The House that Launched the Gilded Age: The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion

It's easy to conjure images of the high Gilded Age when seeing the great mansions of Newport or elsewhere, but the origins of that grand, flamboyant style began elsewhere.   The idea of a modern French-inspired mansion with Renaissance influences was new when LeGrand Lockwood commissioned his estate in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the mid-1860s. For a time, it was the grandest home in America, exceeding even the opulence and elegance of the White House. Architects and designers who would later put their stamp on the palaces of the Gilded Age, such as the Herter Brothers, Leon Marcotte, and George Platt, all contributed to the creation of Lockwood's own vision.  Passing to the Mathew family upon Lockwood's untimely death, it remained a private home until the 1930s. Today, it has been painstakingly restored as a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark. Astonishingly, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion contains much of its original furniture and details, so visitors today can really imagine a lifestyle and style that truly launched the Gilded Age.  Join The Gilded Gentleman for this very special on-location episode recorded at the Mansion with a walkthrough by decorative arts historian Ulysses Dietz and a talk with Executive Director Dr. Susan Gilgore. This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.