;; the van alen mansion

One of the Van Alen family's last remaining holdings was the imposing French-style palace on the corner of the leafy 101st and Riverside Drive. Riverside Drive is a scenic Parisian-style boulevard on the westernmost side of upper Manhattan: a grand serpentine route dotted with stately Italian Renaissance mansions and majestic Art Deco apartment buildings.
Made of beautiful gray stone, it had a creaky wrought-iron double door and gargoyles standing guard at the balcony level. But unlike the sparkling refurbished townhouses that surrounded it, the house badly needed a new roof, tiles, and a coat of paint.

The great hall is dark and musty with Persian rugs {so old and rare, but covered with a layer of dust}. There is never any light in the room because, even though there are several large bay windows that overlook the Hudson, heavy velvet curtains always cover the views. Every piece of furniture in the Van Alen home was original and handed down from earlier generations.
Though, being so old, there was no central air. The house was stuffy and covered with tapestries.
There were seven bedrooms, but most were locked and unused, and draped fabric covered most of the heirloom pieces. Schuyler's room, located on the second floor, was small and painted a bright Mountain Dew yellow.