Vanderbilt Mansion Roads & Bridges, Hyde Park, Dutchess County, NY

Significance: Representative of carriage drive systems in parks and the country estates of the wealthy, the roads of Vanderbilt Mansion served both aesthetic and practical functions. The drives were laid out not only to provide practical routes across the landscape, but also to allow recreational users the opportunity to experience the landscape. As part of a changing and evolving landscape, moreover, the drives have maintained their basic functions. The drives are significant not only in their function but also because much of the system was constructed using the Telford method of paving. Telford roads, first designed by Scotsman Thomas Telford (1757-1834), were constructed of a bottom layer of thick stones, which was covered with a layer of smaller stones and then a thinner layer of gravel. The drives include rustic and classical bridges of varying designs that complement the landscape as well. The landscape design is significant as the only remaining work of Andre Parmentier.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N906
Survey number: HAER NY-317
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000059