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Marvel at the Gilded Age splendor of Newport's most famous Gilded Age Mansions, breathtaking symbols of the Vanderbilt family and other key players in the Gilded Age's social and financial pre-eminence in the early 20th century. Enjoy a private tour before or after hours at iconic mansions like Marble House, the Breakers, The Elms, and more.

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• Duration: 1 to 4 hours
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The Breakers, Newport

by habituallychic

I had such a nice time in Newport, Rhode Island recently and inspired many followers to plan their own trips. But I know many of you can’t travel now so I thought I would post a virtual visit to The Breakers for you. It was interesting to visit the mansions during the pandemic and one of the changes that I appreciated was being able to follow the tour of the house on my phone on the Newport Mansion app . If you would like, you can download it and listen to it as you look at my photos. The are arranged mostly in order but I have left out some rooms where the photos weren’t as crisp as the others. I kept getting flares from the lights in my photos so I’m excited for my new Apple iPhone 12 Pro to arrive tomorrow.

“ The Breakers  is the grandest of Newport’s summer “cottages” and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America. 

Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt established the family fortune in steamships and later in the New York Central Railroad, which was a pivotal development in the industrial growth of the nation during the late 19th century.  The Commodore’s grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, became Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system in 1885, and purchased a wooden house called The Breakers in Newport during that same year. In 1893, he commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a villa to replace the earlier wood-framed house which was destroyed by fire the previous year. Hunt directed an international team of craftsmen and artisans to create a 70 room Italian Renaissance- style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Allard and Sons of Paris assisted Hunt with furnishings and fixtures, Austro-American sculptor Karl Bitter designed relief sculpture, and Boston architect Ogden Codman decorated the family quarters.  The Vanderbilts had seven children. Their youngest daughter, Gladys, who married Count Laszlo Szechenyi of Hungary, inherited the house on her mother’s death in 1934. An ardent supporter of The Preservation Society of Newport County, she opened The Breakers in 1948 to raise funds for the Society. In 1972, the Preservation Society purchased the house from her heirs. Today, the house is designated a National Historic Landmark.”

All photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic.

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Plumbing the depths of The Breakers

NEWPORT, R.I. — Visitors to the spectacular Gilded Age mansion The Breakers now have a chance to explore its depths with a new tour that shows off the domestic technology that helped make the 70-room building state of the art when it was completed in 1895.

The hour-long "Beneath The Breakers" tour takes place almost entirely underground, from the boiler room built hundreds of yards from the house, through a tunnel as wide as a carriage, and into the mansion's basement, where visitors can see original parts of its elevator, electrical system and plumbing — which used three kinds of water.

It's a weekend handyman's dream tour and a completely different way to look at the opulent house built by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns The Breakers and several other mansions in Newport, developed the tour based on journals kept by a resident house engineer, as well as other documents.

Tour guide Raymond Roy describes the tour as focusing on "the guts and the glory" of the house, as opposed to the "glitz and glamor" upstairs.

"The systems we talk about are commonplace today," Roy said. But at the time The Breakers and other famous Newport mansions were built, amenities such as electricity were available to only a few.

The tour begins in the caretaker's cottage, which sits at the gate to the 13-acre estate and was built to camouflage a massive chimney that runs from the boiler room, dug below it by hand.

The boiler was intentionally placed far from the main house. The first Breakers mansion was made of wood and burned down in 1892 in a boiler explosion.

The architect, Richard Morris Hunt, designed an innovative indirect hot-water system powered by coal to heat the 138,000-square-foot house. Two boilers now on display in the room heated a school until 2016 but are the same as what was originally installed at The Breakers, Roy said.

Hot and cold water — both fresh and saltwater — was available from the taps in the bathrooms. City water was only used for flushing toilets, because of its unpleasant taste. Rainwater collected in cisterns and run through a cheesecloth filter was used for drinking, Roy said. The house, built on a cliff over the Atlantic Ocean, drew saltwater from the ocean for baths, which was thought to be therapeutic.

A power station built by Thomas Edison supplied electricity, and visitors can still see the electrical panel where it came into the house. Its switches are made of copper, and they are mounted on marble, which does not conduct heat. While the panel was retired from use in the 1990s, there is still some live knob-and-tube wiring used in the mansion, Roy said.

Visitors can also get a glimpse of air shafts that run through the house, the old wine cellar, and other curiosities that weren't public until the tour began in January.

Gary and Cindy Denholm, of Frederick, Maryland, toured the upstairs of The Breakers a few years ago, but got a new perspective with this tour. Gary, who works at the National Archives, is interested in the history and politics that serve as a backdrop to the home, while Cindy enjoys learning about the architecture and people who lived there.

"We each take something different away," she said.

Watch CBS News

New Tour Of The Breakers Takes Newport Mansion Visitors Underground

September 4, 2017 / 1:36 PM EDT / CBS Boston

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Visitors to the spectacular Gilded Age mansion The Breakers now have the chance to explore its depths with a new tour that shows off the domestic technology that helped make the 70-room building state of the art when it was completed in 1895.

The hour long "Beneath The Breakers" tour takes place almost entirely underground, from the boiler room built hundreds of yards from the house, through a tunnel as wide as a carriage, and into the mansion's basement, where visitors can see original parts of its elevator, electrical system and plumbing — which used three kinds of water.

It's a weekend handyman's dream tour and a completely different way to look at the opulent house built by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II. The Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns The Breakers and several other mansions in Newport, developed the tour based on journals kept by a resident house engineer, as well as other documents.

Tour guide Raymond Roy describes the tour as focusing on "the guts and the glory" of the house, as opposed to the "glitz and glamor" upstairs.

Pssst. You can explore the underground tunnels of The Breakers during this all-new tour: https://t.co/niaq7MfJ55 — Discover Newport (@DscvrNewport) March 30, 2017

"The systems we talk about are commonplace today," Roy said.

But at the time The Breakers and other famous Newport mansions were built, amenities such as electricity were available to only a few.

The tour begins in the caretaker's cottage, which sits at the gate to the 13-acre estate and was built to camouflage a massive chimney that runs from the boiler room, dug below it by hand.

The boiler was intentionally placed far from the main house. The first Breakers mansion was made of wood and burned down in 1892 in a boiler explosion.

The architect, Richard Morris Hunt, designed an innovative indirect hot water system powered by coal to heat the 138,000-square-foot house. Two boilers now on display in the room heated a school until 2016 but are the same as what was originally installed here, Roy said.

