New York Real Estate: Mansions, Money and Madness

John Jacob Astor is considered to have been New York's first great real estate mogul, and indeed the Astor family has been said to have been "New York's landlords" for much of the 19th century.

But other developers and builders were responsible for establishing desirable areas in which to build as well.

In this episode guest historian Keith Taillon takes a look at five particular properties and mansions - all except for one can still be found today. With locations as diverse as today's midtown Manhattan to the Upper West Side and up into Harlem, Keith weaves the tales of how each area became fashionable, how desirability rose and fell, what styles of architecture prevailed, and just who some of the owners were.

Our journey will include the homes of JP Morgan Jr and Andrew Carnegie as well as other lesser well-known Gilded Age luminaries such as Robert Davis and James Bailey, all with equally intriguing and drama filled stories to tell.

If you liked this show, listen to Carl and Keith's last podcast together -- Chasing the Gold: A Gilded Age Tour Up Manhattan