End of the Astor Era: Vincent Astor's Townhouse

the asra family once ruled over New York's  high society as one of the wealthiest and most   influential families to ever called the United  States home but what happened to their Fortune hi   everyone Ken here today we are exploring Vincent  Aster's townhouse and uncovering the end of the   asra era hit that like button to let YouTube know  you appreciate historic homes and let's begin   exploring this house!! this video is sponsored  by Victorian society in America more on them   later in 1891 Vincent Aster was born into one of  the wealthiest families in the United States his   grandmother Theus Aster ruled over New York's high  society which was known as the 400 and his father   John Jacob Aster IV controlled the family fortune  which included massive real estate holdings all   around New York and Beyond Vincent grew up in  the family's Manhattan double Mansion along Fifth   Avenue one of the most poal homes to ever Great  Central Park here he enjoyed a childhood amongst   marble halls rubbing shoulders with presidents  and Titans of Industry as they attended balls   hosted by his grandmother in the double Mansion  shared Ballroom in 1908 while Vincent was still   a teenager Mrs Aster passed away and his father  combined both sides of the duplex to create one   of Manhattan's largest Mansions the policial  estate was completely renovated and quickly   gained a reputation as being one of the finest  houses in the world however his father's days in   the Mansion were numbered in 1912 while Vincent  was attending college at Harvard John jacobas IV   boarded the Titanic for its maiden voyage never  to return as news of his passing reached New York   20-year-old Vincent learned that he had inherited  the family fortune estimated to be worth as much   as $200 million the modern equivalent of about  $6.5 billion when adjusting for inflation alone   now one of the most eligible bachelors on the  planet and the patriarch of the Astra family   Vincent dropped out of college he began courting  Helen dinmore Huntington and the couple tied The   Notches 2 years later unfortunately Vincent had  been stricken by a case of the months which left   him unable to have children and without a  family to think of nor any reason to work   he began searching for other ways to occupy his  time the following year in 1915 he listed with   the naval Reserve and was called to active duty  less than 2 years later in 1917 to serve in the   New York Naval militia Vincent was close friends  with future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt   who suggested that if Vincent wanted to see some  real action that he should volunteer for active   duty which is exactly what he did Vincent not  only volunteered himself but also his private   yacht the USS Noma while he was deployed not only  did he survive striking a mine but also managed   to capture a German ubo as it was planting  more mines in 1919 now known as Lieutenant   Aster Vincent returned Stateside as a decorated  war hero a few years later in 1926 he sold the   family's Fifth Avenue Mansion to a developer who  had it torn down in that same year Vincent began   purchasing houses in the less fashionable area of  Manhattan around East 80th Street in 79th Street   to demolish with plans to build his own Mansion  he hired architect mby Schmidt to draw inspiration   from 18th century English architecture to design  for him a neoclassical City Mansion unlike his   father's house Vincent would be restrained  and comfor able while it was designed to be   considerably smaller than the house he had grown  up in it was still large enough to host parties   and fashionable enough to entertain esteemed  guest when it was finished in 1928 Vincent   Aster's townhouse was praised for its simple  and Timeless appearance before we head inside   a quick word about the sponsor of today's video  The Victorian society in America are you obsessed   with historic architecture have you ever wanted  to go beyond reading and learning to actually   experience historically and architecturally  significant sites with the Victorian society   in America you can travel to American cities  and tour exceptional 19th century buildings   and pursue learning and internationally acclaimed  summer study programs in Chicago Newport in London   join the Victorian society in America this may for  an educational tour in Baltimore the itinerary is   packed with exciting visits to key architectural  sites Landscapes and artistic gems click the   link in the video description to visit victorians  society.org to register today your architectural   Adventure Starts Here thank you Victorian society  in America for sponsoring today's video now let's   begin exploring this house house after passing  through the vestibule we arrive in the entrance   hall facing a fireplace with a grand staircase off  to the side let's head through the opening before   we go upstairs this leads us to the dining room  finished out with Richwood panels and a checkered   marble floor Once Upon a Time this photo was  erroneously labeled as the dining room so if   you are already familiar with the Mansion this  might be new for you making our way up the grand   staircase we can look up to find a Leed glass  Skylight soaring above wall murals and marble   floors to one side we find the library library  with built-in bookshelves and simple but refined   wall paneling to the other side we head down a  hallway with Barrel vaated ceilings and opened   double doors into the living room the living room  is the largest room in the house with a south   facing bay window to allow an ample natural light  when the Astros were entertaining the furniture   could be cleared and the space could double as a  ballroom the upper two floors were divided for his   and hers living with Vincent and his wife's  bedrooms on separate floors their bathrooms   were considered state-of-the-art at the time of  construction and decorated with colorful murals   while living at the townhouse the world once again  became unstable and Vincent was ready to volunteer   his Services now the president FDR s Vincent on  an intelligence gathering mission to Japan in 1938   aboard his new private yacht then as World War II  broke out Vincent was given the title of commander   and area controller for New York where he used his  position in the banks to gather intelligence on   enemy spending and account activity eventually  he was promoted to Captain and decorated with   various military awards including the World War II  Victory Medal backing up in the heat of World War   II Vincent and Helen had divorced in 1940 and he  had remarried Mary Benedict gushing in that same   year they sold their townhouse in 1943 and moved  into an apartment following which Vincent went   on a selling spree his family had held the same  income properties for several generations and had   gained a reputation for being slum Lords Vincent  began offloading these properties and building   new apartments with modern amenities along with  parks to accompany them 10 years later he and   Mary divorced on the ition that Mary find for  him a replacement wife which she did not even   a month after the divorce was finalized Vincent  married Brook Russell now approaching the end   of his life and with no children to inherit the  family fortune Vincent and Brooke formed a pack   to donate all of their wealth when he passed away  in 1959 the entirety of his fortune was left to   the Vincent Aster foundation and several of his  properties were donated to good causes including   his country estate known as ferncliffe which was  left to the benefit of Benedictine Hospital Brooke   continued to live well but she honored Vincent's  wishes devoting her life to philanthropic work   for funding the Arts hospitals zoos libraries  and dozens of other causes she was awarded   the presidential medal of freedom in 1998 when  Brooke Aster the last Mrs Aster passed away in   2007 at the age of 105 the aster era officially  ended while many of the as's Mansions have been   torn down over the years Vincent Aster's townhouse  continues to stand to this day what did you think   about the townhouse let me know your thoughts  Down Below in the comment section and while you're   there make sure to hit the Subscribe button so  you never miss an exciting episode of this house

Channel: This House

Views: 34,026

Keywords: gilded age mansion, lost mansions, Astor family, Vincent Astor townhouse, New York high society, historic homes, Astor fortune, opulent mansions, real estate history, American dynasties, philanthropy, luxury estates, Victorian Society in America, historic New York, lost fortunes, billionaire lifestyle, historic preservation

Id: fyM216v-Nk4

Length: 7min 15sec (435 seconds)

Published: Sun May 05 2024