Hot and cold water — both fresh and saltwater — was available from the taps in the bathrooms. City water was used for flushing toilets, because of its unpleasant taste.

Rainwater collected in cisterns and run through a cheesecloth filter was used for drinking, Roy said. The house, built on a cliff over the Atlantic Ocean, drew saltwater from the ocean for baths, which was thought to be therapeutic.

A power station built by Thomas Edison supplied electricity, and visitors can still see the electrical panel where it came into the house. Its switches are made of copper, and they are mounted on marble, which does not conduct heat. While the panel was retired from use in the 1990s, there is still some live knob-and-tube wiring used in the mansion, Roy said.

Visitors can also get a glimpse of airshafts that run through the house, the old wine cellar and other curiosities that weren't public until the tour began in January.

Gary and Cindy Denholm, of Frederick, Maryland, toured the upstairs of The Breakers a few years ago, but this tour was a new way to see it. Gary, who works at the National Archives, is interested in the history and politics that serve as a backdrop to the homes, while Cindy enjoys learning about the architecture and people who lived there.

"We each take something different away," she said.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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New Photos Offer a Rare Look Inside the Vanderbilt Family Apartment at The Breakers

For the first time in 120 years, the Vanderbilts are completely out, and archivists have moved in.

On March 30th, Paul and Gladys Szápáry unceremoniously vacated their family's third-floor apartment of the Breakers, the iconic Gilded Age mansion constructed by their great-grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, in 1893. (His younger brother, George Washington Vanderbilt II, built his own private paradise, The Biltmore , around the same time in North Carolina.)

Like generations of Vanderbilts before them, the Szápárys spent summers in the Newport, Rhode Island "cottage" since birth. After the Preservation Society of Newport County purchased the home for $366,475 in 1972, however, the heirs were relegated to the mansion's upper floor—which boasts eight bedrooms and views of the ocean. The rest of the 70-room estate was opened to the public.

Relations between the family and the Preservation Society appeared good until this past January, when a preservation architect and an engineer concluded that the mansion's ventilation, electrical, and plumbing systems were "dangerously outdated for residential use." For the first time in 120 years, the Vanderbilts departed their ancestral home.

WATCH: Biltmore Estate Owner, William A.V. Cecil, Dead at 89

Despite a statement from the Preservation Society insisting that it was an amicable split, rumors swirled that the "decommissioning" of the family's third-floor apartment was actually in retaliation for their opposition to a proposed Welcome Center on the grounds.

Speculation and palace intrigue aside, a former Preservation Society employee, who, according to Town & Country worked on the Breakers archives for the past seven years, recently posted a series of photos from the contested living space on Instagram , offering the public a first glimpse at what the eight-room apartment looks like today.

Scroll down for a rare look at the former family apartment, courtesy of archivist Jason Bouchard.

For more photos and to follow along with Bouchard's archival efforts, check out his other Instagram account, here .

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Visitor Info

Q:   do i need to reserve a date and time for my visit − +.

Our regular house-tour tickets – The Breakers, One-Property, Duo and Trio – are not for any specific date or time. They can be used any time the mansions are open for tours, and they do not expire. You may purchase them in advance or in person when you arrive.

For specialty tours such as The Elms Servant Life Tour  and  Beneath The Breakers , tickets are for a specific date and time and we suggest advance purchase.

Q:   Do you give guide-led tours? − +

The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff and Chateau-sur-Mer offer engaging self-guided audio tours. The Breakers and Marble House offer both adult and family self-guided tours. Bring your own smart device with earbuds/headsets and download the free Newport Mansions tour app before you visit.

Green Animals Topiary Garden, Isaac Bell House and Kingscote are self-guided, non-audio tours. The Hunter House, Chepstow, Beneath The Breakers and The Elms Servant Life tours are guide-led at certain times throughout the day.

Printed scripts are available at most mansions and staff appreciate your questions.

Q:   What languages are available for the audio tours? − +

International visitors are always welcome. On our mobile app, audio tours of The Breakers, The Elms & Marble House are available in English, French, German, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Audio tours of Rosecliff and Chateau-sur-Mer are in English only.

The Breakers and Marble House also offer family tours in English.

Q:   How do I buy tickets? − +

You can purchase tickets through our website or in person at The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff or Green Animals Topiary Garden. Ticket sales are not available at any other Newport Mansions property.

Q:   Can multi-house tickets be used on different days? − +

Yes, you may visit different houses and properties on different days. Our tickets never expire and are non-refundable.

Q:   I cannot print my tickets. How do I use them? − +

When you purchase tickets online at NewportMansions.org, you receive a confirmation email that contains a link, “Print Tickets Now.” That link accesses a PDF file containing the bar-coded tickets. You can then display them on your mobile device to be scanned when you visit.

Q:   Are the mansions accessible? − +

The Breakers, Marble House and Rosecliff are partially accessible for mobility devices. At these three houses, the first floor can be directly accessed by visitors who use a wheelchair; the second floor is accessible via the elevator, which must be operated by a staff member. None of our other houses are currently accessible.

We do not provide wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

Q:   Do you have dress code for visitors? − +

Proper attire must be worn on the properties at all times, including shirts and footwear. Swimwear and clothing with rude, vulgar or offensive language or graphics are not permitted. Admission may be denied if clothing is deemed inappropriate.

Q:   Do City of Newport residents receive free admission? − +

Residents of the City of Newport can enjoy free admission to our houses in Newport when they are open for tours. This offer does not include Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth. Proof of Newport residence is required. Also includes Naval Station Newport personnel and Salve Regina University students (student ID required). Residents must obtain timed tickets for Chepstow, Hunter House or Isaac Bell House in person at either The Breakers, Marble House or The Elms. Excludes special events and specialty tours.

Q:   Do Newport County residents receive free admission? − +

On select days during the year, we offer free admission for residents of Jamestown, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton. Visit the Events Calendar for these dates.

Q:   Can I take photographs in the mansions? − +

Yes. The Preservation Society permits non-flash interior photography in all of its mansions except Hunter House, and outdoor photos at all properties, for personal, non-commercial use only. Selfie sticks and tripods are not permitted. Read the detailed photography policy .

Q:   How much time should I allow to visit each house? − +

We suggest one and a half hours for each mansion, allowing time to enjoy the tour, explore the grounds and visit the Newport Mansions Stores.

Q:   Is parking available? − +

Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.

Q:   Is there transportation between the houses? − +

The Newport Mansions does not provide transportation. Visitors can drive, walk or take public transportation between houses.

