Arryl House

Arryl House. . , Completed in 1793, Arryl House replaced Chancellor Robert R. Livingston’s beloved home, Belvedere, which was burned by the British on October 17, 1777. Originally called “New Clermont” to distinguish it from his mother Margaret Beekman Livingston’s home “Clermont,” in the early 20th century it became known as “Arryl House,” a phonetic spelling of the Chancellor’s initials, R.R.L., Arryl House featured bold architecture, grand, high-ceilinged rooms, large windows to capture light and breezes, tapestries, and the latest French wallpapers. Later occupied by the Hudson River Painter Montgomery Livingston, it was sold out of the family in the late 1800s and purchased back by John Henry Livingston in 1906., Arryl House was destroyed in November 1909 by a fire ignited by wind-blown embers from burning leaves. As the flames burned out, the soot-smudged John Henry Livingston walked into the dining room at Clermont, sat down at the table, and cried at the loss of his great-grandfather’s house., [Captions:] , Arryl House was shaped like the letter “H” with open piazzas along the north and west sides. Once described as “a small chateau,” it included a dining room, drawing room, billiards room, library, and bedrooms for family members and guests, Following the 1909 fire, John Henry’s wife Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston incorporated the Arryl House ruins into her gardens; they have been stabilized and preserved as a memorial to the Chancellor. John Henry is standing on the north piazza near one of the triple-sash windows., Arryl House became the center of the Chancellor's scientific exploration when he retreated from public life. This portrait was painted a short time after he finished building Arryl House.