How Did He Hijack the Vanderbilt Fortune? 

I've often heard prostitution was the oldest profession but I think it may have been con men thanks for the video Ken

The entry and grand staircase give a great first impression. Daddy should have let it be known to Elliott that Maggie would be cut out of the will if they married. That weasel would have run away so fast.

So upsetting when a person takes advantage of another person like Elliott did with his wife.

Elliott was a real piece of work, in the end he never got to enjoy his palace so he got what he deserved!! Thanks for sharing another magnificent mansion!!! 👍👍🎃

Beautiful house and I am glad it is still used by members of the country club..

The whole place is great but I especially liked the staircase area with that huge stained glass window.

No matter how rich other families were before or since, there's never been one generation of a single family like this for building: 1 W 57th Street and the Breakers; 660 5th Avenue, Marble house and Idle Hour; Elm Court; Shelburne Farms and the 144,000 acre Nehasane (Adirondack camp); Woodlea; Florham; Hyde Park and Rough Point; and - saving the biggest for last - Biltmore. Excellent video.

This story should serve as a warning, women need to make sure they know about their finances. Love is truly blind!

I loved my stay here. Was up on the third floor. Quite the climb at the end of a long day!

Fabulous introduction to Sleep Hollow Country club... use to be home away from home for me.. Great building .. great parties ...........

Glad it avoided demolition...

These stories are unbelievable!

What a great story! I hope this means that some furniture and artwork survive and are inside, so cool... Thanks, Ken!

Did you know that the "Palladian window" in reality is called "Serliana window"? Palladio loved Serlio treatise so much he used it in his architecture and copied by British architects, but no one in Italy call it that. Also Raphaelle was the one to use it first in the Renaissance era.

The staircase was my favorite part of this beautiful house. 😍

Always learning something new!

Beautiful homes.

No man is really happy with a son in law.

Hi would you ever consider doing a video on the Max Busch House - 160 S San Rafael in Pasadena, it was one of the filming locations for Clue The Movie and several other movies and tv shows over the years and sadly was burned down in 2005. I'd love to learn more about this house thank-you and I love your videos!

What a scoundrel he turned out to be. I am amazed that a woman of her means Miss Vanderbilt didn’t have someone assigned to her to help her manage her money. I guess “Instant Karma” got him. Once again it’s difficult to pick anyone room. All magnificent!

Adding,.She even gave to charity.Then the property became in use in the present time now.💖💐

Spent much of my youth there. It has retained the original rooms. The accommodations for the Country Club were added without adversely affecting the original building.

It's the American Way! 🤣

A clueless, uninvolved, too trusting woman...that was on her.

Pronunciation: Wood-lee. I've wondered about this house for years, so thanks for the good work.

I love the color of this house! I can't imagine having to clean it. lol

So nice one of these beautiful homes was not demolished and was used for an appropriate cause.

Sometimes parents are always right lol

All your house videoa are so interesting! I love your commentary!

Thanks for the remarkable expose. I actually live ifurther South in Westchester from this house. Great story.

Watching videos on the Vanderbilt's family history is always intriguing in that it typically leads me to think "most of these people weren't very bright, were they?" Unlike other Gilded Age families, the Vanderbilt's vast fortune is mostly gone, is it not? At this point, only Anderson Cooper seems in a position to revive it... 🙂.

Great article!😊

“Arguably, this is the only thing he had going for him.” 😂😂😂 (true… but still) Yikes. Glad he’s already passed away, otherwise that burn would probably sting.

So scamming didn’t really work for these guys did it? Well, Maggie is the only one who did well and she was the one everyone thought was manipulated. Maybe not.

I too grew up "adlacent" to high society but was never part of it. lol

My favorite is always the Library❤️♾️❤️ I plan on having my own one day😁😎🌠

Ken, I would doubt there were 65 bedrooms. Maybe 65 rooms in a 70K sq ft home. Buckingham Palace has only 52 bedrooms! 😃

love the library

Great story!

I wonder how many people Elliott Shephard really fooled? I'd be surprised if his wife was really in the dark about it, and I'm pretty sure not that many others were either. People are so crazy about their ego, they can't admit they're not good at something. Why the pretense? Can you imagine going through your whole life trying to pretend you're something that you're not, and trying to convince other people, including your wife, the same?

This house is basically flawless. Sad situation behind it tho

So She didn’t asses the mathematics of value,about the estate but she still did well e

Stunning staircase!

Beautiful place, but Window Air Conditioners make it look tacky.

Another masterpiece by McKim Mead and White

3:11 Maybe I missed something in the lay out, but the plans shown only indicate that there is a single bathroom on the first floor. Well, half bathroom, its only labeled "toilet". Over 100,000 sq/ft and 3 stories and a single bathroom on the ground floor? Maybe I missed something, if not, that seems a huge oversight.

Swoon!

Sounds like CRIMES

For look at what life was like with these people read “Maverick in Mauve”.

Back when women were “not allowed” to manage or even understand finances. Crazy timing too as the old man passed.

The only person who can blow your cover mysteriously dies and no one investigates into a multimillionaire dollar 💵💰 will

What a sad and dreary tale. Beautiful house though.

The library. :)

It would take a lot of energy just to get up in the morning and leave the house or just general moving around in the house wttfffffff😄😳

Seems like all of these characters deserved each other. How money and the lust for it corrupts.

So sad.

65 bedrooms wtf? I don’t think so

Archibald was the real con woman

Can you imagine spending $400 million today, why not just live a nice lifestyle with the same amount.

AT LEAST IT'S STILL THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANOTHER NON-DEMOLITION FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you got the money honey I've got the time !

Reading about him, and what he left, doesn't seem he was that bad..

where is this???

65 bedrooms? You sure about that?

Window air conditioners? Must not be very profitable as a country club.

My goodness! He sounds just like trump.

How many wealthy Vanderbilt families were there?

Husbands controlled everything ? It was tradition, unless another man would step in ?

None

In Maggie's day & time women had little rights. Their inheritance was controlled by her parents until marriage, then, was controlled by her husband. Such were the times! Even English aristocracy practiced the same bamboozle. A man with title but little money often married into wealth to save himself from poverty. English aristocrat men did not exactly work. They relied on their title & name, but many were heavy gamblers, spenders, & drinkers. Then when the money was gone, they'd look for the high society rich girl to marry & control her inheritance. Maybe Maggie knew what her husband was doing, & ignored for love. Its too sad to think that a woman, even in her time, would not have a clue about her finances. I wonder if these women ever thought, hmm, I wonder if he's only marrying me for my $.

Well the Vanderbilt fortune was made by being robber barons and making their fortunes by underpaying and abusing the people around them. Karma's a bitch. And serves them right

Trumpian behavior.

The Vanderbilts were evil

Such a con man!

Is the mansion open for tours?

cool mustache