Astor Courts is a Beaux-Arts sporting pavilion set on 50 acres in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Conceived as a playground for the American aristocracy, the house has been newly restored by Sam White, the great-grandson of the original architect, Stanford White.

Designed in 1902 for John Jacob Astor IV, the house has spectacular views, inside and out. A diamond-patterned terrace overlooks the Hudson River.

Mr. Astor, a great-grandson and heir of the fur and real estate magnate, had only a short time to enjoy the house: he went down with the Titanic eight years after it was finished. Photo: Bettmann/Corbis

Over a century, the building shifted from pleasure palace to private home to convent and old-age facility. Photo: The New-York Historical Society

In the newly restored living room, a 19th-century English library table sits beneath a copy of a lampshade original to the home.

A harpsichord and a stool carved in the shape of a shell make a simple yet rich tableau in the living room.

A hallway features an English lowboy, a French mirror and a stairway to the roof.

A new kitchen replaced a cramped kitchenette and slop sink.

The Middle Eastern-inspired swimming pool has a vaulted ceiling.

The indoor tennis court is supported by an industrial vault-and-truss system.

Bathroom fixtures were copied from original plans.

The new owners stuck to neutrals for paint, rugs and upholstered pieces, largely in deference to the architecture and decorative detailing.

Photo: Bruce Buck for The New York Times. Read "A Fixer-Upper to End Them All" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/garden/06white.html