imagine being extremely wealthy but keeping it a secret hi everyone ken here welcome to this house
today we are exploring the mansion of a man who could afford the entire world but decided
instead to spend his money on people in need make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never
miss an exciting episode of this house robert s brewster was born into old money his ancestors had
traveled to the new world aboard the mayflower and were quick to capitalize on industry his father
benjamin brewster was the vice president of the rock island and pacific railway company
and left him a fortune roberts sat on various boards for several corporations and banks which
provided him with nearly effortless income with so much free time he devoted his life to charitable
organizations including churches hospitals and most notably the young men's christian association
more commonly referred to as the ymca he married mabel tremaine in 1904. robert and mabel had
much in common she preferred charitable work over socializing the young couple evaded the
spotlight together doing good for the community behind the scenes instead of boasting about it in
the newspaper columns they would take this into consideration when designing their dream house
the brewsters hired architect william delano to create for them a more humble mansion
they insisted that it not draw attention nor boast exuberant flare when interviewed
about the home delano said about the house the problem was to build a simple and dignified home
where one could live comfortably located at 70th in park the house rose five stories it was
considerably more plain than the neighboring homes but offered a more subdued version of
italian renaissance revival styling the first level of the home though set in stone blocks
was remarkably simple with only a scrolled keystone to call attention to the arched entry
above the front door on the facade of the second floor was a carved cartouche symmetrically placed
between windows with elaborate moldings the facade of the third floor contained simpler
window treatments with a fourth floor containing none a stone corner seemed to cap off the home but
the fifth floor dormer windows subtly protruded from the low pitched roof barely noticeable from
the street talking about the interior of the home delano said the program called for a house to be
used for entertaining but entertaining on a small scale it was to be a house for dinners primarily
and not for dances and large gatherings the first floor had more modest proportions than many homes
from the era with 12 and a half foot ceilings the walls of the entrance hall were clad in sandstone
and would have had a buttery hue the floors were checkered with alternating black and white
marble tiles on one side of the entrance hall you would have found the dining room
with a marble fireplace flat ceilings and minimal millwork on the other side of the entrance hall
was the reception room with a simple fireplace humble millwork and comfortable seats for guests
taking the stairs up to the second floor would bring you to a large hall 30 feet by
18 feet which was used more as a living room and paneled in oak the ceilings here were 15 feet tall
and had large exposed oak beams running the width of the room also on this floor was the library
with large double doors built-in bookcases and a more pronounced hearth this room was functional
and elegant set against panels crafted from french walnut sitting across the hall from the library
was a simple but distinguished drawing room from which the brewsters would entertain their small
handful of guests according to delano the rest of the house was comprised of ordinary bedrooms
sitting rooms and bathrooms for the family the house was exactly what the brewsters had asked for
it was large enough for their family without being ostentatious it was devoid of ornamentation
and yet still had a quiet dignity about it they were able to host charitable events without their
homes seeming to mock the needy unlike the marble palaces down the street the couple was so thrilled
with the work of delano that they hired him to design a country estate for them in mount kisco
which they would name avalon unfortunately just as avalon was finished and servants were preparing it
for the brewster's first visit the house burned to the ground the flames engulfed the entire estate
including antiques and tapestries that had cost the modern-day equivalent of nearly 10 million
dollars but the material things were not what robert cared for he was a major advocate of the
arts after the stock market crash the metropolitan opera association was at risk of shutting its
doors he led a campaign to save it making a rare public appearance to raise funding he purchased
box number four for two hundred thousand dollars or the modern day equivalent of nearly four and a
half million dollars and convinced others who were secure in their wealth to do the same to
save the institution he was named the director and president of the metropolitan opera and
real estate association and could not avoid the public eye suddenly the city wanted to know who
this man was and where he came from word spread about his anonymous lifelong devotion to charity
and he was quoted as saying the advantages of obscurity are not half appreciated
on christmas eve 1939 cancer overcame robert and he passed away only in his obituary did the
public learn the true scope of his charitable works as he never admitted to helping so many
while he was still alive only humbly acknowledging what reporters had claimed about him
their children sold the mansion it was demolished and by 1948 an 18-story apartment building
had been built in its place thank you all for watching i really hope that you enjoyed this video
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