Average house-to-house walking times:

• Kingscote to The Elms: 12 minutes
• The Elms to Chateau-sur-Mer: 12 minutes
• Chateau-sur-Mer to The Breakers: 12 minutes
• Chateau-sur-Mer to Rosecliff: 16 minutes
• Rosecliff to Marble House: 7 minutes

Public transportation is provided by the R.I. Public Transit Authority’s Route 67 trolley, which operates from the Gateway Transportation Center at 23 America’s Cup Avenue.

Q:   Must children be accompanied by an adult? − +

Yes. All children must be always accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver inside the mansions and on the grounds.

Q:   Are strollers allowed inside the mansions? − +

Young children are always welcome; however, we cannot allow strollers or carriages inside the mansions because of the damage that such vehicles can cause to historic surfaces and furnishings. Stroller parking areas are available near the entrance of each mansion. Strollers are allowed on the grounds.

Q:   Can I bring my pet with me to tour the mansions? − +

No. Only certified service animals are permitted on any of the Preservation Society properties. No other animals are permitted in the mansions or on the grounds. Please do not leave pets in your vehicle while you take your tour, as temperatures inside a locked car will quickly become unsafe and even deadly.

Q:   Can I check my bag or suitcase while I tour the mansions? − +

No. There are no lockers or storage facilities. Personal items may not be left at the front desk. Visitors are welcome to carry personal items such as purses, camera bags and knapsacks with them during their tour. But suitcases, carry-on luggage, duffel bags or oversized bags of any kind that could cause potential damage to historic surfaces and furnishings are not permitted. Please leave such items in your car prior to entering the property. Please plan your visit with this in mind.

Q:   Do the Newport Mansions close on holidays? − +

The Newport Mansions are open 363 days a year. The only holidays for which we close are Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Q:   When I purchase a ticket, what do I agree to? − +

1) Security systems are in use. 2) Please do not touch objects in the houses. 3) An authorized photographer or videographer may record your image for Preservation Society purposes. 4) Sale or commercial use of any images taken at any Preservation Society property is prohibited. Exceptions can only be made by prior written agreement.

Q:   Do you have vaccination requirements for visitors? − +

No. We no longer require proof of COVID vaccination or face coverings.

Q:   Where I can find information on accommodations and activities in Newport? − +

Visit www.discovernewport.org .

Accessibility

Contact us for details

Map & Parking

Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available. At Green Animals, parking is in the adjacent St. Philomena School parking lot. The only entrance to the Green Animals is from the St. Philomena lot from June 17 – August 27. There is no access to the property from the Green Animals parking lot. Green Animals is not handicapped accessible.

Parking lots for The Breakers and Marble House are across the street from the entrance gates. Parking at the other houses is on the grounds.

Photography

The Preservation Society now allows interior photography at all of the Newport Mansions, with the exception of Hunter House, for non-commercial and social media uses only by visitors. Photography is only allowed when it does not disrupt the quiet enjoyment of the properties by other visitors. For everyone’s safety, selfie sticks, tripods, flash and stairway photography are prohibited. No commercial use or sale of images is permitted without prior written agreement from the Preservation Society.

During guided and group tours, stops for brief photo ops will be allowed as time permits. Guests using audio tour devices may use their own discretion in taking time for photographs unless they delay other guests. Visitors may not record guides giving their presentations. At no time may visitors step beyond the roped boundaries of the tour route. Photo ops may be limited when there is high volume visitation. In all cases, visitors must follow the direction of house staff about photography.

Photography during programs, lectures and receptions will be allowed on a case by case basis.

The use of drones over Preservation Society properties, even equipped with smart devices, remains completely prohibited, regardless of whether the controller is on or off Preservation Society property.

Exterior Photography

Stroller Policy

Pet/service animal policy.

Only certified service animals are permitted on any of the Preservation Society properties. No other pets are permitted in the houses or on the grounds. Please do not leave pets in your vehicle while you take your tour, as temperatures inside a locked car will quickly become unsafe and even deadly.

Restrooms are available for visitors at all Newport Mansions. At The Breakers, additional restrooms are in the Welcome Center.

Additional Information

Where to eat.

There are several dining options at the Newport Mansions.

Learn about the various tours offered at the Newport Mansions.

We welcome adult and student groups to visit the Newport Mansions. Your group visit helps preserve these great houses.

Get the Newport Mansions app

Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.

Additional Visitor Info

Map & parking info.

Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.

Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Mansions & Gardens

Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.

Partners in Preservation

The Breakers Virtual Tour

Direct link for full screen view of The Breakers virtual tour

What you need to know

More tours, events & exhibitions, beneath the breakers tour, daily 10:30 am.

Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.

Servant Life Tour

Daily starting april 1, 10:30 am and 2:30 pm*.

See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age. * May 11-May 31, tour will be offered daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm. June 1-Aug. 31, 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm. Sept. 1-Oct. 14, 10:30 & 3:30. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.

Gilded Age Newport in Color

March 15 – june 30, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm.

This exhibition explores a largely unknown but important chapter in American history: the experience of a thriving African heritage community in Newport.

Newport County Days

April 6 – 7, 2024.

Newport County residents, be our guests! The Preservation Society invites you to visit our houses and properties for free on these dates.

The Measure of a Man: Double Consciousness and the Fashioning of W. E. B. Du Bois

April 11, 2024 6:00pm – 7:00pm.

Learn about W. E. B. Du Bois and his lifelong interaction with fashion and photography, as well as how he transformed himself into one of the most influential black figures of the Gilded Age.

Young Patron Event: Kentucky Derby Party

May 4, 2024 5:00pm – 8:00pm.

Our Young Patron event this year is a Kentucky Derby party! Join us as we celebrate and enjoy this historic race that dates back to the Gilded Age.

Annual Plant Sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden

May 10 – 12, 2024 8 am -10 am.

Get your garden going or find nice springtime and Mother's Day gifts for friends and family! A variety of flowers, vegetables and specialty plants are available while supplies last.

Am I Not a Man and a Woman: The Rise of African Heritage Political Identity in Gilded Age Rhode Island

May 16, 2024 6:00pm – 7:00pm.

Rhode Island Black Heritage Society scholars will interpret the evolution of Black Civil Rights from the early beginnings of the 18th century Free African Societies to the formation of Colored Women Clubs of the Gilded Age.

The Newport Flower Show: “At Home”

June 21 – 23, 2024.

After a one-year sojourn to Marble House, New England’s premier flower show returns to Rosecliff with the theme of “At Home.”

Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival

September 20 – 22, 2024.

