Tour Highlights:
The Gilded Age Mansions & Memorials of Riverside Drive
In the 1880s, the newly opened Riverside Drive was predicted to overtake Fifth Avenue as New York City’s “millionaire colony.” By the early 1900s, the Drive was lined with more than 100 free-standing and rowhouse mansions, along with a handful of early “French flat” buildings. But Riverside Drive as an avenue of Gilded Age luxury didn’t last. In the 1910s and 1920s, business leaders and titans of industry vacated their palatial homes, leaving most to be replaced by apartment towers. A handful of the mansions survive — as do the stories of the builders and barons, plus the actors, artists, and eccentrics, who made their homes here.
On this tour, we’ll explore Riverside Drive’s Gilded Age opulence. Starting at 83rd Street and ending at 108th Street, the tour will delve into the history of the area that became Riverside Drive, then focus on what the Drive was like in its turn-of-the-century heyday. We’ll view the mansions and rowhouses still on the Drive, see images of stunning houses that are long gone, and stop at the many statues and landmarks on the Park side of the Drive.
The tour lasts about 2.5 hours. It covers 1.3 miles. It starts at 83rd Street and Riverside Drive and goes up to 108th Street.
Let us organize a very special experience for your group or organization. Please contact us to set up a private tour!
Please note: This tour does not go inside any of the mansions. We will send you the meeting place when you sign up
This tour is best suited for ages 12+
Esther Crain is an author, historian, and native New Yorker. In 2008 she launched the website Ephemeral New York, where she writes and publishes stories every week that chronicle Gotham’s past through old photos, newspaper archives, vintage artwork, and other artifacts
Her first book, New York City in 3D in the Gilded Age, was published in 2014, and her second book, The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910, hit bookstore shelves two years later. Both books have been featured and reviewed in city publications and have made Esther a popular source for information on Gotham during the Gilded Age.
Prep for the Riverside Drive Gilded Age Tour by listening to The Bowery Boys episode: “Heaven on the Hudson.”
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Book this tour privately for your family, friends, or special occasion — or have us build something custom for your company or school.
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