Lyndhurst mansion in Tarrytown
Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, 914-631-4481. This Gothic Revival mansion was originally designed in 1838 by American architect Alexander Jackson Davis for former New York City mayor William Paulding, Jr.. Paulding named his country villa “Knoll.” In 1864 Davis doubled the size of the house for its second owner, George Merritt, who renamed it “Lyndenhurst” after the Linden trees growing on the property. In 1880 railroad baron Jay Gould purchased the estate, maintaining it as his summer home and country retreat until his death in 1892. The mansion and its 67-acre estate house remained in the Gould family until 1961. It’s now a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The grounds and outbuildings are a fine example of 19 century landscape design. Much of the layout was accomplished by Ferdinand Mangold, whose tenure spanned both Merritt and Gould ownership of the property. Both Mangold and Merritt are buried nearby in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Paulding is in the adjacent churchyard of the Old Dutch Church.
Fans of the 1960s television series Dark Shadows may recall that Lyndhurst in served as the Collinwood estate in the feature-length film House of Dark Shadows (1970). Sleepy Hollow Cemetery’s receiving vault made a cameo in that same film as the Collins family mausoleum.
A Fairy Tale Holiday at Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst gets decked out for holidays. Visit around Halloween for Scarecrow Invasion and Boofest and in December for A Fairy Tale Holiday. The grounds are host to annual craft fairs and other special events. Mansion tours: adults $12, seniors $11, children 6-16 with paying adult $6. Mid-April through October, Tuesday-Sunday and holiday Mondays, 10:00am-5:00pm. November through mid-April, open weekends and holiday Mondays (except Martin Luther King Day), 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Other rates apply for special events.
Parking: on site.
Annual events
Check our Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown calendar for more special events.
Sunset Jazz at Lyndhurst Summer Series
Thursday evening concerts presented by Lyndhurst and Jazz Forum Arts. Grounds open at 5pm, music at 6:30pm. Parking is $10 per car, though the concerts themselves are free. Walk to the music and get in for free! The property is accessible via the Old Croton Aqueduct and the Hudson RiverWalk trail. Attendees may bring blankets or low-profile lawn chairs and picnic dinner. Concerts are held on the west lawn overlooking the Hudson River or in the Carriage house courtyard tent if rain. Help support this series by attending the Jazz & Cocktails fundraiser on Tuesday, July 26 from 6:00pm – 8:30pm!
Crafts at Lyndhurst
Spring and Fall sessions: April 29-May 1, 2011 and September 16-18, 2011. Rated the top show in New York and one of the best in the country. Crafts at Lyndhurst features more than 300 booths filled with handmade American crafts. From pottery to jewelry and furniture to clothing, the dazzling selection of fine crafts represents the best work of artisans from across the nation.
Scarecrow Invasion
October 10-31, 2011. Walk among hundreds of scarecrows representing characters from the past, present and future created by local elementary and intermediate students.
Boofest
October 28, 2011. 2011 Boofest is cancelled.
A Fairy Tale Holiday
November 26 and 27, 2011. December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18, 2011. A unique opportunity to visit the mansion at night and enjoy Lyndhurst in its full winter fairy tale beauty. Celebrate the season with live music and hot mulled cider amid the lavishly decorated rooms.
