Point breeze5/16/2023 ![]() All such as have become acquainted with the instance of both, who so quietly and respectably dwells in New Jersey have surrendered their prejudices, without other effort or influence on his part than the constitutional amenity of his conduct, candour, and constancy of his principles… Abounding in the most interesting recollections of the great events, and men of modern Europe, and speaking freely on all subjects, hatred, anger, revenge, and detraction, appear to be foreign to his nature. His popularity was recalled in The American Farmer (1829): Many respectable Americans, formerly, could not think of a Frenchman without aversion, or, of Bonaparte, without horror. Bonaparte publicly thanked them and never forgot the generosity they showed him that day. A rumor existed that the fire was caused by an aggrieved Russian lady, but even if true, his popularity among the locals was evident when they rushed to the aid of their benefactor and rescued almost the entirety of his invaluable art collection, books, tapestries, statues, furniture, linen, silver, gold etc. Bonaparte returned just in time to see the roof cave in. In January, 1820, a fire left burning in a guest bedroom caught light and burned the chateau down. The woods were predominantly made up of oak, chestnut and pine, through which were found tame deer, English pheasants and woodcock. To the delight of the locals, every Sunday he opened the park for them to enjoy.īonaparte shared a passion for gardening with Stephen Girard (1750-1831) with whom he became great friends and, the exotic specimens then found at Point Breeze were said to be as equally diverse as those at Monticello. They were explored by 12-miles of winding drives and bridleways that passed numerous Greek and Roman statues, all the way interspersed with, "rustic cots or rain shelters, bowers and seats, sheltered springs and solitary retreats". The 240-acres of parkland that he landscaped here were closely reminiscent of those at Mortefontaine, and were also said to have taken inspiration the gardens at Spanish royal palace in Madrid - El Escorial. ![]() European swans added to the scene, and in the summer a scattering of swan-shaped pleasure boats floated idly among them. By damming Crosswicks Creek, he had flooded the land beneath the chateau and created the lake, roughly 500-yards long by 200 wide, at a Vanderbilt-worthy cost of $300,000! The water was studded with small islands planted (often by Bonaparte himself) with rare and exotic shrubs and trees. The approach to his new chateau took the visitor over a lake by way of an arched stone bridge. Joseph demolished the existing house and built a new one (the first of two) which bore a distinct resemblance to the Château de Mortefontaine - his home from 1798 to 1814, north of Paris. Something was said about sending for other hands, but he said no - everybody worked in this country." A king he may have been, and his life here certainly bordered on the regal, but he never lost the common touch: When he arrived to take possession of his new home, Sayre, "was called out from dinner, and found him busily engaged, with his own hands, unloading the furniture he had brought. But, it was neither large nor grand enough for the former king who increased the estate to 1,800-acres. ![]() ![]() Sayre's house was dramatically positioned on a high bluff that extended into the Delaware River - aptly named by him, "Point Breeze". In 1902, Bonaparte's grand-niece recalled, "I have seen many beautiful estates in Europe, I have seen nothing on this side of the Atlantic that compares to Point Breeze". This chateau - literally fit for a king - was unceremoniously demolished by a "fervant francophobe" and replaced by a distinctly inferior villa. Its beautifully landscaped gardens featured a purpose-built lake, bridge, and belvedere while also concealing a warren of underground tunnels. Its library contained the largest collection of books in the country and its art collection was almost certainly the most valuable. On completion, it was - perhaps diplomatically - regarded as the “second-finest house in America,” after the White House. This French-built chateau modelled after the Château de Prangins where Joseph had hoped to retire was a true representation of so many of those replicated during the Gilded Age. Built in 1820, for Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte (1768-1844), the former King of Spain etc., and brother of Emperor Napoleon I. ![]()
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