Friday, September 4, 2009

Lynhurst Mansion - Tarrytown, NY



Lynhurst was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1838. It is an excellent example of Gothic Revival Design and in fact may be the best in the US. The first owner was Retired NYC Mayor and Congressman William Paulding; around 1864 merchant George Merritt bought the mansion and double its size; then the infamous railroad tycoon Jay Gould purchased the mansion in 1880. I will not go into all the financial manipulation and dealings of Mr. Gould; you can read it yourself, but suffice it to say that he would have fit in perfectly with the likes of Bernie Madoff.


The one puzzling thing I saw in the mansion was the use of “faux finish" Design. I guess it was popular in early 19th century but to look at marble and leather walls and find out that it is paster and paint, left me a little cold.


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