Monday, August 23, 2010

Rockefellers


Today's picture shows the Rockefellers, John D., and John D. Jr. The picture was taken in 1915. At the time, this was one of the richest families in the world.
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14 comments:

  1. The Rockefeller family provided the funds to develop Williamsburg Virginia I believe. If you have ever been there you would appreciate what a wonderful gift of "living history" that was.

    For the men out there, is there any interest in reviving the stove top hat? I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit in my house or car.

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  2. i would love to see the 60's style hats make a comeback but not the tophat it just looks plain excessive and silly, along the same lines as todays kids stupid baggy pants. cool picture though

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  3. Are the rich happier?

    Probably not, but you get to choose your misery.

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  4. Rockefeller kind of gets a bum rap. Yes, he was a tough, stern, astute businessman, but he gave away millions during his lifetime. I've read he gave away as much as $550 million during his lifetime. His biographies are interesting reading!

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  5. My grandparents were not uber rich, but comfortably well off. In her 90's my grandmother would count pennies to buy a loaf of bread to tie her over until the next check came in. She left nearly a million dollars in the bank at her death. She was happiest out working in her flower beds.

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  6. This week's theme is quite interesting. Didn't get to see yesterday's until today--Vanderbilt was very nice looking besides being rich! I don't know if the uber-rich are happier than the rest of us. Maybe money wouldn't make some people happy, but I do know that it would make ME happy!

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  7. PJM:

    This week’s topic is of special interest to those of us here in Rhode Island, as our state is home to the greatest remaining monuments of the “Gilded Age” (i.e., 1865-1914), and the “robber baron” industrialists who built them - the “summer cottages” of Newport. This was the era of tremendous industrial growth and NO personal income tax (can you imagine!!)

    During the latter half of the 19 century, many members of the nation’s wealthiest upper class, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt II, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and the Astors, summered in Newport. During that time, spectacular marble “cottages” were built along Bellevue Avenue in the elaborate “Beaux Arts” Neo-Renaissance style, many of which were designed by the famous architects Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White.

    Fully staffed by hundreds of servants, these “palaces” were used for only six to eight weeks of the year, and were the site of many glorious parties.

    Several of these iconic mansions are now owned and maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County, and most are open to the public. The most famous house is “The Breakers,” which is a 70-room mansion built in 1895 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. He was the favorite grandson of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the New York Central Railroad. The Breakers is the most famous testament to that fascinating period in history. It is Rhode Island’s most visited attraction as well as being designated as a National Historic Landmark.

    Other well-known “summer cottages” in Newport include Marble House, which was built by William K. Vanderbilt, the younger brother of Cornelius II; the Elms, (built by coal baron Edward Berwind), and Rosecliff, which is a replica of Versailles. Rosecliff is especially recognizable as it has been used as a location for the filming of several movies, including “The Great Gatsby” with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow; “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenneger (the ballroom scenes); Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad;” and “27 Dresses” (the heart-shaped staircase).

    Rosecliff is the only mansion that can be rented out for weddings and parties, and my daughter has already informed me that this is where she wants to have her wedding reception, so I guess my husband will need to either rob a bank or earn more money!

    There are many other privately-owned historic mansions along Bellevue Avenue, such as Astor’s Beechwood, which was recently sold for $10.5 million to Lawrence Ellison, the founder of Oracle, Inc.; Rough Point, which was once owned by Doris Duke (the reclusive tobacco heiress) and is the scene of the famous “accident” in which she killed her companion/interior decorator by smashing him with her car at the gatehouse; and Clarendon Court, which was once owned by Claus and Sunny Von Bulow. Von Bulow’s notorious trial (and re-trail) for attempting to murder Sunny with insulin injections were portrayed in the 1990 film “Reversal of Fortune” with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. Clarendon Court was also used to film the 1956 film “High Society” with Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Big Crosby.

    Since all of this fascinating history is less than 30 minutes away, there is nothing we love to do more on a beautiful Sunday afternoon than stroll through the Newport Mansions, sit on the lawns and terraces, and take a trip back in time to the Gilded Age.

    If you can’t make it to Rhode Island to see these houses for yourself, check out the website of the Newport Preservation Society: newportmansions.org, it’s well worth your time!!

    ReplyDelete

  8. PJM:

    This week’s topic is of special interest to those of us here in Rhode Island, as our state is home to the greatest remaining monuments of the “Gilded Age” (i.e., 1865-1914), and the “robber baron” industrialists who built them - the “summer cottages” of Newport. This was the era of tremendous industrial growth and NO personal income tax (can you imagine!!)

    During the latter half of the 19 century, many members of the nation’s wealthiest upper class, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt II, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and the Astors, summered in Newport. During that time, spectacular marble “cottages” were built along Bellevue Avenue in the elaborate “Beaux Arts” Neo-Renaissance style, many of which were designed by the famous architects Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White.

    Fully staffed by hundreds of servants, these “palaces” were used for only six to eight weeks of the year, and were the site of many glorious parties.

    Several of these iconic mansions are now owned and maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County, and most are open to the public. The most famous house is “The Breakers,” which is a 70-room mansion built in 1895 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. He was the favorite grandson of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the New York Central Railroad. The Breakers is the most famous testament to that fascinating period in history. It is Rhode Island’s most visited attraction as well as being designated as a National Historic Landmark.

