Early Estates Benefit from Skilled Artisans
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Early estates benefit from skilled artisans By Raymond Beecher lard firm's records were eventually Tentatively identified to date arc Few interior decorating firms in shipped to France and later five late 19th century photographs . the latter part of the 19th century destroyed, some of Fred DuBois' of "The Breakers" interiors, a . and into the early decades of the records have survived in the Richard Morris Hunt effort for Cor-. 20th had more millionaires for cli Katherine M. Decker Collection at nelius Vanderbilt. Some notebook_. ents than the firm of Allard & Soils Greene County Historical Society's information relates to the redecora-." of Paris, France and New York. Vedder Memorial Library. Thus tion of the Ogden Mills mansion al Five-story townhouses, summer one diary, a daybook, and a group Staatsburg after the fire. Fifth Ave "marble mansions," yachts, estates of miscellaneous papers may be all nue mansions in New York CitY along the Hudson and even in Phil the residue of Allard & Sons. were also identified, many now:. adelphia area all benefited from the Now Paul F. Miller, associate destroyed, as was the Vanderbilt Allard craftsmen. They were espe curator for the Preservation Society yacht Warrior. cially skilled with the use of gold of Newport County (Rhode Island), leaf. The Jade Room in the Metro a non-profit group which manages In curator Miller's telephone call . politan Museum of Art was one of several Newport mansions dating and correspondence, he stresses their highlights. from 1748 to 1902, has indicated to their interest in detailing any here Fred DuBois (aka Fred DuBois Vedder librarian Raymond Beecher tofore untapped information con Stone) was a nephew of Mary ,4llen that this surviving material may cerning their Newport properties DuBois Stone and her brother provide additional insights into and arrangements are being made to : Barent DuBois. The aunt and uncle their Newport properties: Hunter make the Allard records available did much to assist this nephew House (1748), Kingscote (1839), to the Newport Society. The sug- . from their brick Liberty Street Chateau-Sur-Mer (1852), The gestion has also been made that · home in Catskill. After 1894, Fred Breakers (1895), Rosecliff (1902), enough paper material, including DuBois became a full-time Allard Marble House (1892), The Elms DuBois' diary of 1904 and his employee, serving as foreman for (1901). Greene County residents workbook, may have survived to many of the decorating contracts who have visited Newport may justify a research-oriented article and keeping workmen's time re well have toured some of these for Antique-magazine or other simi- cords. And while most of the Al- "summer cottages." lar publication. GcN t~i'1'?2=,. ...· -.