Florham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Florham |
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The mansion at Florham, now the centerpiece
of Fairleigh Dickinson University |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | English Baroque Revival |
| Address | 285 Madison Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940 |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Owner | Fairleigh Dickinson University |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | McKim, Mead & White |
| Other designers | Frederick Law Olmsted, Thomas Edison |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 110 |
Florham is a huge old estate in Madison and Florham Park, New Jersey. It used to belong to the wealthy Vanderbilt family. A couple named Hamilton McKown Twombly and Florence Adele Vanderbilt built it in the 1890s. Today, Florham is part of Fairleigh Dickinson University. The main house, called the mansion, is one of the ten biggest houses in the United States.
Building a Grand Estate
Florham was built between 1893 and 1899. It was meant to be a country home for Florence Adele Vanderbilt and her husband, Hamilton McKown Twombly. Florence was the youngest grandchild of Cornelius Vanderbilt, a very rich transportation businessman. She married Twombly in 1877.
In 1893, the couple hired a famous architecture firm called McKim, Mead & White. This firm also designed the old Penn Station in New York City. The Twomblys wanted a comfortable English country-style house. They bought about 1,200 acres of land in Madison. This area was known as "millionaire's row" because other rich families like the Rockefellers lived there.
The Florham mansion has 110 rooms, making it one of the largest houses in the U.S. Its design was inspired by Sir Christopher Wren's work on Hampton Court Palace in England. You can see this in the house's layout, pillars, and how it uses both stone and red brick.
Inside, the house was decorated by Stanford White. It had fancy tapestries, a Louis XV ballroom, and old fireplaces from Italian homes. Even Thomas Edison, a famous inventor from New Jersey, helped design the mansion's heating system. He created a special tunnel system under the house for it.
The estate also had large greenhouses. One of them, an orangery (a place to grow citrus trees), is still standing today. It's now part of Fairleigh Dickinson University's library. There was also a dairy farm, stables, and a carriage house. Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park, created the beautiful Italian-style gardens at Florham. He also designed other Vanderbilt estates. Olmsted chose a spot for the mansion on a hill with amazing views.
Building Florham was very expensive. The land, mansion, greenhouses, and furnishings cost about $5 million back then. That would be around $146 million today! The architects even brought over 600 workers and their families from Italy to help build and work on the estate. Many of these families stayed and helped create Madison's large Italian community.
The Twombly family spent a lot of time at Florham. They were involved in the local community. They were members of Grace Episcopal Church in Madison. The church's beautiful Tiffany stained-glass windows include one that remembers Alice Twombly, a daughter who sadly died young.
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An aerial view of Florham.
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The front of the mansion.
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The main entrance.
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A view from the garden.
Florham's Later Years
Hamilton McKown Twombly passed away in 1910. Florence lived for 42 more years, until 1952. She kept the grand lifestyle at Florham going for a long time. By the time Florence Vanderbilt died, many large estates like Florham were becoming too expensive to keep up. The family decided to sell the estate in 1955. None of the many Vanderbilt estates stayed in the family, except for Biltmore.
Before the estate was sold, Florence's grandson, William Burden, gave many items from inside the house to the White House. Some of these items, like chairs, are still in the White House collection today. They have even been used in the Oval Office by several presidents.
Florham Becomes a University Campus
After Florence and her daughter Ruth passed away in the early 1950s, the Florham estate was divided and sold. The lower part of the land, with the dairy farm and stables, was sold to a company.
In 1957, the mansion, along with 178 acres of gardens, the carriage house, and greenhouses, was sold to Fairleigh Dickinson University. The university wanted to expand and create a campus in Morris County. The university's founder, Colonel Fairleigh S. Dickinson, helped make this happen.
The university's first president, Peter Sammartino, quickly oversaw the purchase and renovation of the estate. Students started attending classes there in the fall of 1958. The old carriage house was turned into science labs. The orangery, where citrus trees once grew, was kept and now serves as a reading room for the campus library.
Fairleigh Dickinson University has worked hard to keep the history and beauty of Florham alive. They are slowly restoring the mansion and its grounds. In 1990, a group called "Friends of Florham" was started. These volunteers research the building's history and help raise money for its care.
See also
In Spanish: Florham para niños