Save the dates for the 19th annual festival, featuring the Vintner Dinner, Sunday Brunch and tasty yet educational seminar experiences.

Get the Newport Mansions app

Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.

Additional Visitor Info

Map & parking info.

Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.

Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Mansions & Gardens

Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.

Partners in Preservation

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Curious Objects: The House that Vanderbilt—Gilded Age Mansions of Newport, RI

Benjamin Miller October 1, 2018 Curious Objects

In this episode of Curious Objects , Ben Miller takes listeners on a virtual tour of the suite of Gilded Age mansions built for the Vanderbilts, Oelrichs, Astors, and Berwinds in Newport, Rhode Island, by the likes of Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White. These houses—referred to as “cottages” by their nouveau riche owners—have been lovingly maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County. The organization’s CEO and executive director Trudy Coxe, curator of exhibitions Ashley Householder, and curator of historic landscapes and horticulture Jim Donahue give Ben the lowdown on the almost three hundred years of architectural history preserved here . . . and, of course, the strife and scandal that stalked the lives of the houses’ owners (spoiler: murder and rosarians’ shenanigans figure into the chronicle).

Trudy Coxe: You feel that authenticity when you walk through the door of any of our houses. They are not manufactured to look like the colonial or Gilded Age. They are real. And I think that’s what makes Newport really special.

Benjamin Miller: Hello, and welcome to Curious Objects & the stories behind them , brought to you by The Magazine ANTIQUES. I’m Ben Miller, and our curious object, so to speak, isn’t really an object at all—it’s the town of Newport, Rhode Island. I’m going to take you on an adventure through the ambitious architecture, lavish interiors, and the very eccentric lives of the Newport elite. During this episode you’ll hear from official audio guides, docent-led tours, and even from some touring companions of mine. As always, there are pictures online at  themagazineantiques.com/podcast , and, also, on my Instagram @objectiveinterest .

Today’s episode is sponsored by Freeman’s, America’s oldest auction house, located in Center City, Philadelphia. And we have another sponsor: Reynolda House Museum of American Art, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

  The Preservation Society of Newport County is a nonprofit which manages eleven historic properties and eighty acres of landscapes in Newport, Rhode Island. Their historic sites last year attracted over a million visitors. Of the properties under their care, the most well-known are those dating to the Gilded Age in the late nineteenth century when Newport became home, or at least a second home, to a prodigious array of American aristocracy: Astors and Vanderbilts summered here, Edith Wharton’s 1921 novel The Age of Innocence paid tribute to it, and Newport was for a time synonymous with high society, class, and wealth. I’m speaking today with Trudy Coxe, the CEO and executive director of the Preservation Society, Ashley Householder, curator of exhibitions, and Jim Donahue, curator of historic landscapes.

Trudy, I mentioned the Vanderbilts, but who were some of the most prominent families?

The foyer of Marble House, designed by Richard Morris hunt for William K. Vanderbilt and his family and built between 1888 and 1892.  All images courtesy of the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Trudy Coxe: Certainly, several branches of the Vanderbilt family, who built the Elms and Marble House and Rough Point. You had the Berwind family, Philadelphians who ended up building the Elms. There was the Wetmore family that had been around for a good period of time—settled here in the 1850s and 1860s—and then held onto the house that they built, Chateau-sur-Mer, for another hundred-plus years. Much of the collection of Kingscote, a house built in the 1840s, much of that is 100 percent related to the house, so, we’re very fortunate that nothing really had to be brought in to furnish it. So, a lot of names like that. They were hiring the best architects in the world and they were building the biggest summer cottages. Remember, they were only here for six to eight weeks every year but they were building the biggest and the best and they were trying to make the statement that this was the place to be, and, frankly, it still is the place to be.

Benjamin Miller: Let’s hop into Alva Vanderbilt’s so-called “cottage,” Marble House.

And what happened during the Civil War?

Trudy Coxe: Well, what happened during the Civil War depends on where you were in this country. If you were a middle- to upper-class Southerner, it was not unusual for you and your family to head to Europe, primarily Paris, and this is how Alva Vanderbilt, who is the person responsible for Marble House, got her start. Her family escaped to Europe, to Paris, and there, as a young girl, she learned everything French: she learned about French architecture, she learned the language, she learned the art, and when she and her family came back to the United States after the Civil War, in her mind was a French aesthetic. And, so, when she married William Vanderbilt and he gave her that magnificent gift of building a house for her thirty-ninth birthday, she hired Richard Morris Hunt and together they decided that they would model Marble House after the Petit Trianon at Versailles. So, many people from the South were heading to Europe and gaining a European taste to bring back to the United States.

Benjamin Miller: Could you tell me a little bit about the sorts of objects that these people filled their homes with?

Ashley Householder: So, certainly, the best of the best.

Benjamin Miller: That’s Ashley Householder, curator of exhibitions:

Ashley Householder: The Wetmores certainly were world-class travelers and took an extended trip to Europe for a number of years, and they were great collectors, buying the best that Europe had to offer in terms of porcelains and glassware.  There’s a Lyon Mercat suite of furniture at Chateau that we’re very proud of.

Benjamin Miller: And was it all European, or were there also, American sources, Asian sources?

Ashley Householder: Really, only European. They were emulating European royalty, so, they would go on their Grand Tours and bring back the best of the market to showcase their wealth and to show neighbors and friends that they were world travelers.

Benjamin Miller: So, was there any thought to the fact that Newport was in fact this crucible of early American craftsmanship, where some of the great early American decorative arts originated, or did that enter into anyone’s thinking?

Ashley Householder: I think during the Gilded Age it was a different aesthetic. They were building these enormous, gorgeous palaces to emulate what was happening in Europe. So, I do feel that when the Vanderbilts and Berwinds were setting up shop they were more interested in European decorative arts.

Benjamin Miller: Because that was an indication of class, style, and sophistication?

Ashley Householder: That’s right.

Benjamin Miller: Ever wondered about the muses who inspired your favorite artists, or how to start your collection of rare books? Freeman’s, America’s oldest auction house, has been telling the story of curious objects and collections since 1805. Discover Pennsylvania’s craft legacy, go behind the scenes at auctions and exhibitions, learn the science behind colored diamonds, and find out who really owns graffiti. From modern masters to French furniture, Freeman’s brings you the inside story, delivering the latest in art market news and events. I strongly recommend that you sign up for their biweekly newsletter, which you can do at their very spiffy website,  freemansauction.com . The newsletter brings all these stories and knowledge and more to your inbox. Visit Freeman’s at  freemansauction.com  to learn more.

