Arden (estate) facts for kids
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Arden (E.H. Harriman Estate)
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Wing of the house in 2003
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| Location | Harriman, New York |
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| Nearest city | Newburgh |
| Area | 450 acres (180 ha) |
| Built | 1886 or 1909 |
| Architect | Carrère and Hastings |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000561 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 13, 1966 |
Arden is a very old and important estate. It is located outside Harriman, New York. This large property once belonged to railroad owner Edward Henry Harriman and his wife, Mary Averell Harriman.
By the early 1900s, the Harriman family owned a huge amount of land. They had about 40,000 acres (63 sq mi; 160 km2) in the area. Half of this land was part of the Arden Estate. The main house sits on top of a mountain. You can reach it by Arden House Road from NY 17.
Since 2011, a group called the Research Center on Natural Conservation has owned Arden. They use Arden House as a conference center. It has 97 rooms for guests.
Contents
History of Arden Estate
Buying the Land
On September 17, 1886, Edward Harriman bought a large piece of land. It was the Peter Parrott family estate, about 7,863 acres (31.82 km2) big. He paid $52,500 for it. The Parrott family had named the estate Arden. They named it after Mrs. Parrott's maiden name.
Over the next few years, Harriman bought even more land. He added about 20,000 acres (81 km2) from nearly forty different properties. He also built forty miles (64 km) of paths for riding horses.
Building the Grand House
Harriman hired a famous architecture firm, Carrère and Hastings, to design his new home. Construction on the house began in 1905. Harriman had planned this house for many years. However, he only lived in it for a few months. He passed away in 1909.
The house has a very impressive music room. It looks like a great hall from medieval times. A brick hallway wraps around the central courtyard. This hallway is decorated with paintings by Barry Faulkner.
Harriman asked several American artists to help decorate the house.
- James Earle Fraser created a special portrait of Harriman. It was a bas-relief (a type of sculpture) above a fireplace. He also made a fountain in the inner courtyard.
- Malvina Hoffman sculpted a bust of Mrs. Harriman.
- Charles Cary Rumsey made a fountain called Three Graces. He also created a marble fireplace with a funny carving of the architect, Thomas Hastings. Rumsey also carved bighorn sheep into the music room.
In 1910, Charles Cary Rumsey married Harriman's daughter, Mary. This surprised many people in society. The staircase in the house was lined with beautiful tapestries. These tapestries showed how the house was created. On the second floor, there was an "Indian Corridor." It displayed photos of Native Americans. These photos were taken by Edward S. Curtis during the Harriman Alaska Expedition in 1899.
Arden's Later Uses
Harriman's wife gave the house to her son, W. Averell Harriman, in 1915. This was when he got married. She continued to live in a part of the house until she died in 1932.
When the U.S. joined World War II, the Harriman family offered the house to the U.S. Navy. The Navy turned it into one of its first hospitals for recovering soldiers. This idea was based on successful hospitals in England and Russia.
In 1950, Averell Harriman and his brother Roland gave the property to Columbia University. It became the home of The American Assembly. This was a public policy group started by Dwight D. Eisenhower that same year. The house was mainly used for special management programs. It became known as America's first conference center. In 1966, it was named a National Historic Landmark. However, it is not open to the public.
Protecting the Land
From this estate, Harriman's widow made a very generous gift. She donated 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land and one million dollars to New York State. This gift helped start Harriman State Park in 1910.
In 2007, the Open Space Institute bought Arden House and its surrounding 450 acres (1.8 km2). The house offers amazing views of the Ramapo River Valley. This purchase helped protect even more land. Now, nearly 70,000 acres (280 km2) of land once owned by the Harriman family is preserved. This includes Bear Mountain, Harriman, and Sterling Forest State Parks.
In 2010, the Open Space Institute decided to sell the house. A Chinese-backed nonprofit group bought it in 2011. This group is called the Research Center on Natural Conservation, Inc. In 2015, the same group also bought the New York Military Academy.
See also
In Spanish: Arden (mansión) para niños
