From the WALL STREET JOURNAL:
"RHINEBECK, N.Y. (Oct. 8, 2003) -- It was the original McMansion, a home so grand that many believe it inspired the phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses." Now it's for sale, and it may well be torn down.

So imposing was Wyndclyffe, built in 1853 by Edith Wharton's aunt, Elizabeth Schermerhorn Jones, that it was the beginning of a craze for building ever-more-elaborate houses along the Hudson River. The Jones house had a four-story tower, intricate brickwork, 24 rooms, 80 acres of lawn and woodland and sweeping river views. Nearby estate owners soon were adding turrets, towers and extra wings." More at
http://homes.wsj.com/columnists/preservation/20031008-silverman.html
Submitted by Julie Olin-Ammentorp