Nemours

The Brandywine, Wilmington, DE, August 16, 2009: Nemours is a Louis XVI-style French chauteau built by the industrialist Alfred Irénée du Pont in 1909-1910 in an unsuccessful attempt to win the love and affection of his second wife who preferred living in France. The estate features the largest formal French gardens in North America, most are located along a 1/3-mile axis from the front gate to the front of the mansion. Both mansion and house are furnished with antiques and art from the 15th century through the early 20th century.

His grandfather Eleuthère Irénée du Pont was the founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company which made gunpowder in mills along the Brandywine. Alfred was orphaned at 15, graduated from MIT as an engineer, worked his way up through the family powder mills, and patented numerous innovations. In 1902, he and two cousins purchased E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. He was forced out of the company in 1915 and went on to create a successful second career in Florida real estate.

While Nemours is grand, it is not excessively so like Biltmore or the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, RI, and, while it is opulently furnished, Nemours is much more restrained and electic than Hillwood or many other house museums. As befits a du Pont, the furnishing and the books in the library tend to be French and the gilding is 23 carat. As befits an engineer and a Teddy Roosevelt man's man, the mechanical systems, gym, game room, billiard room and office with shooting range hold their own against the antiques, art and furnishings. Two weeks after his death in 1935, his third wife removed the stuffed animal heads from the grand hall but they were retained in the chauffeur's garage!

The reflecting pool was used for swimming and rowing; in the center of the maze garden beyond is the gilded statue "Achievement" by Henri Crenier; and the colonnade behind is a memorial to Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours and his son, Eleuthère Irénee du Pont who fled the excesses of the French Revolution, which they had supported:

The English gates (l) were used at Wimbledon Manor in the 18th century, and the Russian gates (r) were made for Catherine the Great's palace:

Allée to the water tower:

The Sunken Garden redesigned by du Pont's son, Alfred:

The chauffeur and his family lived above the garage with 2 rooms for visiting chauffeurs:

An American Goldfinch: