In 1902, George lent 135 works from the mansion's 640-piece collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The same year, George announced plans to renovate the southern section of the mansion. The plans entailed adding another story, removing some facade ornamentation, replacing an exterior iron fence with stone, installing a new Fifth Avenue doorway to replace the existing entrances, and adding a porte cochere in the rear. The southern and northern halves of the mansion would be completely disconnected from each other, as the entrance from the central portico would be destroyed. The firm of Hunt & Hunt was hired for the renovation. While city officials initially approved the porte cochere, they subsequently ordered it demolished, saying it projected too far onto the Fifth Avenue sidewalk. George Vanderbilt secured an injunction in June 1903 to prevent its demolition, but he was compelled to take it down that September.
