Meet The Last Vanderbilt Heirs (Documentary)

Video Description

This in-depth full length documentary introduces the last heirs of the Vanderbilt Family in the 21st century, where some live quiet lives away from the spotlight, some are still famous, and some are still running a profitable business based on the family's storied history. —————————————————— Gain FREE access to full-length documentaries "too scandalous for YouTube" by joining our newsletter: https://www.substack.com/@oldmoneyluxury —————————————————— TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 1:21 The Modern Vanderbilts Who Own The Largest House In America 20:15 The Secret Vanderbilts Who Live Like Normal People 50:19 When The Vanderbilt Family Got Evicted From Their Own Mansion —————————————————— The Vanderbilt family once controlled more wealth than the U.S. Treasury, with Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt amassing $100 million by his death in 1877—equivalent to over $300 billion today. When 120 Vanderbilt descendants gathered at Vanderbilt University in 1973 for the first family reunion, not a single millionaire was among them. The family went from owning 10 mansions on Fifth Avenue to watching every single one demolished by 1947, replaced by department stores and office buildings. One branch defied this decline: the Cecil family, great-grandchildren of George Washington Vanderbilt II, who still own and operate Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House remains America's largest privately owned home at 178,926 square feet with 250 rooms, now generating $207 million in annual revenue. William A.V. Cecil Sr. transformed the hemorrhaging estate into a profitable tourism destination starting in the 1950s, growing staff from a few hundred to over 2,400 employees. His son Bill Cecil Jr. has served as CEO since 1995, with the fifth generation now entering the family business through positions in finance, operations, and marketing. Contemporary Vanderbilt descendants include CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who has publicly stated his mother Gloria made clear there was no trust fund waiting. Actor Timothy Olyphant, screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and the Duke of Marlborough all descend from Commodore Cornelius, though most carry different surnames through maternal lines. The 1973 reunion revealed some descendants working as real estate consultants and Harvard professors, their share of the fortune diluted across 592 living descendants. The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island remained a Vanderbilt residence until 2018, when the last family members were asked to leave. Paul and Gladys Szápáry, great-grandchildren of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, had summered in the 12,500 square foot third-floor apartment since birth. The Preservation Society of Newport County cited outdated electrical and plumbing systems as the reason for ending 123 years of family occupancy. Critics noted the eviction followed the Szápárys' public opposition to a welcome center the Society planned for the mansion's grounds. Twenty-one Vanderbilt family members, including Gloria Vanderbilt, had signed a letter objecting to the construction project in 2015. The third floor opened to public tours for the first time in 2024, allowing visitors to see the private quarters where Vanderbilt sons once lived. Cornelius Vanderbilt II's Fifth Avenue mansion, once New York's largest private residence at 130 rooms, was sold in 1926 for $7 million. His widow Alice held on as commercial skyscrapers surrounded her home, but developers demolished it to build Bergdorf Goodman department store. The Petit Château at 660 Fifth Avenue met the same fate, torn down in 1926 after William K. Vanderbilt's death. Today a Zara occupies the retail floor where Alva Vanderbilt once hosted the most extravagant costume ball in New York history.