Rosecliff, designed by Stanford White for Theresa Fair Oelrichs, completed in 1902.

Now, I have a personal interest in the aesthetic movement, and we actually handle silver from this period at the firm Shrubsole, where I’m director of research. So, I was intrigued by the current exhibition, curated by Ashley, called Bohemian Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement and Oscar Wilde’s Newport . It’s on display until November 4, so, you do still have time to go see it, on the upper floor of Tessa Oelrich’s mansion, Rosecliff.

This exhibition that’s going on right now . . . Towards the end of the nineteenth century, this movement that we call the aesthetic movement took hold in America, with influences from across Asia and new ideas about incorporating nature into art, decorative arts, etc., and Newport was no exception to the interest in this movement. I’m hoping you can tell me a little bit about what the aesthetic movement meant for Newport, and how on earth that relates to Oscar Wilde.

Ashley Householder: Yes, it’s an interesting story and we’re enjoying having the exhibition at Rosecliff because it does incorporate three of our other properties. We’ve discussed Chateau-sur-Mer, Kingscote, and then the Isaac Bell House, which was built in 1893. As we discussed earlier, Chateau and Kingscote were these earlier properties, but then each family decided to make some renovations, adding whole other wings to the houses. With Kingscote, that happened in 1880–1881, and Chateau in the late 1870s. So, again, these families had the opportunity to really incorporate any sort of furnishing plan or design, or hire any architect that they wanted, and they chose to redesign them in the aesthetic style. And then, the Oscar Wilde connection is interesting because, as you may know, he came on his great North American lecture tour in 1882, which began in New York, and he was already the face of the British aesthetic movement by the time he came here.

Benjamin Miller: Ashley and I walked through the rooms of Rosecliff, seeing beautifully handcrafted works of jewelry, furniture, silver, ceramics—alongside mementoes of Oscar Wilde’s visit to Newport in 1882. This was actually part of a national tour which took the twenty-seven-year-old Wilde across and around the country for eleven months.

How well-known was Oscar Wilde in America in 1882?

Ashley Householder: Well, he was a poet back home and certainly hadn’t written anything yet that we know him for today, but he was a celebrity that people were curious about, so, his fame had preceded him. I think people came to hear him speak more to really catch a glimpse of him and see what he was all about, more than really hearing his thoughts on decorative art or the English Renaissance, which were his two canned lectures when he came.

Teapot designed by James Hadley (1837-1903) for Royal Worcester Porcelain Company, 1882. Glazed and enamel parian ware. The Art Institute of Chicago, Eloise W. Martin Acquisition Fund; restricted gift of Maureen Savaiano, Jamie Maloney, Mr. and Mrs. James Knox, and Mr. and Mrs. Terry, Perucca.

Benjamin Miller: What did he have to say about decorative arts?

Ashley Householder: Well, there are these great accounts of his talk here in Newport, and he spoke at the Casino Theatre on July 15, and there are wonderful newspaper accounts of who was in attendance. He was written about in every newspaper in every city he visited, and his tour was also being covered back home in Ireland. He really was proselytizing for Americans to lead a more beautiful life and to surround themselves with beautiful objects. He talked about seeing commuters in New York beaten down on the train and not taking enough time out of their daily lives to enjoy beauty.

Benjamin Miller: Imagine that.

Ashley Householder: I know, nothing has changed! What would he say today?

Trudy Coxe: Good message, though, good message.

Benjamin Miller: I’m sure that didn’t fall on deaf ears in Newport.

Ashley Householder: And the Vanderbilts came in late, Cornelius and Alice Vanderbilt, who of course would go on to build the Breakers. I like to think that some of Oscar Wilde’s message of aestheticism inspired him or influenced his home decorating.

Benjamin Miller: One thing Oscar Wilde would have found eminently familiar in Newport was the gardens—elaborate, expansive, manicured lawns in various styles but certainly reminiscent of English country estates. No one knows more about these gardens than Jim Donahue.

Jim, we’ve talked about Newport as a place of refuge, and there’s no refuge like the refuge of a curated garden. Tell me a little bit about the land that these homes were situated on and their significance.

Jim Donahue: Well, much like their homes, the residents of the summer cottages extended their want for European environs out to their landscape. So, we have landscapes that are very much like the Elms, which are a mix of Italian and French and all European styles mixed together, and they were meant to grant instant heritage to the people who lived there. Not every property we have is strictly neoclassical. Chateau-sur-Mer is picturesque in the English style, and the Breakers is a mixture of picturesque and neoclassical, so, we have a range that represents how the landscape garden evolved from the mid-nineteenth century through the early twentieth century.

Benjamin Miller: Alongside the landscape design, there was actually some creative botany going on?

Jim Donahue: Quite a bit! Aquidneck Island from colonial days was known to be a great nursery area because the Gulf Stream comes close to the southern tip of the island. We have a very long growing season. I live north of here and the growing season there is much shorter than it is here, the weather is always different here. So, we had vineyards, we had nurseries from the eighteenth century, but during the Gilded Age it really became a hub of plant collecting. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a lot of exploration went on in Asia and new plants were shipped back to America and all of our summer cottage residents were collecting plants just as they did art work or China or anything else that they coveted.

The Elms’ recently-restored sunken classical revival gardens.

Benjamin Miller: Tell me about George Bancroft and his roses.

Jim Donahue: Well, how much time do you have? George Bancroft was truly a character. He was one of the premier historians of the nineteenth century. He wrote a ten-volume treatise on the history of the United States. But his avocation was really roses, and he picked up this hobby when he was in Europe as an ambassador. He was a very close friend of Kaiser Wilhelm, who was a maniacal rose collector, and Kaiser Wilhelm gave him many roses to start.

Benjamin Miller: There was a bit of drama in Bancroft’s life, or around Bancroft’s life . . .

Jim Donahue: Well, there was in more than one way. You’re referring to the American Beauty rose? That’s a long story as well. For the longest time we had attributed the American Beauty rose to being discovered and/or bred at Rosecliff, which turns out not to be the case. It actually was a product of his Washington DC gardener, who had been given the challenge by Bancroft to come up with the first red hybrid perpetual rose that could be grown under glass, because at that time you couldn’t have roses in winter that were red. They just didn’t exist. So, Bancroft gave that challenge to his Washington DC gardener and somehow a French rose was renamed the American Beauty rose and was marketed as the American Beauty rose. We don’t know if it was mislabeled or his gardener was trying to pull a fast one, but when Bancroft died the gardener had the four original American Beauty roses—they had not yet been commercially propagated—and his wife sold them for a pittance to a grower in Maryland without his knowledge. And he lost all rights to the American Beauty rose. He ended up on the streets. It was a really sad story.

