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A
special thank you to Ross VanDervoort Walker for scanning
and sending these photos to me.
Villa
Linta, Walther Luttgen's Sunset Hill Estate in the 1920's
All
Photos:
Ross VanDervoort Walker, Used with permission.
Sponsor
Link: www.hisandhersphoto.com
PHOTO
DETAILS- from Ross VanDervoort Walker
All
photos have been scanned in color to preserve the original
tone, which is a somewhat yellowish sepia, except #21 which
is black and white.
*
Photos # 1 through 14 are all 8 x 10 and were taken with a
good quality lens. The photos are mounted in a very fragile
black paper album which became quite a challenge when scanning
because of loose fragments of paper getting into the scans.
I assume that all of these photos are of Villa Linta, although
there is no written description whatsoever. To avoid damage,
I opted to scan them attached to the album pages as the corners
were often stuck to the photos. * All other photos were much
smaller, ranging from about 3 x 4 to 5 x 7. Most were unmounted
and taken with inferior lenses. * Several photos had handwritten
descriptions in my mother's handwriting (Tannis Marjorie VanDervoort
Walker). #15 - Uncle Walter - electric car that Tannis M.
learned to drive
#16 - Electric Car - Tannis Marjorie drive at 11 - 12 yrs
#17 - Tannis M. with friend - Uncle's Secretary. Learned to
drive electric car at age 11
#18 - Barn at Villa Linta - Redding Ridge, Connecticut
#21 - Tannis Marjorie VanDervoort, Redding Ridge, Conn 1920
All
Photos:
Ross VanDervoort Walker, Used with permission.
About
Walther Luttgen
| Walther
Luttgen was born on 9 January 1839 in Solingen, Germany,
and emigrated to the United States as a child. He married
Amelia Victoria Bremeyer of Brooklyn, NY on 23 May 1866.
Luttgen's long and distinguished career with the international
banking firm of August Belmont & Company began in November,
1859. Although initially hired as an office boy, Luttgen
quickly climbed the ranks and became head of the firm's
clerical force at the age of thirty. He was named a partner
in 1880, a title he held until his death. In addition
to his accomplishmed banking career, Luttgen was also
appointed Director of the Illinois Central Railroad Company,
the Transatlantic Trust Company and the Rapid Transit
Construction Company. |
 |
He
served as a Commodore of the Columbia Yacht Club, and was
a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, the Downtown Association, the American Museum of Natural
History and the Legal Aid Society.
For
most of his adult life, Walther lived in Linden, New Jersey;
Luttgen Place is named for him as he built an estate there.
In the 1870's he built the Academy of Arts and Sciences on
his estate, which was a non-denominational private school
for a short time, but later became the Linden Country Club
and is now the Moose Hall. He also provided to the community
the Amelia Victoria Kindergarten, which was named after his
wife.. Part of the Arts and Sciences building had been known
as the Casino, and it became a stable for the estate, while
another section was servants quarters. In 1927 the Linden
Library moved there.
He
was first President of the commission governing the borough
of Linden, elected April 15, 1882. The first meeting of the
commission was held at the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He
was a member of Grace Episcopal Church, was had been lost
in a Sheriff's sale until he led the group which purchased
it in 1877. He donated land and had the building moved there
in 1887.
A
rather neat and impressive factoid is that he build a paved
road to his dock at Tremley where he kept a steam
yacht (the linta) which he used for his commute to New
York City. He loaned the steam yacht to the United States
Navy during World War I. Assigned to the 3d Naval District,
New York, Linta served during World War I as a patrol
and escort boat out of New York. She accompanied merchant
ships joining or departing convoys out of New York, and she
patrolled off southern Long Island near Fire Island Lightship.
On several occasions she escorted submarines from New York
to the submarine base at New London, Conn. After the Armistice,
Linta decommissioned 19 February 1919 and was returned
to Luttgen the same day
Later
in his life, Luttgen lived in New York City at 49 West 75th
St., and had a country estate in Redding, Connecticut called
"Villa Linta". It was at his 75th St. home that he died of
pneumonia on 27 February 1922 at the age of 84.
This
amazing information comes from Ross VanDervoort Walker:
His
mother was Tannis VanDervoort Walker.
Her father was Claude Bremeyer VanDervoort.
His sister was Amelia Victoria VanDervoort Luttgen - Walther's
wife and my mother's uncle by marriage.
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