The mansion was designed in 1838 by architect Alexander Jackson Davis for William Paulding Jr. in a romantic Gothic Revival style. Davis designed interior finishes, furniture, and landscape, as well as the building. Completed in 1842, it was first called ‘Knoll’ but was derided by critics for its revolutionary style.

Second owner George Merritt rehires original architect Davis to double the mansion in size between 1864-1867, to the house visitors see today. While the Paulding’s designed and utilized ‘Knoll’ as a summer retirement villa, Merritt commissions Davis to build him a spacious full-time residence worthy of a wealthy merchant of status. Merritt changes the name to “Lyndenhurst” and eventually “Lyndhurst.”

Wall Street tycoon Jay Gould purchases Lyndhurst in 1880 as a seasonal residence. Gould redoes some of the interior décor by commissioning furniture from the Herter Brothers, windows from Louis Comfort Tiffany, and paintings from the Knoedler Gallery. After Jay Gould’s death, his eldest daughter takes control and limits her changes to the mansion to interior updating and finishes, including the addition of electric and updating bathrooms. When her younger sister purchases the estate, she also follows in her sister’s footsteps and changes little but her childhood bedroom and décor.

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