Benjamin Miller: I promise I’ll get away from Bancroft in just a second, but I also want to get into the sordid details of the Parkman murder.

Jim Donahue: Oh, wow. How do you know that?

Trudy Coxe: We try to keep that a secret around here!

Benjamin Miller: Heading into dangerous territory. This was a little grizzly.

Jim Donahue: This was a little grizzly and, you know, it wasn’t . . . I had been looking at the Newport atlas, trying to figure out what the original layout of the Bancroft rose garden was, and in the 1876 Newport atlas it showed a plot of land in front of Rosecliff, fronting Bellevue Avenue, that said “Eliza Parkman of Boston.” No other women were listed on this deed, and I thought that was interesting but I also knew the name Parkman because of Francis Parkman and I thought, “well, it can’t be the same Parkman.” And, so, I started to read into it a little bit, and it turns out that Eliza Parkman was Francis Parkman’s aunt by marriage. Francis Parkman was the premier rosarian in the United States during the nineteenth century. He also was a Harvard historian, like George Bancroft. They were colleagues. Bancroft was Parkman’s mentor in terms of his history research, but Bancroft also promoted Parkman’s research into roses. To make a long story short, Parkman’s uncle was the victim of a notorious murder at the Harvard Medical School, by Professor Webster, who was a chemist and chemical professor. Dr. Webster owed Mr. Parkman the elder about $4,000. It was money with interest. At that time that would have equaled about $60,000-plus.

Benjamin Miller: Not nothing.

Jim Donahue: Not nothing. So, it was a day before Thanksgiving, 1849. Mr. Parkman went to see Mr. Webster and demand payment, Mr. Webster panicked and killed him and dismembered him and burned his body in the lab.

Benjamin Miller: Is that all?

Jim Donahue: His body was found in the privy of Harvard Medical School by the janitor and the only way they were able to identify his body was by a pair of nineteenth century dentures. This was the first American case that used forensic evidence to convict someone.

East façade of the Breakers. Cornelius Vanderbilt II commissioned Hunt to design the Italian Renaissance–style palazzo in 1893. The building was completed in 1895.

Benjamin Miller: Ok, so, that story wasn’t strictly about Newport, but I couldn’t resist adding a wonderfully gruesome episode like that to the podcast. On that note, I want to take a minute, as I do every episode, to thank you very much for listening. If you like what you’re hearing, spread the word! A great and easy way to do that is to leave a rating and a review on iTunes . Or tell a friend or colleague about Curious Objects ! As always, I love hearing your feedback, so, please send me an email with your thoughts, comments, and suggestions to  [email protected] . Or connect with me on Instagram @objectiveinterest .

Our second sponsor for this episode is Reynolda House Museum of American Art, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Reynolda House is more than just an elegant 1917 historic estate. It’s also home to a compelling and surprisingly wide-ranging collection of fine and decorative arts. Now, if you listen to this podcast, you probably already like house museums. But Reynolda House goes beyond the typical displays of period furniture and old portraits. When you visit, you’ll find thought-provoking objects like American artist Martin Johnson Heade’s most famous orchid and hummingbird painting, tobacco baron R. J. Reynolds’s mink coat, and century-old farm buildings now serving crepes and rosé. For any other museums out there listening, let me just say that this is a great idea. They also have a brand-new app you can download called Reynolda Revealed, which takes you on a virtual tour of the museum and grounds. I downloaded that myself and had a lot of fun with it—I highly recommend checking it out at  reynolda.org , and, of course, planning your visit to the house in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. That’s r-e-y-n-o-l-d-a.org .

The Breakers’ boiler room.

Benjamin Miller: You’ve recently undertaken a restoration of the boiler room, in sort of the underbelly of the Breakers. What for? What did you discover during that restoration process?

Trudy Coxe: When the first Breakers burned down and Cornelius Vanderbilt was planning the second house in 1892, his main emphasis was to separate the boiler from the house. That was paramount in his planning for the building. And, so, the boiler room is three hundred–plus feet away from the house, under a cottage, that, for all intents and purposes, is a cottage that hides a chimney from the boiler room. That’s really what it is. It’s at the front gates of the Breakers. The boiler room was in very bad shape. It flooded all the time and every one of the beams was rusted out, but we thought it would be a pretty interesting room to see, and an interesting story, and we began to think: wouldn’t it be fun to take people from the boiler room through that tunnel and then take them through the basement?

You know, when you think about it, back in 1895, how did the heat get into all seventy rooms? How did you get water to all the bathrooms and the kitchen? How did the elevators work? It’s an interesting technology story. I think it’s so amusing that we found a letter that Cornelius Vanderbilt wrote to many of his friends saying, “I’ve heard about this man named Thomas Edison, and I’ve heard about this new thing called electricity, and I think it might be valuable if we would all get together and meet with him and learn more.”

Benjamin Miller: Now, the infrastructure supporting the operation of these mansions wasn’t just mechanical and technological. The most important support, of course, was the enormous staff dedicated to making each house and each party run smoothly. And any discussion of the Gilded Age has to acknowledge the chasm between the lifestyles of the elite and those of the people who served them—not to mention the workforce whose labor built the wealth of these powerful families. It doesn’t take too much imagination to find parallels between their economic times and ours.

I want to talk a little bit about the social and socioeconomic dynamic that’s happening at this time, because the Gilded Age was a period of civil unrest and strife, with riots in New York and elsewhere, and labor disputes leading to violent confrontations around the country. How did life in Newport relate to that struggle, that dynamic? Was Newport a refuge for the elite from that kind of difficulty, or did some of that seep through the cracks here as well?

Trudy Coxe: It was absolutely a refuge, except for the fact that Mr. Berwind did face a strike by his staff at the Elms, where they all walked out on him because they were unhappy with the working conditions. Imagine, in Newport during the height of summer, there was a lot of entertaining. Every night there was a party somewhere. Somebody was having a dinner, somebody was having a dinner dance, your whole day was filled with recreation, from morning tennis to swims at Bailey’s Beach, to getting on a coach in the afternoon with four horses pulling you along, showing off your finery. It must have been an exhausting period of time for those who were partaking, but, also, for the workers. But, in general, this was a place where you could get away from the world-weary world and enjoy yourself. That’s how they were living their lives. That strike at the Elms didn’t last very long, he just brought in a whole new team of people and kept going on.

