The Biggest Mansions Ever Built in Manhattan | DOCUMENTARY

Journey with us as we delve deep into Manhattan's opulent past, where industry barons and the nouveau riche, including the likes of Charles Tiffany, Otto H. Kahn, Mrs. Astor, Charles Schwab, William Henry Vanderbilt, Henry Clay Frick, William A. Clark, and Cornelius Vanderbilt II, built majestic palaces, embodying their affluence and influence. In this exploration, witness the grandeur of their homes, many of which have vanished, but whose legacy remains etched in the heart of New York.

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Location: Manhattan, Mansion

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CC BY 2.0 Photos from: Flickr User: Ajay Suresh
CC BY-SA 3.0Photos from: Wikipedia User: Gryffindor, Itub, Summ,
Assets from: Envato Elements
Music from Epidemic Sound

[adrianh.callais]

To paraphrase one historian, "New York destroyed more exquisite architecture in 50 years than the barbarian hordes did to Rome in 300 years." Perhaps its greatest loss was Pennsylvania Station, smashed into rubble and dumped into a New Jersey swamp.

[truffles]

It is such a great loss that these buildings were torn down.

[airride]

But for me, the saddest part of his story is yes of course all the mansions are gone but, all of the artisans and amazing craftsman that had the skills to create simply amazing and intricate marble, stone and wood work with no computers or any design software is something that will never be seen again.

[FZerbinatti]

honestly NY would be astonishing if all those magnificent buildings were there, less people, more beauty

[axnyslie]

The Astor ballroom is incomprehensible that it was someone's private residence. The scale of the sculptures and artwork is phenomenal.

[GoodLuck-hyqu]

We tear so much down in this country for modernization. It saddens me we really don’t have much history left when I went to Europe this year there’s so much history in Denmark, Holland Germany, Paris, London, I could go on and on.

[Donald_Shaw]

Totally blown away by the opulence of these grand home. Great research and wonderful narration... thanks Ken.

[bscottb]

If YouTube gave the equivalent of an Emmy Award, "This House" would have quite a lineup on its exquisitely carved mantlepiece.

[neighborhoodcatlady]

The Frick museum is a must visit when going to NYC. GORGEOUS ❤❤

[LSTEdD]

I used to give summer tours in the Vanderbilt’s Breakers in Newport Rhode Island. What fun it was!!

[m.woodsrobinson]

All of them were fabulous, but those Vanderbilts really could put together a nice place!

[frankennyg]

Amazing how short-lived some of these mansions were. They could have added so much to NY's historical landscape if they still existed today. It's too bad that they weren't marked as national landmarks and saved and turned into museums. Hard to believe that they were okay with investing so much money and resources into building them, only to have them bulldozed in in such a short time. I guess it was a different mentality back then for the uber rich. The only thing I could think of today that comes close to this would be in Las Vegas where they implode old casinos and rebuild them as new, more glamorous ones.

[dionpeek]

Amazing how short-lived is grand old houses lasted

[laurawaldie]

Thanks so much for keeping these mansions memories alive, Ken! Your videos really remind us of how important it is to preserve and adaptively reuse our historic buildings. We can't have a future without a past.

[bowiearcangeli]

Wow! What beautiful, magnificent houses and mansions. My eyes were glued to the screen. Thank you for sharing 💜

[sherirunnels]

Wow. Where do I start? Rich history, emphasis on "rich."😊 Frick's Palace was intriguing. And a ballroom accommodating 1200? And another party hosting 6500! I'm speechless. Almost. Many thanks for another astounding video. Cheers!

[missjddrage]

Unmatched in elegance and authenticity were those homes. First video of this type with much photography and depth. Beautifully done. Thank you. 💐🏆🥂

[BlueSaphire]

TBH, these mansions have such a large scale that they're beyond the scope of my life. I can't begin to imagine the owners' lifestyles, because I don't think I know enough people to invite to even one of their parties! I've no doubt that their activities crossed the paths of so many people that they could indeed fill up their huge halls, but unfortunately, that lifestyle did not last, and neither did their huge mansions. I was sorry to hear that no sooner had the original owner died that their huge houses were either torn down or repurposed. I feel especially sorry for Mr. John Jacob Astor who died in the Titanic. But, it is still so interesting to see these mansions and hear all these stories!

[sergpie]

The studio at 1:30 is just utterly magical. Wow. A belle epoque playground!

[mileshigh]

Their legacy lives on because of photos and drawings and great informative videos like yours Ken!