addition). (Elevation) - Richard M. Hunt, architect, New LCCN2010647867.jpg, Kitchen and servants room' addition, 1886. File:Country residence ('Idle Hour') for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York) LOC ppmsca.52120.jpg, Architectural drawing of the stables, 1888. File:Country residence ('Idle Hour') for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York) LOC ppmsca.52124.jpg, Architectural drawing, 1889 File:Country residence ('Idle Hour') for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York) LOC ppmsca.52123.jpg, Architectural drawing, 1889 File:Country residence ('Idle Hour') for William K. Vanderbilt, Oakdale, Long Island, New York) LOC ppmsca.52116.jpg, Architectural drawing of Idle Hour's interior, -1901 Idle Hour 02.jpg, The north facade at Idle Hour, Idle Hour 03.jpg, The inner courtyard at Idle Hour, Idle Hour Stables.jpg, The stables at Idle Hour,

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

Idle Hour, Town of Islip, Suffolk County
at Preservation Long Island
The Gilded Age, The Vanderbilt's and Idle Hour
video on

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