Benjamin Miller: That was easy, huh?

Trudy Coxe: Yeah! The other thing is that from an economic perspective, these families were hiring a lot of local people for fairly short periods of time. So, their work for the family, for maybe two months maximum, probably paid for the whole year. I guess there was a weighing in the minds of people who were working for the families that—even though, yes, New York was a different place, and, yes, Chicago is a different place—that I have to sow while the sun is shining, this is when I’m going to, you know, make things good for my family for the rest of the year. So, there may have been a dynamic amongst the workers here that said, “we’re just going to work even if we’re unhappy.”

Cabinet by the Herter Brothers, 1875. Ebonized and parcel-gilt wood, marquetry, painted panels, gilt-metal and glass. The Richard H. Driehaus Museum; photograph courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2009 .

Benjamin Miller: Well, that’s one possibility. My friend Zack Mitchell had another idea.

Trudy, how is it that many of these great mansions have now come to be museums, rather than homes for today’s 1% or .1%?

Trudy Coxe: The history of the organization and how we have acquired all eleven properties is really a fascinating one, because it started in the 1940s when a colonial house down on the waterfront, Hunter House, was really in distress and the rumor around town was that the magnificent panels from the interior of the house were going to be taken out of the house and reinstalled at the Met. Some people say this story is not true. People from the Met say it’s not true. We all say it is true. And a group of people, primarily women, rose up and said those panels are Newport’s heritage. They don’t belong anywhere else. And the way to save them would be to save the house. So, they went on a campaign and bought Hunter House. But Hunter House at that point had no furniture, and it also needed a tremendous amount of work to be preserved. So, the next campaign was to begin to restore the house. And of course there wasn’t a whole lot of money around, so, Katherine Warren, our founder, went on a campaign to get her friends interested in the colonial part of Newport and in the Hunter House specifically, and she entered into an agreement with her very good friend Countess Széchenyi, who owned the Breakers, and who offered to open up the first floor of the Breakers to tours for a dollar and the money raised from those tours would be plowed into the restoration of Hunter House. What a phenomenal thing to do! A great act of philanthropy by the Vanderbilt family (she was a direct descendant, Countess Széchenyi). And, so, she’s now living on the second and third floors and her first floor is open up for tours and that resulted in a lot of interest in Newport in general. And then in the early 1960s Harold Vanderbilt bought Marble House from the Prince family. His family had lived in it previously and sold it to the Princes. He bought it back and gave it to the preservation society, and then Chateau-sur-Mer came along, and other houses came along over a period of time, some of which were given to us, some of which were sold to us. And here we are today with eleven historic houses representing a range from the 1740s all the way through 1902. Every style of domestic American architecture is on view here in Newport, all within walking distance. I think what’s so unique about Newport, as opposed to Sturbridge or Plymouth or Williamsburg—no disparagement meant here at all . . . but every single one of our houses is real. It was houses that were lived in, worked in, and entertained in, and you feel that authenticity when you walk through the door of any of our houses. They are not manufactured to look like the colonial or Gilded Age. They are real. And I think that’s what makes Newport really special.

Benjamin Miller: What have we missed? What should we cover that we haven’t covered? Did we say everything that needs to be said?

Trudy Coxe: We could talk for hours. That’s not a good question to ask us, Ben, because we really could talk for hours!

Benjamin Miller: Well, thank you all so much for joining me. It has been a real pleasure.

All : Thank you.

Benjamin Miller: And thanks again to all of you for listening! I’d like to thank our sponsors once more, Freeman’s Auction House and Reynolda House. And a huge thank you to the Preservation Society of Newport County for making this episode possible. Don’t forget to send me your feedback at  [email protected] , and don’t forget to subscribe and rate Curious Objects on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Today’s episode was edited and produced by Sammy Dalati, our music is by Trap Rabbit, and I’m your host, Ben Miller.

Trudy Coxe.

Trudy Coxe is the CEO and executive director of the Preservation Society of Newport County. She oversees a collection of eleven historic house museums, including seven National Historic Landmarks, spanning nearly three hundred years of American architectural history.

Jim Donahue.

Jim Donahue is curator of historic landscapes and horticulture for the Preservation Society of Newport County, implementing and managing a program to assure excellence in the restoration, presentation, and public enjoyment of the historic gardens, landscapes and horticulture of the Newport Mansions.

Ashley Householder.

Ashley Householder is curator of exhibitions for the Preservation Society of Newport County and is responsible for developing and producing in-house, borrowed, and traveling exhibitions. Her current exhibition, Bohemian Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement and Oscar Wilde’s Newport is displayed in the galleries at Rosecliff.

For more  Curious Objects  with Benjamin Miller, listen to us on  iTunes  or  SoundCloud . If you have any questions or comments, send us an email at  [email protected] .

Photos of the Sparkling Breakers Mansion in Newport at Christmas

cWe’ve learned from experience that some places on Earth just know how to show up for Christmas and winter holiday season. Like New York City. London. Paris. And Newport, Rhode Island. We visited recently to see the historic Gilded Age mansions decorated in their holiday best. If you can’t make it there yourself, have a virtual Christmas holiday tour with our best photos of the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island while decorated with lights and trees, inside and out. It’s a simple, traditional and beautiful way to experience the holidays this year.

Majestic mansions are part of the lure of Newport, Rhode Island

There are many good reasons to escape to Newport for a long weekend – the charming town, the beaches, the sailing, the food and drink. Even the shopping is better than you might expect. But for some, it’s all about the mansions.

Newport is renowned for its numerous 19th and early 20th century summer “cottages,” which were built by many of the country’s wealthiest families, and represent some of the finest examples of residential architecture of the era.

It’s amusing (or maybe infuriating?) that these grand homes weren’t even the primary residences of their owners. Most were occupied only for the summer, after which the families would return to palatial residences in New York or Boston.

Still, if you can put your opinions about capitalism, class and privilege aside for an hour or so, there’s a lot of fun to be had visiting these majestic homes. Imagining the parties, the frocks, the flowers and the swanky cocktails is a lovely daydream. Architecture aficionados will find lots to see and learn about. And the people-watching is first rate.

Are you in? Then come along, dear reader.

if you tour one Newport mansion, make it The Breakers

If you can only visit one of these historic and iconic mansions when you’re in town, make it The Breakers.

