The Andrew Carnegie Mansion is a historic residence that may be found in Manhattan's Upper East Side at 2 East 91st Street and Fifth Avenue. Late in 1902, Andrew Carnegie moved into his recently finished mansion, where he remained until his death in 1919. His wife Louise also remained a resident until her passing in 1946. The Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, is now housed in the structure. It has grown to be known as Carnegie Hill and is a part of the greater Upper East Side neighborhood. In 1966, the home was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Restoration of Andrew Carnegie Mansion

by

The Andrew Carnegie Mansion is a historic residence that may be found in Manhattan’s Upper East Side at 2 East 91st Street and Fifth Avenue. Late in 1902, Andrew Carnegie moved into his recently finished mansion, where he remained until his death in 1919.

His wife Louise also remained a resident until her passing in 1946. The Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, is now housed in the structure. It has grown to be known as Carnegie Hill and is a part of the greater Upper East Side neighborhood. In 1966, the home was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

History of Andrew Carnegie Mansion

In 1902, Lousie and Andrew Carnegie as well as their daughter Margaret moved into their new residence in New York. The Georgian-style mansion with Beaux Arts details was revolutionary for its Uptown location, technological features, and steel-frame construction.

Louise and Andrew designed the home not only as a place to raise their daughter, Margaret, but also as a hub for Carnegie’s charitable endeavors. Carnegie retired to theAndrew Carnegie Mansion in 1901 after selling his business for $480 million, or an astounding $13 billion in today’s dollars. There, he and Louise oversaw the donation of about $350 million to organizations supporting global peace, education, and the arts.

The house was the city’s first modern steel-framed building and was extremely advanced for its time. It had multiple electric elevators, a fully electric laundry, a high-tech air conditioning system, and a cellar coal car that moved fuel from a storage bin to the boiler room over a miniature train track. with a ground floor, a basement, and four levels.

The Carnegie family preferred straightforward natural pleasures to the flashy trappings of the Gilded Age elite, despite the fact that the large private garden was unusual at the time in New York City. The family would awaken each morning to the sounds of renowned church organist Walter C. Gale playing the enormous organ in the main hallway. Up until Andrew’s passing in 1919, the couple lived there contentedly with their daughter for about twenty years.

Long after, Louise carried on with their charitable endeavors. She remained in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion until her death in 1946, leaving it to the Carnegie Corporation. The structure was given historic landmark status in 1974 before being given to the Smithsonian Institute in 1976 to serve as the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s permanent location.

The Andrew Carnegie Mansion Today

Interior and Exterior of Andrew Carnegie Mansion today

The interior remained largely unaltered until 2011, when the organization undertook renovations while maintaining the building’s original spirit and character. The renovations were careful to preserve the building’s historical significance by restoring interior details like woodwork, moldings, and chandeliers. They also made room for the construction of the Cooper-Hewitt Research Library and the 6000-square-foot Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery.

The Andrew Carnegie Mansion and Cooper-Hewitt campus received LEED silver certification from the United States Green Building Council in 2015. This certification is given to buildings that are planned, built, maintained, and used in a way that promotes both human health and the environment. The home and organization of Andrew and Louise Carnegie continue to pay tribute to their legacy even after their passing.

Follow us on Reddit

Designs of Andrew Carnegie Mansion

To make the new Cooper Hewitt’s vision a reality, a group of the top design firms in the world teamed up with the museum.

Credit: Pinterest
  • The museum and Gluckman Mayner Architects worked together to renovate the mansion’s interior.
  • The engineering, architecture, and historic preservation aspects of the project were overseen by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners LLP.
  • Hood Design Studio transformed the private garden designed in 1901 by Richard Schermerhorn, Jr., into a lively public green area.
  • Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the visitor services desk, the 90th Street entrance canopy, the LED lighting of the museum’s historic granite piers, and SHOP Cooper Hewitt. They also created the casework and the initial layout of the modular display cases for the exhibitions in the first- and second-floor galleries.
  • Regional initiatives centered on the development of interactive creative technologies.
  • The Pen was developed, prototyped, and produced with assistance from GE, Sistelnetworks, Undercurrent, and MakeSimply.
  • The Pen was incorporated into the visitor experience with the aid of Tellart.
  • The hardware for the interactive table was created by Ideum.
  • The casework in the ground-, first-, and second-floor galleries was designed and made by Goppion.
  • The new graphic identity and signs for the museum were created by Pentagram.
  • Cooper Hewitt was created by Chester Jenkins.

Renovations of Andrew Carnegie Mansion

The historic residence of industrial tycoon Andrew Carnegie Mansion serves as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The 1899–1902 mansion’s 64 rooms were constructed.

Cooper Hewitt shut its doors from 2011 to 2014 for a massive remodeling project, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to transform the museum experience and increase accessibility to design. In addition to increasing the museum’s total exhibition space from roughly 10,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet—including the new 6,000 square foot Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery—the transformation of the Andrew Carnegie Mansion into a 21st-century museum respected the spirit and character of the historic building and restored key features to their original grandeur.

Equally significant were the changes to lighting and signs that were desperately required, the increased flexibility that sped up exhibition installation and better accommodated item handling, and the improvements to public access on all levels.

The multiphase project also allowed for the construction of the Fred and Rae S. Friedman Rare Book Room, the Arthur Ross Reading Room, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Library.

People Also Ask:

What happened to the Andrew Carnegie Mansion?

In 1976, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of the Smithsonian Institution opened after the structure was given historic status in 1974. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the new name for the institution as of 2014.

Is the Andrew Carnegie Mansion still standing?

Late in 1902, Andrew Carnegie moved into his recently finished mansion, where he remained until his death in 1919. His wife Louise also remained a resident until her passing in 1946. The Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, is now housed in the structure.

Was Andrew Carnegie a millionaire or a billionaire?

The Carnegie Corporation estimates that Carnegie’s total wealth peaked at about $380 million, or roughly $309 billion by today’s standards.

Where was Andrew Carnegie Mansion?

Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish steel magnate and philanthropist, lived in an opulent mansion on Prospect Hill, which is now part of New York City’s Carnegie Hill Historic District.

Source: cooperhewitt.org | please dm for removals

Read more from us : $22 Million Renovation of Ghost Ranch Lodge

Leave a Comment