Alder Manor, a 1912 Carrère & Hastings mansion in Yonkers, has appeared in A Beautiful Mind, Mona Lisa Smile, Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Robot and Inventing Anna. What the house offers on camera, and how a production works here: permits, insurance, power, parking and protecting the house.
If you need a mansion for filming near New York City, Alder Manor in Yonkers comes with a filmography. The house has appeared in A Beautiful Mind, Mona Lisa Smile, Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Robot and Inventing Anna, and it was the setting for a Vogue fashion story in the April 2025 issue. It is a 1912 Renaissance Revival estate by Carrère & Hastings, about 30 minutes by car from Columbus Circle, depending on traffic.
What the camera sees
The rooms read as Europe on camera, just north of the city. Inside there is carved wood paneling, ornamental plaster ceilings, marble fireplaces, a ballroom, a library, drawing rooms, a chapel and a foyer. Outside there are Renaissance Revival facades, stone terraces, columns and garden paths, beside Untermyer Gardens.
The house is a living restoration. Some rooms are restored; others keep the patina of a century, worn parquet and weathered walls included, which period and character work often needs. One location can give a production several looks without a company move.
A few of the looks
- A marble staircase with a wrought-iron railing in a stone hall, flanked by marble columns
- A grand staircase rising to organ pipe screens and a painted ceiling with a glass skylight
- Wood-paneled rooms with marble fireplaces and oil paintings
- A colonnade with a carved marble trough beneath a tall window
- Unrestored rooms with peeling walls, carved ceilings and worn parquet
- Stone terraces and columns above the gardens
For stills, fashion or any mansion photoshoot, the light is much of the draw: tall windows, stone halls and paneled rooms each give a different quality of light, so it is worth scouting at the hour you plan to shoot and bringing your director of photography. More of the rooms are in our photo gallery.
What has been filmed and photographed at Alder Manor?
- A Beautiful Mind (feature film)
- Mona Lisa Smile (feature film)
- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
- Mr. Robot (USA Network)
- Inventing Anna (Netflix)
- Vogue, April 2025 issue: a fashion story photographed at the house (reported by The Journal News, March 27, 2025; see our press page)
We host feature and series work, commercials, fashion and editorial, stills, music video and branded content. Stills and editorial days are as welcome as feature and series work. The full list of credits and location highlights is on our film and photo page.
What to know before you rent a mansion for filming
A house built in 1912 asks for a little more planning than a stage. These are the details locations teams ask about first.
Permits and insurance
The City of Yonkers requires a film permit even on private property, generally applied for at least seven business days ahead, with proof of liability insurance (City of Yonkers permit guidelines). We point you to the process and coordinate neighbor notice with your team. Expect to send certificates of insurance for the production and for each vendor before load-in.
Power
Power for lighting and equipment is planned with us before the shoot, so tie-ins are agreed in advance rather than on the day. Tell us early what your lighting package needs.
Parking and trucks
We plan where each vehicle parks and stops before the first shoot day. Send a truck list with sizes, and your crew and vehicle counts, with the shooting schedule, and we will tell you what can come onto the grounds.
Protecting the house
Floors, stairs and stonework are protected wherever equipment rolls. Furniture is lifted, never dragged, and nothing is fixed to walls, paneling or ceilings. Haze, fire and similar effects need approval in advance, and some need the Fire Department as well.
Scouts and scheduling
Scouts are by appointment, and production inquiries receive priority replies. We plan prep, shoot, wrap and hold days with your locations team. Tell us early what you need for holding, wardrobe, hair and makeup, so we can plan the rooms around the set. Rates are quoted per production day on request.
Getting here
Alder Manor is at 1097 North Broadway in Yonkers, in Westchester County, about 30 minutes by car from Columbus Circle, depending on traffic. According to the City of Yonkers Office of Film & Photography, Yonkers lies within the 25-mile studio zone measured from Columbus Circle. Directions and trains are on getting here.
The house behind the credits
A mining financier from Montana built the house in 1912 as a weekend retreat above the Hudson, and named it Alder Manor after Alder Gulch, where he grew up. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Read the story of Alder Manor for its history, and our press page for the fact sheet.
To check dates, send your dates, crew size, shooting footprint and the look you need, and we will reply with photos, availability and a scout time. Request a scout.
