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 The Howard Mansion in Autumn | |||||
Howard MansionThe Howard Mansion was constructed in 1986 for Mrs. Howard, a favorite niece of Frederick Vanderbilt, on the east side of the Old Post Road opposite the Vanderbilt Mansion. The structure served as a 'farmhouse' for the property, sitting high above a stone cliff overlooking cornfields.
For information on other Hudson River Valley historic homes, please vist these other sites: The Vanderbilt Mansion, Springwood (FDR Home), Staatsburgh (Mills Mansion), Frederic Church's Olana, Montgomery Place, Wilderstein, and Locust Grove. For more information on the Hudson Valley and/or historic preservation, please visit the Hudson River Heritage, Scenic Hudson, Hudson River Valley, Historic Hudson Valley, and National Trust websites. |
History
The Howard Mansion was built in 1896 by McKim, Mead & White, the famed New York City architects. Charles McKim was the lead architect. The house was constructed of local fieldstone on a site selected by Mr. Thomas Howard, the husband of Frederick Vanderbilt's niece, Rose Post The structure was constructed between Jan.-Sept. of 1896 by the same crew that built the Vanderbilt Mansion several months later, as well as its 'sister' house, The Wales House.
ArchitectureWe are fortunate to have copies of the original architectural plans from McKim, Mead and White, which we've posted to the site in two formats, .jpg and .pdf.
RestorationThe restoration of the house began in the late 1950's by the Vaughn family. It had further repairs and renovations
by two subsequent owners in the 1970's and 1980's; but received a full restoration only after 2000. We've posted a
series of "after" photos of the restoration work.
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