    Other well-known “summer cottages” in Newport include Marble House, which was built by William K. Vanderbilt, the younger brother of Cornelius II; the Elms, (built by coal baron Edward Berwind), and Rosecliff, which is a replica of Versailles. Rosecliff is especially recognizable as it has been used as a location for the filming of several movies, including “The Great Gatsby” with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow; “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenneger (the ballroom scenes); Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad;” and “27 Dresses” (the heart-shaped staircase).

    Rosecliff is the only mansion that can be rented out for weddings and parties, and my daughter has already informed me that this is where she wants to have her wedding reception, so I guess my husband will need to either rob a bank or earn more money!

    There are many other privately-owned historic mansions along Bellevue Avenue, such as Astor’s Beechwood, which was recently sold for $10.5 million to Lawrence Ellison, the founder of Oracle, Inc.; Rough Point, which was once owned by Doris Duke (the reclusive tobacco heiress) and is the scene of the famous “accident” in which she killed her companion/interior decorator by smashing him with her car at the gatehouse; and Clarendon Court, which was once owned by Claus and Sunny Von Bulow. Von Bulow’s notorious trial (and re-trail) for attempting to murder Sunny with insulin injections were portrayed in the 1990 film “Reversal of Fortune” with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. Clarendon Court was also used to film the 1956 film “High Society” with Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Big Crosby.

    Since all of this fascinating history is less than 30 minutes away, there is nothing we love to do more on a beautiful Sunday afternoon than stroll through the Newport Mansions, sit on the lawns and terraces, and take a trip back in time to the Gilded Age.

    If you can’t make it to Rhode Island to see these houses for yourself, check out the website of the Newport Preservation Society: newportmansions.org, it’s well worth your time!!

    ReplyDelete

  9. PJM:

    This week’s topic is of special interest to those of us here in Rhode Island, as our state is home to the greatest remaining monuments of the “Gilded Age” (i.e., 1865-1914), and the “robber baron” industrialists who built them - the “summer cottages” of Newport. This was the era of tremendous industrial growth and NO personal income tax (can you imagine!!)

    During the latter half of the 19 century, many members of the nation’s wealthiest upper class, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt II, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and the Astors, summered in Newport. During that time, spectacular marble “cottages” were built along Bellevue Avenue in the elaborate “Beaux Arts” Neo-Renaissance style, many of which were designed by the famous architects Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White.

    Fully staffed by hundreds of servants, these “palaces” were used for only six to eight weeks of the year, and were the site of many glorious parties.

    Several of these iconic mansions are now owned and maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County, and most are open to the public. The most famous house is “The Breakers,” which is a 70-room mansion built in 1895 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. He was the favorite grandson of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the New York Central Railroad. The Breakers is the most famous testament to that fascinating period in history. It is Rhode Island’s most visited attraction as well as being designated as a National Historic Landmark.

    Other well-known “summer cottages” in Newport include Marble House, which was built by William K. Vanderbilt, the younger brother of Cornelius II; the Elms, (built by coal baron Edward Berwind), and Rosecliff, which is a replica of Versailles. Rosecliff is especially recognizable as it has been used as a location for the filming of several movies, including “The Great Gatsby” with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow; “True Lies” with Arnold Schwarzenneger (the ballroom scenes); Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad;” and “27 Dresses” (the heart-shaped staircase).

    Rosecliff is the only mansion that can be rented out for weddings and parties, and my daughter has already informed me that this is where she wants to have her wedding reception, so I guess my husband will need to either rob a bank or earn more money!

    There are many other privately-owned historic mansions along Bellevue Avenue, such as Astor’s Beechwood, which was recently sold for $10.5 million to Lawrence Ellison, the founder of Oracle, Inc.; Rough Point, which was once owned by Doris Duke (the reclusive tobacco heiress) and is the scene of the famous “accident” in which she killed her companion/interior decorator by smashing him with her car at the gatehouse; and Clarendon Court, which was once owned by Claus and Sunny Von Bulow. Von Bulow’s notorious trial (and re-trail) for attempting to murder Sunny with insulin injections were portrayed in the 1990 film “Reversal of Fortune” with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. Clarendon Court was also used to film the 1956 film “High Society” with Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Big Crosby.

    Since all of this fascinating history is less than 30 minutes away, there is nothing we love to do more on a beautiful Sunday afternoon than stroll through the Newport Mansions, sit on the lawns and terraces, and take a trip back in time to the Gilded Age.

    If you can’t make it to Rhode Island to see these houses for yourself, check out the website of the Newport Preservation Society: newportmansions.org, it’s well worth your time!!

    ReplyDelete

  10. PJM:

    For some reason, my comment posted three times. I think it’s because my browser froze and I tried to negotiate out.

    Anyway, could you please remove the extras? My little essay was long enough!


    Thanks

    SmartGirl 1953

    ReplyDelete

  11. The choices in the poll are too simplistic. Some people have misery thrust upon them, some seek it out whether they have money or not. As "Mary" said, the rich do have the option of chosing their misery.
    Money cannot buy happiness but it can buy independence which is the road to happiness, so yes, the rich definitely have the potential to be happier. Like anything, it's not what you have but what use you make of it.

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  12. Anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness doesn't know where to shop.

    Or sumpin like that...

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  14. Seeing the photo reminded me of my dad referring to Mr. Rockefeller as "John D.". I guess J.D.R. was in the newspapers a lot because I can't think of any other connection he had with my dad!

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