The Former Vanderbilt Mansion in Madison New Jersey
The story of “Florham,” now the Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, begins over 110 years ago. Heiress Florence Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, renowned as the richest man in America, and her husband, financier Hamilton McKown Twombly, wanted a country estate. In 1887 they came to the quiet Morris County countryside, where over 100 other millionaires owned sprawling country retreats.
As one of America’s first families, the couple had regal ideas. They fancied an English-style country mansion in a stately park setting. “Florham,” one of America’s finest Gilded Age homes, was the result. This masterpiece was achieved by virtue of the Twomblys’ combined fortunes, the input of the foremost architectural firm of the day, McKim, Mead and White, and the creative vision of the landscape designers, Olmsted Associates.
The Former Vanderbilt Mansion in Madison New Jersey
The story of “Florham,” now the Florham Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, begins over 110 years ago. Heiress Florence Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, renowned as the richest man in America, and her husband, financier Hamilton McKown Twombly, wanted a country estate. In 1887 they came to the quiet Morris County countryside, where over 100 other millionaires owned sprawling country retreats.
As one of America’s first families, the couple had regal ideas. They fancied an English-style country mansion in a stately park setting. “Florham,” one of America’s finest Gilded Age homes, was the result. This masterpiece was achieved by virtue of the Twomblys’ combined fortunes, the input of the foremost architectural firm of the day, McKim, Mead and White, and the creative vision of the landscape designers, Olmsted Associates.