User:Jeremiahladuca/Kykuit

John D. Rockefeller Senior said that he wanted to build the estate as a comfortable domestic refuge for his family.” To begin with, the name of his estate, The Kykuit, means “lookout” in Dutch, which is reflected in the T-shaped building which embraced the view of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Interior spaces become even more open with the porch which lead to French doors that open to the outdoors. This view brings out the afternoon sunlight, which was something that Rockefeller felt was an important key element for his estate. The estate also was made to be open and large enough for family.

The estate included an office, drawing room, music room, a butler pantry, library, tearoom, dining room and various bedrooms. There are a couple key pieces of art around the estate which are important to the home itself. There are two artifacts near the office and the drawing room by the entrance, a brown horse to the left and a warrior to the right, which are from the Tang Dynasty. There is an Aeolian organ which plays music by an organist from the church every Sunday. Inside the tearoom there is a Bodhisattva sculpture that goes with the Oceanus fountain. The dining room included a chandelier which was later replaced with recess lighting.

When building the estate in 1906 there was a lack of steel which made it difficult for the construction process to proceed smoothly. To ensure that the estate was built, John Rockefeller Junior contacted the president of the U.S. Steel company and made sure that there was steel available for the construction. The estate was completed in 1907.

The estate was Beaux Arts styled with fieldstone and Indiana limestone which was quarried locally. This style was an Roman and Greek interpretation. The first version of the estate in 1909 had steep gabled roofing, and a first floor Colonial Revival porch. There were many dissatisfactions with the estate which included a flue which did not draw and caused fumes and gasses to not be released out of the house through the chimney. The third floor was also very cramped, and underneath the master bedroom and dining room there was an elevator and service area which was very noisy. On the upper floors there was an extension of the eastern façade and on the second floor there was a sitting room added. The third floor was made more open when the gables were taken out. Lastly, all of the rooms on the fourth floor were kept for the children, used as a sitting room, and a place where staff would congregate.

Apollo is placed in the Palladian pediment which symbolizes the arts and the hints of agriculture. There is an artists palette, a lyre and pipes for the arts representation and a basket with fruit, a beehive, a sheaf of wheat with a scythe pouring out. In addition, Ogden Codman, who worked on the interior design of the estate, created many Classical styles. He portrayed many different architect’s styles like the fruitwood furniture that had been painted, which had been styles from Thomas Sheaton. Robert Adams styles can be seen in the bland cream walls, robins-egg blue ceilings, and the classical moldings. The proportions of the oculus, balustrade, and central chandelier are the same as the central hall of the Ashburnham House in England, accredited to John Webb. The oculus needed to carry music from the aeolian organ throughout the estate, so this area was dome shaped. Eighteenth-century English classicism is reflected from the library, alcove, and dining room from William Kent.