Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Tour This 40-Room NY Mansion That Once Belonged To The World’s Richest Man [Images]

Kykuit (pronounced "kai-kit"), a 40-room Classical Revival-style villa in Sleepy Hollow, New York, was the idyllic seasonal oasis of one of the world's richest men.

[imagesource: Historic Hudson Valley]

Kykuit (pronounced “kai-kit”), a 40-room Classical Revival-style villa in Sleepy Hollow, New York, was the idyllic seasonal oasis of one of the world’s richest men.

Built in 1913, Kykuit belonged to four generations of the Rockefeller family.

Then, after his death in 1977, former New York governor and US Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller left it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, according to the Hudson River Valley Institute.

John D. Rockefeller was the world’s first billionaire, with a net worth of $1.4 billion in 1937 (around $29.5 billion today), and the richest individual in the world at the time, according to Harvard Business School. His Standard Oil fortune comprised 1.5% of the gross domestic product of the US at the height of his success, according to the Library of Congress.

Now the estate he built north of New York City is open to the public. Through the Historic Hudson Valley, visitors can tour the home and its lush gardens overlooking the Hudson River, learning about the generations of the Rockefeller family who called the estate home, from John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller to Governor Nelson Rockefeller, as well as their unique contributions to the art collections and landscape.

The tours, available from May through November, range from $25 to $75 depending on length.

Save on flights and have a look at some of the photos below.

The garden:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The sitting room:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The office:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The music room:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The dining room:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The China room:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

An alcove:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The library/ family room:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

The art gallery:

Image: Historic Hudson Valley

Kykuit is operated and maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as a centre for its philanthropic programmes.

[source:businessinsider]