Inside The Dupont Family's "Old Money" Mansions

The DuPont family has a series of mansions and "old money" estates that, scattered like precious jewels across the Northeast, tell a story of American ambition filtered through European refinement.

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Inside The Roosevelt Family's "Old Money" Mansions:    • Inside The Roosevelt Family's "Old Mo...  

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
0:53 #1 Nemours Mansion and Gardens
5:20 #2 The Winterthur Estate
8:48 #3 Longwood Gardens
12:50 #4 Montpelier

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From Nemours' limestone grandeur to Longwood's horticultural innovations, each mansion reflects a unique chapter in America's journey from industrial powerhouse to cultural sophisticate.

Today’s episode of “Old Money Mansions” explores these breathtaking properties, unraveling how one family's pursuit of perfection helped define American luxury and transformed private wealth into public treasure.

First, we visit the Nemours Mansion and Gardens, a Louis XVI-style château conjured into existence in 1909 by Alfred I. du Pont for his second wife, Alicia.

Built by Carrère and Hastings, the 105-room masterpiece is a testament to du Pont's vision, blending French elegance with American ambition.

Its pièce de résistance, the jardin à la française, features perfectly manicured boxwoods, a "Long Walk" ending in a vast reflecting pool, and fountains worthy of Versailles.

Inside, rooms brimming with genuine 18th-century French furniture and artifacts offer a glimpse into a life of Francophile splendor, meticulously restored in a $39 million renovation completed in 2008.

Next, the Winterthur Estate captures the visionary genius of Henry Francis du Pont, who transformed a 12-room Greek Revival manor into a 175-room haven of American decorative arts.

Set amid a thousand-acre landscape, its 70-acre gardens showcase du Pont’s collaboration with Marian Coffin, evolving seasonally into a botanical masterpiece.

Inside, the mansion doubles as a museum, presenting the finest collection of American craftsmanship, each room a carefully curated symphony of historical interior design.

In Pennsylvania, Longwood Gardens reflects Pierre S. du Pont's passion for preservation and innovation.

What began as an effort to save an arboretum evolved into a horticultural marvel, boasting a glass conservatory housing over 4,600 plant species, theatrical fountains, and the grand Main Fountain Garden revitalized in 2017.

Music, too, thrives here, with its iconic 10,010-pipe organ and performances blending botanical beauty with cultural refinement.

Finally, Montpelier, James Madison’s historic Virginia estate, gained new life when William and Annie du Pont transformed it into an equestrian paradise.

Their daughter, Marion du Pont Scott, cemented its legacy by founding the Montpelier Hunt Races and breeding the first American horse to win the British Grand National.

Bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1983, Montpelier today honors both Madison’s democratic ideals and Marion’s equestrian vision.

Have you visited these remarkable estates? Which Dupont mansion captures your imagination?

We’d love to hear your thoughts, so share your favorite below.

Thanks for joining us on “Old Money Mansions”—we’ll see you next time!