Where in the world is this place? Not where you might think.

The house pictured above might look like an English manor house or a French chateau, but it is actually a country estate near where I live in the United States. I went to visit this turn-of-the-century Beaux Arts mansion one day this past week. The home is now privately-owned and no longer decorated according to the period of its origin, though still quite beautifully, but I was able to get great pictures of the facade by important architects Carrière and Hastings and of the Italian-style gardens by landscape designer James Leal Greenleaf. I was particularly astounded by the views out the windows onto the surrounding hillside landscape. It reminded me of the meticulously-composed vistas on the French estates I studied in Baroque art class. I heard several other visitors compare the house to Versailles, and while that may be a bit of an exaggeration, seeing something like this so close to home is very rare and special for most Americans. The interiors, particularly the wrought iron doors in the entry hall and the curved staircases reminded me of the best early twentieth-century New York City architecture, which makes sense since it was designed by New York architects. Enjoy the slideshow below. All photographs by me.