Rhode Island
We left Connecticut early the next morning and drove to Newport, Rhode Island. We had driven through Rhode Island years ago, but we missed seeing the beautiful mansions there and I always wanted to go back. We knew that we couldn't see them all with the time that we had, so we had to choose. We decided to take the tour of the Marble House. This gilded age mansion was built as a "summer cottage" for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt and was unparalleled in opulence when it was completed in 1892.
Once inside, we again realized why it was called the Marble House! We could see stairs, floors and walls made from beautiful marble imported from Siena, Italy. The cost of this mansion was $11 million when it was completed in 1892, to build it today would require $313 million. The Vanderbilt fortune began with Cornelius Vanderbilt (William's grandfather) when he built a shipping and railroad empire. The family wealth was accumulated prior to income tax.
The Gothic room was designed to display Alva Vanderbilt's collection of Medieval and Renaissance objects and furniture.
Pictured below is the Grand Salon which served as a ballroom and reception room. It was filled with over the top gold gilt decor!
The Family bedrooms were on the second floor.
Alva's Bedroom on the second floor was decorated in Louis XIV style.
Alva Vanderbilt married William Kissam in 1875. The couple had three children: Consuelo (named for Alva's best friend), William Kissam II, and Harold Stirling. Alva was known for having a haughty manner, strong opinions, intelligence, great energy and a willingness to challenge convention. She was a champion of the women's suffrage movement. She was given the Marble House as a gift for her 39th birthday. She and William divorced after 20 years of marriage and she then married Oliver Belmont (one of William's friends).
William's bedroom
William managed his family's railroad investments and enjoyed horse racing and yachting. After his divorce from Ala, he later married Anne Harriman and moved to France.
Several famous movies were filmed in the Marble House including Great Gatsby,The Buccaneers, Amistad and 27 Dresses.
We then made our way to the basement to see the kitchen, pantry and service areas. To run and care for the 50 rooms in the Marble House required 36 servants.
The kitchen and service area entrance was separated from upstairs access by these doors. The servants were required to use the back staircases.
After Alva's second marriage, in 1896, she moved down the street to Belcourt Castle which was the summer "cottage" of her new husband Oliver. She closed Marble House and used it to store clothing and other items. When Oliver died in 1908 Alva reopened Marble House and added the Chinese Tea House on the seaside cliff, where she hosted rallies for women's suffrage.
The Tea House interior is pictured below. Today it serves as a tea house and reception center for guest and those touring the mansion.
The grounds of Marble House had beautiful landscaping and flowers .
Behind the mansion was Cliff Walk which is a pathway along the ocean and the mansions that were built next to the sea.
We had great views of the ocean and other points of Newport.
As we walked along, we could see the back of several other Newport mansions.
Fairholme mansion - the summer "cottage" owned by Fairman Rogers
After enjoying the Cliff Walk, we drove to the Bannister's Wharf and had lunch/dinner at The Black Pearl.
Hal navigated through the crazy Boston traffic to our hotel which was near the airport; and after we got settled and packed for our return home, we went to a recommended seafood restaurant for dinner.
The exterior of the home is faced with white marble from New York and Connecticut. The architect was Richard Morris Hunt who was inspired by the design of the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles. Its temple front portico resembles that of the White House.
The dining room featured pink Numidian marble imported from the middle east and gilt bronze decor.
No wonder it was called the Gilded Age!!
The Family bedrooms were on the second floor.
Looking down from the gorgeous staircase, we had a great view of the French Baroque front doors of the mansion. Each door weighs 1 1/2 tons!
Alva's Bedroom on the second floor was decorated in Louis XIV style.
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| William Kassam Vanderbilt |
William's bedroom
William managed his family's railroad investments and enjoyed horse racing and yachting. After his divorce from Ala, he later married Anne Harriman and moved to France.
Several famous movies were filmed in the Marble House including Great Gatsby,The Buccaneers, Amistad and 27 Dresses.
We then made our way to the basement to see the kitchen, pantry and service areas. To run and care for the 50 rooms in the Marble House required 36 servants.
The kitchen and service area entrance was separated from upstairs access by these doors. The servants were required to use the back staircases.
The kitchen and pantry area was very large and contained all the latest kitchen equipment available in 1892 when the house was completed.
China hutch with pewter and lovely china dishes
Our tour took us over 2 hours and after the tour, we went to the backyard of the mansion to explore the grounds and the view of the ocean.
Behind the mansion was Cliff Walk which is a pathway along the ocean and the mansions that were built next to the sea.
As we walked along, we could see the back of several other Newport mansions.
Vinland Estate was built in 1882 for the tobacco heiress - Catharine Wolfe.
This mansion was eventually donated to Salve Regina University - a private school that serves over 2.500 students.
The Breakers - summer "cottage" owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt II - a brother to William Vanderbilt; and this is the largest of the Newport mansions.
The clam chowder and lobster roll were yummy!
We walked around the wharf and explored the shops and then had a Ben and Jerry's ice cream cone.
The next morning we left Rhode Island and headed north for Boston.
We made stops in Norfolk, MA to photograph this beautiful spot and...
we also stopped in Norwood,MA at a fun second hand and antique shop called Foxboro Finds. It was a huge warehouse filled with everything you can imagine.
The clam chowder, fried clams and lobster were delicious!
The next morning we left Boston and returned home after our wonderful 50th anniversary trip!!
What a fabulous trip you had!! We toured the Marble House years ago and I had forgotten how opulent it is. I'm jealous of all the seafood you ate!
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