The entrance to the Breakers mansion in Newport a the Christmas holiday season. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

a christmas visit to a marvelous mansion

It’s a spectacular experience any time of year, and even more so at the Christmas holiday season. The grandeur and beauty of the house alight with holiday lights will provide a visceral sense of life during the Gilded Age that would be hard to achieve any other way.

The Christmas holiday poinsettia tree at the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Breakers is a four-story mansion built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his wife Alice as a summer home. Located on 14 acres on Ochre Point Avenue, the cliff-side site provides a stunning view of the coastline. Because of its rich history and architectural importance, the house is designated a National Historic Landmark.

Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Breakers in Newport decorated for the Christmas holidays. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system, Cornelius Vanderbilt II was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built the family’s fortune first in steamships and later in the railroad business.

A Christmas holiday tour with our best photos of the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island decorated with lights and trees inside and out. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

the most opulent of the gilded age mansions of newport

The Breakers is by far the most opulent of Newport’s mansions, intentionally designed to stand as a marker of the Vanderbilt family’s superior social and financial status.

Historians note that Vanderbilt’s younger brother William and his wife Alva built Marble House on nearby Bellevue Avenue – it reigned supreme as the best home in Newport until the Breakers was built .  Nothing like sibling rivalry to get a good real estate competition going.

Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.`

In 1893, Richard Morris Hunt won the commission to build a new villa on the site of a mansion that was destroyed by fire in the previous year. It’s worth noting that just as this project began, Vanderbilt II was finishing an expansion of his Fifth Avenue mansion, which made it the largest private home in New York City’s history.

Photos of the Luxurious Breakers Mansion in Newport

The exterior.

The imposing façade of The Breakers is made of brick faced with Indiana limestone. Because of the effort of 2,000 workers who toiled in both day and night shifts, the 70-room, 125,000 square foot Italian Renaissance- style palazzo took only 2 years to complete.

For the nighttime “Sparkling Lights” display, the façade is awash in a rainbow of festive colors. Santa is – of course – stationed squarely in front of the portico, happily taking photos with the guests.

The Public Rooms

The Breakers mansion is modeled after the 16th-century palaces and villas of Genoa and the surrounding region. Those homes celebrated the architecture of ancient Rome, and that spirit permeates the Breakers, too.

Inside, you’ll find period furnishings, gold filigree, carved wood, marble, platinum walls, a bubbling fountain and numerous paintings. The net effect is like being teleported to Italy – never a bad thing, if you ask us.

The Great Hall

The opulence and grandeur of life among the wealthy in the Gilded Age is on full display in the Great Hall, the first area that visitors see as they enter the villa.

The Breakers, Newport, Rhode Island, at Christmas holiday. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

There are loggias on the first and second floors, defined by marble arches. The public rooms are symmetrically arrayed around the Great Hall.

Because the Breakers is open to the public year-round, concerts are held in the spectacular Great Hall during the annual summer Newport Music Festival and during the holiday season.

The Breakfast Room, Dining Room, Billiards Room and the Music Room

Wander through the rooms adjacent to the Great Hall on the first floor, and you’ll get a sense of the social events the Vanderbilt family hosted during the Roaring 20’s and beyond.

The Breakfast Room at the Breakers in Newport. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Dining Room at the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The home’s first floor also houses an extensive library and a billiards room.

The Billiards Room at the Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Music Room completes the circuit of the Great Hall and the public entertaining spaces at the mansion.

The Music Room at the Breakers mansion in Newport decorated for the Christmas holiday. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Music Room. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

There’s a magnificent outdoor terrace on the first floor with a spectacular view of the ocean below the cliffs.

The view from the terrace of the Breakers in Newport. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

The Family Quarters

Famed Boston architect and designer Ogden Codman, Jr. decorated the family quarters on the second and third floors of the villa. Each bedroom on the second floor features a unique Christmas tree, with whimsical ornaments that communicate the spirit of the various occupants.

the Countess’s bedroom

The first room on the tour is a dreamy child’s room, with a tree filled with ribbons and gingerbread figures. And of course, stockings for Santa on the mantle.

The Countess’s bedroom at the Breakers mansion. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

Ornament on the tree in the Countess’s bedroom at the Breakers mansion. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

Mr. Vanderbilt’s bedroom

The bedroom occupied by Cornelius Vanderbilt is decked out for the Christmas holiday with a tree that could only belong here. It’s topped by a top hat. And features trains as a nod to one of the sources of Vanderbilt’s wealth.

Vanderbilt’s bedroom at the Breakers mansion. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

A pink paradise

In an adjacent room, the vibe is feminine and refined, with floral brocade linens and wallpaper. The tree is electric pink, adorned with ornaments made of feathers and other sparkly things.

Ornament in a bedroom at the Breakers. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

the guest bedroom

The designated bedroom for visitors is hushed and serene. The tree in this room nods to the forest and the verdant landscape surrounding the mansion.

Ornament in the guest bedroom at the Breakers. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room

If you ask us, Mrs. V definitely claimed the loveliest and most gracious space for herself.

Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedroom at the Breakers in Newport decorated for the Christmas holiday. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

We like to imagine her peeping over the railing to see who’s arrived for the splashy event in the Great Hall.

The upper floors of the mansion are closed to the public. Interestingly, until 2018, the great-grandchildren of the original owners of The Breakers lived on the third floor.

The Kitchen and Butler’s Pantry

Having lost the previous house on the property to fire, Vanderbilt and his architect took numerous precautions to guard against a repeat of that outcome.

For example, they decided to build the kitchen in a separate space with a bit of distance from the main house. If you love copper pots (and we do), this is a space in which to linger and marvel.

The kitchen at the Breakers decorated for the holidays. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.

Note the surfing starfish on one of the trees in the kitchen. Elementary school-age children were invited to decorate each tree with a maritime theme. Surf’s up!!!

The Gardens and Grounds

After touring the mansion itself, lots of people explore the surrounding gardens and the expansive front lawn.

The Historic Preservation Society is currently in the midst of a 5-year restoration project of the original elements of the grounds at the Breakers. But there’s still plenty of lovely green space to explore.

That’s our virtual tour with photos of the luxurious Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, including the house and gardens. What do you think? Ready for a visit back in time to the Gilded Age?

The Breakers is open daily at 10 a.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. The house and grounds close at 5 p.m. except on nights when the Sparkling Lights exhibit is on display.

Pamela Thomas-Graham

Pamela Thomas-Graham is the Founder & CEO of Dandelion Chandelier. She serves on the boards of several tech companies, and was previously a senior executive in finance, media and fashion, and a partner at McKinsey & Co.

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