Some homes are wrapped in scandal, some hold memories that touch our hearts,
and sometimes - those lines are blurred. Hi everyone, ken here, welcome to this house.
Today we are exploring George Crocker’s gilded age mansion in Manhattan.
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George Crocker was born into money as the son of railroad tycoon Charles Crocker.
All throughout his early adult life, George had been described as a “reckless young man.”
It was no surprise when his father gifted his sister, hattie, a mansion next door to
Cornelius Vanderbilt the thirds house, however, it was a surprise when he refused to do the same
for George. Charles withheld a fortune from his son until his death when he would leave
George with an ultimatum. George could agree and become one of the wealthiest men in the country,
or he could disagree and continue his life as a pauper. His will read that “for the space of
five years continuously he shall abstain from the use of spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors,
to the extent that he shall not during this period have been intoxicated” In other words, if George
were to have a single sip of alcohol, he would not inherit a single penny from his father’s estate.
George put down the bottle and worked hard to maintain a life of sobriety.
All the gossip around town told the tale of a young man who was turning his life around.
George succeeded in his battle with addiction and, after 5 years, inherited 6 million dollars,
or the modern day equivalent of nearly 200 million dollars. With all this money, George would never
have to work a day in his life, but he had found that honest work kept him on the straight and
narrow. He took on an active role in the family business and continued to grow his wealth.
Around this time, George set eyes on Helen Knickerbocker’s mansion at the corner of 5th
avenue and 64th street, a prominent second empire style home that had been built in 1872. George
purchased the mansion in 1897
and had it torn down so he could build a 5 story limestone palace in its place.
He hired Bright and Bacon to design his dream home with the estimated construction
cost coming to 100,000 dollars, or the modern day equivalent of around 3 and a half million dollars.
The beax arts façade would boast intricate displays of ironwork on the Juliet balconies.
A frieze at each level would separate the stories with ornate statuary centered on the third story
windows. An elaborate cornice would be capped off by balustrade behind which dormers protruded
from the mansard roof. Decorative urns stood tall delineating the end caps of each section of façade
with chimneys symmetrically placed. The home was stunning from the street,
but the curb appeal was only a tease of what the interior might offer.
Entering the house would have left any visitor stunned. The Stair hall held a carved Italian
marble font with a triangular base at the foot of the grand stairs with a pair of Chi’ien
Lung Period palace jars proudly displayed. A red capet runner contrasted against the marble stairs
with supports in the form of dolphins holding the red velvet hand ropes ascending the stairs.
The New York Times reported “The reception room whose walls are covered with gold brocade,
has furniture of the Louis the 14th and Louis the 15th periods, sofas, chairs,
and tables and a feature of the room is a large Louis the 15th desk of mahogany,
with ornamentation in chiseled and gilt ormolu in designs of cupids and mythological subjects.
There is a little statuette of Louis the 14th in wood and ivory in this room,
vases of Sevres and Chinese porcelain, and the floor is covered with handsome rugs.”
The Times said “The drawing room suite is after one in the Palace of Fontainebleu,
upholstered in fine Aubusson tapestry, with scenes from the fables of La Fontaine.
There are vitrines, console tables, a great pair of bronze and gilt torches, Neptune and Aphrodite,
each a seated bronze figure and forming the andirons, and Persian rugs on the floor.
The library, paneled in oak, contained great works of art proudly displayed on the walls.
The Pink Boudoir, as it was called, gained its nickname from the rose-pink damask wallpaper
that covered the walls. It was furnished with French antiques and heavily ornamented.
We will see several more pictures of the rooms and
furnishings as I tell you the rest of the Crocker’s story.
Mrs. George Crocker, was a socialite who loved to entertain. She would have white lilacs placed
in silver vases to be used as centerpieces with white orchids to compliment them on side tables.
While guests would mingle, live musicians would perform, filling the halls with classical music.
For their daughter’s coming out, the house was filled with potted orange trees to create
a magical ambiance for a grand ball. Women would have worn flowing ball gowns and danced with men
in their finest suits. The event would have been a spectacle with live music and a grand feast.
Mrs George Crocker had outdone herself, but this would be the last event she would host
in the house. She had been feeling ill and traveled to France to see a doctor
who diagnosed her with cancer. An operation was performed, but it would not help her. She
returned state side to visit her vacation home in Newport where she passed away.
George, stricken with grief, began to lash out. He threatened to sue the doctor for offering
his wife false hope that she could be cured. He quickly progressed through the stages of grief
and became obsessed with finding a cure. George donated 50 thousand dollars or the modern day
equivalent of 1.7 million dollars to Columbia College to encourage the study of the disease.
Just a few years later, George was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 54
in 1909. He willed that 1 and a half million dollars or the modern day equivalent of about
50 million dollars from his estate was to be left to Columbia College for further research.
The money was to be provided to the college from the sale of his house, however,
there was one problem. The children claimed that the house had been in their mother’s name
and should have transferred to them after George died. The children claimed that George had offered
each child 300 thousand dollars in exchange for their stakes in the house. The children
sued to have the will overturned, but upon investigation, the will was held up in court.
The children were in for a huge surprise. George’s will gave 25,000 dollars to his favorite servant,
Mr Lee Hung yung. He left 100,000 dollars for his friend Mrs. Charles A Childs, and 3 million
dollars for each of his siblings. But for the children, it was not what they were expecting.
George’s estate was valued at 12 million dollars or the modern day equivalent of nearly 400 million
dollars. The children thought they would each be rich, but George had other plans.
He left for each of them only 100 dollars per person, or the modern day equivalent of about
3 thousand dollars per person. The children were completely caught off guard, they had
been plotting to take over George’s estate by any means necessary. Perhaps George knew this,
perhaps he had worked a provision into his will like his father did for him. We may never know
the full story. What we do know is that the house was sold and a very large donation was made to
Columbia College to further cancer research. The house went on to be sold to pay for the
donation as the will stipulated. The new owner died one month after purchasing the house and
his widow sold it. It was then torn down and a 16 story apartment building was built in its place.
Thank you all for watching, I really hope that you enjoyed this video.
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