Me at the front exterior of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)
I ended my eight days in Boston on Sunday with a day trip to Newport, Rhode Island, and an opportunity to step back in time to the late 19th century when gold-encrusted and marble-laden mansions were the rage. It was labeled the “Gilded Age” to describe a time of materialistic excesses of the wealthy industrialist and financiers combined with the extreme poverty of millions of European immigrants.
Check out the grand mansions of the Vanderbilt family…The Breakers and Marble House.
The Breakers front drive in Newport is the architectural and social archetype of the “Gilded Age,” a time of wealthy industrialists and financiers conspicuous consumption. The Breakers, constructed between 1893 and 1895 in an Italian Renaissance architectural style, was the Newport summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy U.S. Vanderbilt family. (Aug. 20, 2017)The Breakers great hall, built from 1893 to 1895 as the Newport summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy U.S. Vanderbilt family. It is built in an architectural style based on the Italian Renaissance. (Aug. 20, 2017)Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899) an American socialite, heir, businessman and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family in the U.S. who became head of the New York Central railroad lines in 1885. (Aug. 20, 2017)The five-floor mansion of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, has 70 rooms. (Aug. 20, 2017)The library room of The Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The bedroom of the The Breakers homeowner, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The bathroom of The Breakers homeowner, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The staircase of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)A mini-fountain behind the staircase of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The dining room of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The kitchen of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)View from the balcony of The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)A weeping beech tree part of the various signature trees that were brought over from Europe as part of the landscape designs of the Newport, Rhode Island “Gilded Age” mansions. (Aug. 20, 2017)St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island, is where President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier were married on Sept. 12, 1953. St. Mary’s was designated a National Historic Shrine on Nov. 24, 1968. (Aug. 20, 2017)The shops of Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The shops along the harbor of Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The yacht-filled harbor in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)Lobster Roll and a corn potato soup lunch break at Panera’s in Newport, Rhode Island. Yum! (Aug. 20, 2017)The front of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island is designated as a National Historic Landmark. It was built as a summer “cottage” retreat between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. It was a social landmark that sparked the transformation of Newport from a relaxed summer colony of wooden houses to the now-legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. The 50-room mansion required a staff of 36 servants, including butlers, maids, coachmen, and footmen. (Aug. 20, 2017)Me at the front exterior of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The marble staircase at the front entrance of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport. (Aug. 20, 2017)The marble staircase at the front entrance of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The dining room of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The Gothic Room of Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a social landmark that sparked the transformation of Newport from a relaxed summer colony of wooden houses to the now-legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. (Aug. 20, 2017)A close-up of the stained glass in the Gothic Room of Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Aug. 20, 2017The Gold Salon of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The mansion was built as a summer “cottage” retreat between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. (Aug. 20, 2017)The spiral staircase to the servants quarters of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The 50-room mansion required a staff of 36 servants, including butlers, maids, coachmen, and footmen. (Aug. 20, 2017)The chandelier in the gold salon of the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)Alva Vanderbilt’s bedroom in the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)The kitchen of the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. (Aug. 20, 2017)
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