The name "Eagle's Nest" possibly derives from the two eagle statues taken from Grand Central Terminal and incorporated into the front gates. But there is another story: it's said that as William Vanderbilt Jr. was visiting the site for the first time an eagle flew out of its nest.
The courtyard, paved with Belgian cobblestones, is a mixture of Spanish, Mexican and Hollywood style. To the left of the gate is the Hall of Fishes that houses an important collection of mounted animals, marine specimens and hundreds of vertebrates and invertebrates, among which many are the unique specimens known.
The grandiose and rococo entrance of the guest wing.
An expansive lawn descends gently toward the sea. On the right the important red house was in fact the chauffeur's garage. To border one side of the lawn 180 linden trees imported from Germany were planted.
A large Mediterranean style sundial is surrounded by an assortment of architectural details that run the gamut of style. Opposite, a handsome portrait of William K Vanderbilt II. According to Steven Gittleman, author of William K. Vanderbilt's biography, "He spent the middle 20 years of his life trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life, and the last 20 years of his life trying to figure out who he was.”
The Alva, named for William K. Vanderbilt's wife, was designed by St. Clare J. Byrne as a three-masted bark-rigged screw steamer with a steel hull. The Harlan & Hollingsworth Company built the Alva at Wilmington, Delaware, and launched her October 15, 1886. The Alva had an overall length of 285'