Marble House- Newport, RI

Grand and gilded, the construction of Marble House marked a new era for Newport, Rhode Island. Although long a seaside retreat for the wealthy upper class, following the completion of Alva Vanderbilt’s summer home in 1892, the bar was raised; older wooden Victorians and modest seaside cottages were suddenly replaced by massive stone mansions, built by owners eager to showcase their wealth, and impress their neighbors.

Built as a 39th birthday gift from William Kissam Vanderbilt to his wife Alva, the mansion was designed by renowned society architect Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect to train at the legendary École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Hunt previously collaborated with the Vanderbilt’s on their Fifth Avenue mansion in New York, Petit Chateau, and would later build the lavish Biltmore for William’s brother George Washington Vanderbilt II, in Ashville.

Inspired by the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles, the 50 room mansion cost over $11 million to construct, including $7 million spent on marble alone. One of the earliest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States, the home was built of brick faced in white Westchester marble, featuring two story Corinthian pilasters which framed arched windows on the ground floor, and rectangular ones above. In the center of the mansion block, a prominent Corinthian portico, based on the Parthenon.

Leading up to the mansion, Hunt designed a curved marble carriage ramp, fronted by a semi-circular fountain, certain to impress party guests. At the entrance, a ten ton metalwork door, which alone cost $50,000. Inside, as expected, marble is absolutely everywhere- in total, over 500,000 cubic feet of the metamorphic rock was used during construction.

Although a warm Siena marble was used throughout the entrance hall, a much rarer rose colored Numidian marble from Algeria was used in the dining room, to great effect. Here, massive slabs of the material adorn every surface, many cut open like a book to create mirror images, a pricey and difficult technique known as bookmatching.

Decorated by celebrated French lifestyle consultant Jules Allard, the room was designed around a series of Royal Portraits, including one of Louis XIV, cut from its original frame and sold off during the French Revolution. In the center of the room, a massive table, with 75 pound chairs, which required the services of a footman to move.

Also designed by Allard is the mansion’s Grand Salon, unquestionably the most gilded room in Newport. Literally- the carved wood walls were covered in 22 carat gold. Above hang elaborate gilt chandeliers, featuring Apollo, echoing the scenes of classic mythology found throughout the room, including an 18th century French painting of Minerva found on the ceiling.

Also located downstairs is perhaps the mansion’s most interesting space, the Gothic Room. Built specifically to house a large collection of Medieval items Alva purchased from Emile Gavet in 1890, the room was designed and executed in Paris, then shipped to Newport where it was reassembled onsite. Featuring a ribbed ceiling, pointed oak arches, stained glass, and an intricate stone fireplace copied from the Jacques Coeur House in Bourges, the space acted as a private museum, where students were invited to study the collection.

Upstairs, the home features seven bedrooms and six baths; here, the walls are only painted to look like marble, as they were intended to be covered with large tapestries. By far the most impressive space on the floor, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room features a raised platform bed, with a large 18th century Venetian painting affixed to the ceiling, salvaged from an Italian library during renovations.

Although extravagant, Marble House was only intended to be used six weeks out of the year. Ultimately, it was used far less. Three years after its completion, Alva divorced William Kissam Vanderbilt. Although she retained the home, she quickly remarried neighbor Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, and relocated to his mansion Belcourt, also located on Bellevue Avenue. During this time, she used Marble House for storage.

Following Belmont’s death in 1908, Alva returned to Marble House, constructing a Chinese Tea House on the back lawn overlooking the ocean, where she held rallies for women’s suffrage. In 1919, she permanently closed the mansion, and moved to France, where her daughter resided. The house remained shuttered until it was sold in 1932. The new owners kept the mansion much as originally designed, with the exception of the Gothic Room.

In 1962, the property was purchased by the Preservation Society, in part with funds donated by Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, Alva’s youngest son. Following the sale, the owners donated virtually all of the home’s contents directly to the Preservation Society. The home was then opened for public tours, and in time, returned to its original appearance. Although the interior is busy, bordering on garish, the craftsmanship in the mansion is outstanding, and the exterior is a classic beauty that has aged exceptionally well.