Here’s Where To Find The Gilded Age In New York

As the next season of the HBO TV series premieres on June 22, see where remnants of this abundantly wealthy period remain statewide.

“The Gilded Age” returns for its third season on HBO on June 22. This period soap opera tells of fictional and real-life characters from this era of tremendous wealth accumulation and rapid industrial growth.

While this show is largely set in New York City, there are physical locations throughout New York State that were built amid the Gilded Age and remain today. Here’s where to find the Gilded Age in New York.

Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue was once referred to as Millionaire’s Row and aligned with stately homes. Many have been razed or repurposed for commercial development but other mansions still remain.

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum was originally the family residence of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and his wife, Louise Whitfield Carnegie. In 1976, the mansion became the home for this Smithsonian-affiliated institution and design museum that’s the only one of its kind in the United States; it promotes all disciplines of design.

The Frick Collection reopened in spring 2025 after a major five-year renovation within its permanent space at the former mansion of Henry Clay Frick, a financier, arts patron and industrialist. It is a repository of Old World master paintings and European sculpture and art along with having welcomed its first-ever onsite restaurant in June.

In Manhattan’s Murray Hill, The Morgan Library & Museum is derived from John Pierpont “J.P.” Morgan’s personal library. The financier amassed an impressive collection of manuscripts, early printed books and old master drawings and prints.

Now part of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, the Villard Houses were a set of former residences for Henry Villard, president of the Northern Pacific Railway. In Brooklyn, season two of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” featured the construction and opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, which was unveiled in 1883.

The Gilded Age In The Capital-Saratoga Region

In the 19th century, Saratoga Springs became a popular resort destination for its natural mineral waters and Saratoga Race Course.

First opened in 1877, The Adelphi Hotel in downtown Saratoga Springs welcomed financiers, politicians and celebrities. A five-year restoration was completed in 2017 and preserved her original architectural details while adding in modern guest amenities.

Other Gilded Age hotels in Saratoga Springs are the Batcheller Mansion Inn and Union Gables Inn. Then there’s Saratoga Springs History Museum, within the circa 1870s Canfield Casino, and Yaddo Gardens, part of the former summer estate of financier Spencer Trask.

Troy has been used often as a film set in HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Sites include the Oakwood Cemetery; Rensselaer County Courthouse; Hart Cluett Museum; Washington Park; Troy Savings Bank Music Hall; and Paine Castle.

The Gilded Age In 1000 Islands

This New York region along the U.S.-Canada border attracted many well-to-do travelers amid the Gilded Age.

Boldt Castle was spearheaded by hotelier George C. Boldt, as a summer home for his wife, Louise. Its construction was ceased when Louise suddenly died. Having been abandoned for over 70 years, the castle was revitalized by Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and is open for tours in warmer months.

Singer Castle was commissioned by Frederick Bourne, president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, as a hunting lodge and summer family retreat. Unlike Boldt Castle, the medieval-looking Singer Castle was fully completed and used for many years. Guests can stay overnight in a special suite.

The Gilded Age In The Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley has many impressive locations connected to the Gilded Age.

Purchased by railroad baron Jay Gould, Lyndhurst in Tarrytown is a strong example of Gothic Revival architecture in America, with castle-like crenelations and stained glass in arched windows. Leave time to stroll Lyndhurst’s 67 acres packed with Hudson River vistas and gardens and a recently restored, circa 1894 bowling alley.

Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate in Sleepy Hollow was the home of John D. Rockefeller, Standard Oil magnate and the richest American of his time. This six-story structure still holds this family’s collections, ranging from antique furniture to classic cars to works by world-famous artists.

Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington was built toward the end of what was then known as the “octagon style craze.” As one of only two domed octagons in the United States, this New York house is amid just over three acres of restored 19th-century landscape design.

In Yonkers, Glenview Mansion at the Hudson River Museum is tucked within its main building. This former home of stockbroker John Bond Trevor was staged as the home for Mrs. Astor in “The Gilded Age’s” first two seasons.

Yonkers’ Untermyer Gardens are at what was originally Greystone, the estate of hat manufacturer John T. Waring and then its later owner and social progressive, Samuel Untermyer. Wind along sculpted griffins, a hilltop tempietto, fountains, a grotto, marble colonnades, a reflection pool and an amphitheater amid Hudson views.

The Gilded Age In Long Island

Long Island’s Gold Coast region is often linked to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” but it also has strong ties to the Gilded Age.

Old Westbury Gardens reflects the era’s opulence with a 23-room English manor house and over 200 acres of traditional, formal gardens. Once the home of lawyer and businessman John S. Phipps and his wife, Margarita Grace Phipps, this estate has been featured in many movies and TV shows. The listing includes “The Gilded Age,” along with “North by Northwest” and “Love Story.”

Oheka Castle is a historic hotel and wedding venue in Huntington that is also open to public estate and garden tours. This French-style chateau, built as a summer residence for financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn, sits on the highest peak in Long Island.

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport is linked to William Vanderbilt II, a yachtsman and motor race driver. While creating an onsite museum for his collection of marine specimens, Vanderbilt established a trust fund for his estate to fully become a museum upon his death in 1944.

The Gilded Age In The Adirondacks

The Adirondacks are credited as the birthplace of the American vacation and the Gilded Age elite would come and build sprawling compounds designed to reflect the Adirondack landscape and known as “Great Camps.”

Many Great Camps were built by the Rockefeller, Durant, Post and Carnegie families, and are still used as private residences or have guest accommodations.

Great Camp Sagamore in Raquette Lake was crafted in 1897 by William West Durant, who is credited with starting the “Great Camp” movement. This wilderness retreat was a cherished haven for the Vanderbilt family for over five decades. Today, you can stay at this landmark and see its storied buildings and lush grounds.

Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb was built by and for the Pruyn family and welcomed its first guests in the spring of 1893. This secluded National Historic Landmark is also one of the earliest examples of an Adirondack Great Camp.

White Pine Camp in Paul Smiths was the summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge. This year-round retreat offers 13 distinct cabins and cottages featuring handcrafted Adirondack-style furniture and cozy stone fireplaces or wood stoves. Unique facilities include a Japanese tea house, bowling alley, tennis house and boat houses.

Other ways to learn more about the Adirondacks’ vacation history are at the museum, Adirondack Experience, or by taking a scenic lake cruise with the Raquette Lake Navigation Company.

The Adirondack Trail is being built along the former New York Central railroad line between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake, as a multi-use recreation trail and partly with restored train service. It is to be finished later this summer.

By Michele Herrmann