Part 2/12:
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, America saw a surge of industrialists and financiers amassing fortunes on unprecedented scales. From the Vanderbilt railroads to the Guggenheim metals empire, these magnates turned their capital into cultural statements, commissioning architects like Richard Morris Hunt, Bernard Maybeck, and Julia Morgan. Their estates—sometimes called cottages—became veritable palaces, often blending European styles with American innovation.