They ran America
Windows of the Wealthy takes you to Manhattan’s Upper East Side where you can step into the opulent world of yesterday’s Gatsby-era billionaires: John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, J. Pierpont Morgan, and John Jacob Astor. These titans of industry shaped America at the turn of the century. Walk through the most expensive neighborhood in the world and see it through their eyes.
↓
They set trends
The Upper East Side’s women have often been just as influential as their male counterparts. They’ve been business leaders, political activists, philanthropists, designers, art patrons, and fashion icons. Learn about the lives of Jackie Kennedy, Gertrude Whitney Vanderbilt, Ivana Trump, and Gloria Vanderbilt.
They built New York
Whether through industry, government, or philanthropy, much of New York’s infrastructure, buildings, parks, and cultural institutions exist today because of Upper East Siders. They weren’t always altruistic though. Fifth Avenue once contained fourteen mansions with a view of Central Park. Though many have disappeared over the years, you’ll see six beautifully designed mansions during the tour. You’ll also see three historic neighborhoods and pass through the largest concentration of designer boutiques in New York City.
They still do it
We’ll visit some of New York’s most exclusive co-op buildings, the homes of the people whose names are regularly in the news (sometimes the tabloids) and whose stories will fill tomorrow’s history books.