"The first thing you've got to remember is that it's your client's money you're spending. Your goal is to achieve the best results by following their wishes. If they want you to built a house upside down standing on its chimney, it's up to you to do it."
Not surprisingly, one of the men most associated with Gilded Age mansions and design, Richard Morris Hunt, made that observation about the role of an architect. And while that quote may be interpreted as deference to the whims of wealthy clients, Hunt, and his very eclectic body of work, was about much, much more than ostentatious displays of wealth. And while mansions and homes for the wealthy remain his best-known works, his breadth of styles, as well as range of projects, make him an important contributor to urban design as well as some of the country's best-loved landmarks.