The Empire Estates (DVD)

Like Newport, Rhode Island, the Hudson Valley is rich with architectural masterpieces from the golden age of American wealth. But in the wilds of the New York countryside, some of these mansions took on flights of fancy. Washington Irving created some of America's most enduring works of fiction, and one of the most popular of all the Hudson Valley mansions. Countless visitors are swept away by his fanciful \cottage\ that has been celebrated in magazines, prints and even cigar boxes! Frederic Church was the most popular painter of his time, and the magnificent Olana shows the influence of an artist. This Persian-styled mansion is a polychromatic fantasy with Turkish carpets, Italian staircases and a dramatic exterior fashioned from multi-colored bricks, tiles and rough-hewn stone. A true castle fit for American royalty, Mills Mansion required 24 servants to maintain the Italian marble floors, 17th century Flemish tapestries, and massive collection of Louis XIV and XVI furniture in 64 rooms! Join AMERICA'S CASTLES for an exclusive, insider's look at The Empire Estates.