The Vanderbilts, the Astors, and the Beekmans are just a few of the notable New York families who once resided on Manhattan’s fashionable Fifth Avenue. In the second episode of our virtual series, Lost New York, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers will take guests on a stroll along Fifth Avenue as it was during the Gilded Age when grand mansions of millionaires lined the illustrious street. As you revisit Millionaire’s Row, you will discover works of architecture lost to time and some that remain today with a new purpose.
Lost NY: Mansions of Fifth Avenue
In this talk:
- See images of Cornelius Vanderbilt’s Fifth Avenue mansion, once the largest single residence in NYC
- Hear about the glittering “Fancy Dress Ball” thrown at Alva Vanderbilt’s Richard Morris Hunt designed “Petit Chateau”
- Discover the “modest” brownstone from which Mrs. Astor ruled NYC’s high society
- Find out which mansions are now used as a jewelry store, a museum, embassies, and more!
Tickets to this talk are just $10. You can gain access to unlimited free virtual events per month and unlock a video archive of 100+ past events as an Untapped New York Insider starting at $10/month. Already an Insider? Register here! Can’t make it live? Register for this virtual talk and we’ll email you a recording of it after it ends!
During the Gilded Age, Fifth Avenue was lined with extravagant mansions built for the wealthiest New Yorkers by start architects of the age. In this talk, the third in our Lost New York series, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers will resurrect some of the magnificent mansions on Millionaire’s Row that no longer stand. Rivers will bring these glamorous abodes back to life with stunning historical images and scintillating stories of the affairs that took place inside.
This event part of our new series of online talks, Lost New York! In each event, we will discuss a different New York City structure that has been lost to time and bring it back to life through historical images and amazing stories. You can watch our first episode, on the Lost Crystal Palace, in the Insiders video archive and check out the third episode, Lost Madison Square Gardens, in June!
Justin Rivers is Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer. He is a writer and interpretive historian whose work focuses on inspiring empowerment through storytelling in non-traditional settings. As a playwright, tour guide, and educator, his work is designed to help New Yorkers contextualize and rediscover their city by exploring the past, present, and future of its diverse infrastructure. Justin’s Off-Broadway play, The Eternal Space explored an unlikely friendship that arose from Penn Station’s demolition and enjoyed a successful six-week run at Theatre Row Studios in 2015. He is the author and co-collaborator of The Wonder City, a graphic novel that re-imagines the history of New York City. He is also Founding Director of The Character Connection Initiative, a non-profit organization that brings character education and mindfulness practices to inner-city middle school students and teachers throughout the NYC metro area.
Lost NY: Mansions of Fifth Avenue
Next, check out 17 Gilded Age Mansions of Millionaire’s Row
