Exteriors

[Patti Feinberg]

Through the years, I've read what some cousins have mentioned about the exteriors (and, what real buildings they are).

Until these early eps, I never noticed/saw them.

I'm specifically mentioning shots of David going into the Old House. The columns are very high. That wasn't common until mid-1800s, was it? The columns themselves are very wide (although, this might be 'perspective', i.e., David is a boy).

Which real life building are the shots of the exterior of the Old House?

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More on Buildings:


While trying to find Victoria AGAINSTILLMORE, I think it's Burke who asks Elizabeth how many buildings are on the grounds; she says just the main house, the O.H., some sheds, (I think she says a barn, but, I could be wrong on that), and she says the caretakers house.

At it's height, there were *I believe* 3 'other' small houses on the grounds (not including main or old houses), nor Seacrest.

Am I correct, or, incorrect?


Patti

[Gerard]

The Seaview/Carey Mansion in Newport, RI, of course, served as the exterior of Collinwood.  A wing of it, at least during the early seasons of DS, also served as the exterior of the caretaker's cottage. 

The Old House exterior was a mansion located on or near the Lyndhurst Estate in NYS.  It burned down during the run of the series; fortunately, all the stills and film of it on the show "survived" to be used over and over again.

I don't know exactly how many structures stood on the Collinwood estate according to the writers.  As per DS, I'm sure it changed based upon the plot.  We know there was the Main House, the Old House and the caretaker's cottage for sure.  As for the others, it was never made clear.  There were several "cottages by the sea" (such as the one where Laura went up, and the one where the delirious middle-aged Carolyn lived in 1995), but it was not ascertained, as far as I know, if they were a part of the estate or near it.  Then there's Rose Cottage.  No one knows what to make of that.

Gerard

[Midnite]

The Seaview/Carey Mansion in Newport, RI, of course, served as the exterior of Collinwood.  A wing of it, at least during the early seasons of DS, also served as the exterior of the caretaker's cottage.

The scenes outside the caretaker's cottage as well as the Collinwood garages were filmed at the Lyndhurst stables.

[Patti Feinberg]

So, the building with the large outdoor columns are Seaview, which was in real life Carey Mansion?

Does anyone know when the Carey Mansion was built?

(That would be creepy, working on a show that shows a house, which in real life burns down, if you follow my somewhat zig-zag logic.)

Patti

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The exterior of Seaview/Carey Mansion was used as Collinwood. Seaview as it appears now was completed in 1925.

The real name of the house that was used as the exterior of the Old House was the Spratt Mansion. It's the house that burned. And it was also located on the Lyndhurst grounds.

[Gothick]

Hi Patti,

This is a cool article on the history of Seaview Terrace. The existing structure combines two houses.  One house was originally built in Washington DC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaview_Terrace

I think there is a web article somewhere on the Spratt House as well.  Ruins reportedly are still visible on the site.  It is somewhere away from the main grounds I think.

Yeah, here's one page for that house:

http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/spratt/spratt.html

In the original DS backstory, Barnabas, Josette and Jeremiah were all living at Collinwood in the 1830s.  For some reason the date 1837 sticks in my head for when Barnabas originally became a vampire.  I don't know why.  It might have been mentioned in an episode.  The style of Collinwood does not fit at all the period of the 1830s, but I think the style of the Old House does.

Best, G.

[Gothick]

Also, it is worth noting that Dan Curtis started planning a flashback storyline that would reveal how Barnabas became a vampire as early as August of 1967.  It is documented in some letters that Jonathan Frid sent to his mother that somehow wound up being owned and distributed by a fan.  I don't know at what point DC decided that the flashback story would be set in the 1790s.  I've always wondered if the backdating happened simply because a costume rental company had stuff available for the 18th century, but nothing on hand for the 1830s era. An odd thing is that the last big flashback story they did was set in 1840 which was pretty close to the original period for Barnabas, Josette and the others.  As you'll have noticed, Josette originally had a different name--not du Pres.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The style of Collinwood does not fit at all the period of the 1830s, but I think the style of the Old House does.

The original backstory for Collinwood was that Jeremiah built it for Josette, so that would be why it's in the French Châteauesque style of architecture. Once they dropped that backstory in the 1795/96 storyline, the style of Collinwood embodied by Seaview made no sense whatsoever. 

As for the Old House, I love how Stokes describes it as Greek Revival before they got it right.    But it's a good way to explain away the fact that the Old House was built in the 1760s but Greek Revival is most associated with the period of 1825 through 1860. (I also love how Stokes says he finds the Old House more satisfying than Collinwood. I've often wondered if that was an acknowledgement from the writers that they realized that the 1795/96 backstory for Collinwood made it's French Châteauesque style way off base?   )

[Gothick]

I'd personally call Seaview Terrace Queen Anne with some French features, but let's face it, the house is a complete hodgepodge architecturally.  Of course that just makes me love it all the more.

I'd forgotten Stokes's remarks about the Old House.  Maybe an excuse to revisit the early Stokes episodes...

Best, G.

[michael c]

needless to say the size of Collinwood is completely out of scale with anything built in this country in the 18th century. it looked like what it was: a mansion put up by the nouveau riche robber barons of the late 19th century.

in the brief segment set in the 1600s the notion of a house of this scale being plunked down in the middle of the colonial wilds was even more ludicrous.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, at least in 1680PT we have no idea what the history of the time or even the country was, so it could have easily worked then/there.

And as for Collinwood in all the other times, well, we can just tell ourselves that the Collinses were a different breed from everyone else. That's one of the reasons I have no problem believing they had indoor plumbing at the Old House and also at Collinwood in 1795 because it was available in other parts of the world if one was rich enough to have it. Who cares if no one else in America had it - Joshua Collins could have and would have had it... 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I'd personally call Seaview Terrace Queen Anne with some French features

I once did a couple posts explaining that Seaview is mostly in the French Eclectic style  (and included photographic evidence to show why that is) -

Re: Yeah, Big House, See, Yeah

Re: Yeah, Big House, See, Yeah

- which is why the original backstory that Jeremiah built Collinwood for Josette worked perfectly.

[Patti Feinberg]

Since Vicki is STILL trapped in O.H., I wonder...where is the kitchen and eating area supposed to be?
Also, for 'wealthy' people, the OH only 'appears' to have the one 'living room'; I know early Americans didn't want to be associated with Europe, but, obviously larger homes were.

In O.H., there would have HAD to have 5-7 BRs; Ma & Pa Kettle (which, I'm sure everyone knows, if you weren't poor, husband & wife normally had separate BRs), Jeremiah (right?),Sarah, Barn, Aunt Abigail, and, when our friends from Martinique come a visiting, IIRC, they all stayed in OH also (I'm a little fuzzy on if Countess DuPres stayed in same room w/Chjozette).
So:
1) Joshua
2) Naomi
3) Abigail
4) Jeremiah
5) Sarah
6) Barnabas
7, 8, 9 extra rooms.

Plus, downstairs rooms for servants.

The downstairs of the house would have HAD to have 3-6 more rooms, or the house would topple over!

Patti

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The downstairs of the house would have HAD to have 3-6 more rooms, or the house would topple over!

That's too funny, Patti!!    But you forget another alternative - maybe there are more secret rooms on the first floor of the Old House than we're aware of.    Either that, or the interior of the secret room behind the bookcase is A LOT BIGGER than we're aware!! 

[Uncle Roger]

If the PT Collinwood was already built in 1680, it is kind of mind boggling to speculate just how old "the old house" is.