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Newport – Day 3…. in which we see how the other half lives.

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Newport, Rhode Island is famous for many things but no visit to the area is complete without touring the “cottages”.

And by cottages, I mean American castles.

Built by the fabulously wealthy of the Gilded Age they line the waterfront of Bellevue Avenue and are a testament to what life without property and income tax provided the robber barons of their day.

Grandest of the grand is The Breakers.

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Built by premier architect Richard Morris Hunt in 1893 for Cornelius Vanderbilt, it has 70 rooms and a total of 138,300 interior square feet.

Occupied for a short summer season of 6-8 weeks, the Newport “cottages” were the epitome of excess and a symbol of financial power in an era where the haves had a lot, and the have nots were laboring hard to keep them rich.

In true WTH? husband fashion, my spouse directed me to take a picture of the gutter at the front entrance.

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Walking through the colossal front doors, you enter the Great Hall.

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The largest room in the house….

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It’s 50 feet long by 50 feet high. And even though we’d just started our self guided tour, my husband found people to talk to.

Sigh.

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Vanderbilt children slid down these stairs on solid silver trays.

As one does.

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Under the stairs?

A fountain.

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Next door was the formal dining room, which was impressive enough for even my husband to break out his camera.

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It’s hard to imagine sitting down for your morning bowl of frosted flakes on Louis XV furniture, but to each their own.

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12 rose colored columns of solid alabaster draw your eye up to the beyond ornate detailing.

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And bracket what I’m assuming is the largest salad bowl ever.

Here’s a quick video for scale.

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I have to admit the Vanderbilt pool table is a little bigger than ours.

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And their hand cut marble mosaic walls and ceilings are a trifle more colorful than our man cave walls.

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Saying ooh and ahh is trite…

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But as you stroll through this place you simply can’t help yourself.

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Take the music room for example….

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Gold and silver leaf, crystal chandeliers, silk draperies. The walls, ceiling, floor and furniture were all built in France and imported to Newport for installation.

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The morning room.

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Just a comfy little nook for your first cup of Joe.

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And yes, that’s platinum on the walls.

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To be continued…

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29 thoughts on “Newport – Day 3…. in which we see how the other half lives.”

  1. I have to agree with the husband – that’s some downspout.
    Salad bowl, or baptismal font?
    Wow. Just wow. “Grand” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Ostentatious waste of money aside, it’s gorgeous. One of the complaints I sometimes have about European castles that we tour is the lack of furnishings. Not so here, so yay.
    And I know the Barn Mahal doesn’t quite live up to this place, but if you’re aiming to try to narrow the gap, I’d say start with a bust of your husband. It can add stately gravitas to any room. You can use the money you get after your Antiques Roadshow item gets valued at a cool million.

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    1. We visited three of these homes and with the exception of one, all the original furnishings were donated by the families… and you’re right it makes a big difference to the feel of the tour. People lived here, if only for a few weeks.

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      1. All the home lacks is that cozy cabin feel. But I think with the right butler, lady’s maid, and army of other staff, you could go a long way toward achieving that feeling. After all, it’s the people who make a house a home.

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  4. The other half? Shirley, you can’t be serious. I once worked on a bathroom sink built into a Louis XIV cabinet. The upstairs maid led the way. I had to wear white cotton gloves to touch anything. That was wealth to me. You could (almost) put her house in the dining room of the one you were in.

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  9. I’m with Ren on this one, just because they had the money doesn’t mean they had the taste to decorate. I’m pretty sure they went off of what the decorators of the period told them was “the in thing” to do. But it’s kind of gaudy and ugly to me. I’d take the Barn Mahal any day compared to this place 😉

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  11. They definitely knew how to live way more extravagantly than necessary! I won’t lie, I am in awe of your experience.

    Have you ever been to Providence? My paternal family originated there. I haven’t been since Grandpa passed in the early 1990s.

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