WELCOME TO Rockefeller's Crib!
See Inside Kykuit, A 40-Room Mansion In New York That Once Belonged To The Richest Man In The World
At the height of his success, John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil fortune comprised 1.5% of the gross domestic product of the United States, according to the Library of Congress. He was the world's first billionaire, with a net worth of $1.4 billion in 1937 (around $29.5 billion today), and the richest individual in the world at the time, according to Harvard Business School.
Kykuit (pronounced "kai-kit"), a 40-room Classical Revival-style villa in Sleepy Hollow, New York, was his idyllic seasonal oasis about 30 miles north of New York City.
Today, visitors can tour the home and its lush gardens overlooking the Hudson River through Historic Hudson Valley. Take a look inside.
[The gift shop at Kykuit. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider]
Tours of Kykuit leave from the Visitor Center, where Business Insider correspondent Talia Lakritz perused a gift shop with books about the Rockefellers and crafts by local artisans.
Tours are available from May through November and range from $25 to $75 depending on length.
[Kykuit Mansion. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider]
As Lakritz disembarked the bus, she felt transported back in time by Kykuit's Classical architecture, which featured Roman gods, and its serene garden landscapes.
The lush wisteria growing up the sides of the mansion was imported from China in 1820, according to the tour guide.
[The front yard of Kykuit Mansion. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider]
The tour guide also shared that Tiffany's created the glass torch lamps in the front yard.
[The Office in Kykuit. Historic Hudson Valley]
The first stop inside the house was the Office, which featured a copy of a 1767 portrait of Benjamin Franklin that hangs in the Green Room of the White House.
[The Music Room in Kykuit. Historic Hudson Valley]
Lakritz could picture the Rockefellers hosting fancy gatherings in the Music Room, the largest room in the home. It used to contain an organ, but the original grand piano remains.
[The China Room in Kykuit. Historic Hudson Valley]
In the China Room, a set of dishes from Nelson Rockefeller's time as President Gerald Ford's vice president was embossed with "E Pluribus Unum" — "Out of Many, One" — which appears on the US' Great Seal.
[The Library in Kykuit. Historic Hudson Valley]
Kykuit's Library functioned as a family room, where the Rockefellers would gather after Sunday lunches, according to the tour guide.
[Gardens at Kykuit. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider]
"Kykuit" comes from the Dutch word for "lookout." At 500 feet above sea level, the mansion's terrace provided gorgeous views of the gardens and the Hudson River.
To see more photos of Kykuit, head to Business Insider.
