Take a look inside Lyndhurst Mansion, a historic 14,000-square-foot Gothic Revival home featured in 'The Gilded Age'

Talia LakritzMay 29, 2024, 10:57 IST

Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, belonged to three elite New York City families.
Completed in 1842, the Gothic Revival mansion spans 14,000 square feet.

Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, once belonged to three of New York City's wealthiest, most elite families. Now, it's a museum and an occasional film set for the Max show "The Gilded Age."

Located around 26 miles from New York City, the mansion was built by former New York City mayor William Paulding Jr. and completed in 1842. It was subsequently purchased by merchant George Merritt and railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

Take a look inside the historic home, including a behind-the-scenes look at its onscreen appearances in "The Gilded Age."

Once a lavish summer escape for New York City's elite families, Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, is now a museum.

Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Seasons one and two of the Max show "The Gilded Age" were filmed inside Lyndhurst Mansion and on the 67-acre grounds.

"The Gilded Age" filming at Lyndhurst Mansion.Courtesy of Lyndhurst, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The Carriage House, where horses were fed and groomed, is now the museum's Welcome Center.

Horse stables turned into booths in the visitor's center at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The gift shop was once the tack room where bridles and saddles were kept.

The gift shop at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Part of the Carriage House was also transformed into The New York Globe office for "The Gilded Age."

Sullivan Jones and Denée Benton in "The Gilded Age."Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO

When the show isn't filming there, the space functions as a screening room in the Welcome Center.

The visitor's center at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The tour began outside the mansion, where our guide spoke about the three families that owned the property: the Pauldings, the Merritts, and the Goulds.

The side of Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The name "Lyndhurst" came from the Linden trees that the Merritts planted on the property.

Linden trees on the grounds of Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

We then moved into the porte-cochère, the enclosed doorway where residents boarded and disembarked from horse-drawn carriages.

The entrance to Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The grand entryway featured a marble floor and four closets.

The entrance hall at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The walls and the ceiling looked like marble, but they were actually handpainted plaster, another sign of wealth.

A bust of George Washington in Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Parlor, also known as the Drawing Room, was used for family gatherings and entertaining.

The Parlor at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A portrait of George Washington hung in a corner of the Parlor.

The Parlor at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

"The Gilded Age" transformed the room for scenes in the show, though the same blue patterned carpet is still visible.

Taissa Farmiga, Carrie Coon, and Donna Murphy in "The Gilded Age."Barbara Nitke/HBO

The formal Dining Room, added as part of the Merritts' renovation, featured a hexagon-shaped table designed by Davis.

The Dining Room at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The fireplace was made of red-grain marble, but its columns were handpainted with a marble pattern over plaster and wood.

A fireplace in the Dining Room at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Dining Room featured stunning views of the Hudson River.

The view from the dining room at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Scenes from "The Gilded Age" were shot in the Dining Room.

Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon, and Bill Irwin in a scene from "The Gilded Age" shot in the Lyndhurst dining room.Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO

One of the mansion's grandest rooms was the enormous Art Gallery on the second floor.

The art gallery at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Pauldings originally used the room as a library.

The Art Gallery at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Lyndhurst guide called Gould's art collection "one of the finest intact Gilded Age art collections in the country."

Paintings at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The State Bedroom off the Art Gallery was considered the best guest room in the house.

A bedroom at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A bathroom in the hallway was furnished with pink double sinks sourced from Trenton, New Jersey.

A bathroom at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Gould's daughter, Anna Gould, redecorated her late sister Helen's girlhood room and turned it into a guest room.

A bedroom at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Before electricity, Lyndhurst's wealthy residents used speaking tubes in the walls to communicate with servants.

A speaking tube at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Back downstairs, the estate office contained one of the mansion's most valuable artifacts: Gould's "laptop."

Jay Gould's desk at Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Gould refused to take the railroad to work because it was owned by his archrivals, the Vanderbilts.

Railroad tracks on the Hudson River near Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Once the mansion tour concluded, the guide encouraged us to spend some time exploring the grounds.

The grounds of Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

I could see why the estate stood in for Central Park in "The Gilded Age."

Sullivan Thomas and Denée Benton in "The Gilded Age."Barbara Nitke/HBO

While walking along the river, I stopped inside the bowling alley built for Helen Gould in 1894.

The bowling alley on the grounds of Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Lyndhurst Mansion and its sprawling estate are worth a visit even if you've never seen "The Gilded Age."

Views of the Hudson River from Lyndhurst Mansion.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

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