The Breakers - Newport, RI

Day 6 - Part 3 - Wednesday - September 14

EC/NE Camping Adventure 2022

Our final Newport, RI mansion to visit on this day is The Breakers!

It is considered the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial pre-eminence in the Gilded Age.

This house is amazingly immense! In the central grand hall of the home, the ceilings are 50’! Can you imagine cleaning that?! In many cases, the upkeep in these mansions is what led to their demise and facing demolition. If not for the Newport Mansion Preservation Society, many would not be here today.

The Breakers was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, one of the richest men in America, It was everything a millionaire of the Gilded Age could want in a summer getaway. A classic Italian palazzo design, the finest American and European craftsmanship, views of the sea, and modern technology combined to make the ideal setting for luxurious living and entertaining.

Built from 1893-1895 to replace a smaller, wooden house that had been destroyed by fire. Alice Vanderbilt, wife of Cornelius, commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt, a leading architect of the Gilded Age, to design the new structure of steel, brick and limestone. She had watched Alva Vanderbilt rise to social prominence with the building of her home, Marble House, and badly wanted to show Newport that SHE was the queen of the Vanderbilt family.

The mansion itself covers nearly an acre of the 13-acre property and has 70 rooms including 48 bedrooms for family and staff. There are 27 fireplaces. It was equipped with electricity – still a novelty in houses during the Gilded Age.

One highlight for us on this visit to The Breakers was to plan a picnic for the grounds. It was absolutely perfect! AND, we had very kind couple come up and ask us if they could take our photo for us! Turns out, they were from Indiana too!! We Hoosiers are a friendly bunch, you know. 🥰

We were excited to visit the mansions this time around knowing that several scenes from the HBO series, The Gilded Age, were filmed. I cannot wait until they resume the series early next year!

Marble House - Newport, RI

Day 6 - Part 2 - Wednesday - September 14

EC/NE Camping Adventure 2022

Our second mansion of the day - Marble House - was once the summer residence of W.K. (Willie) Vanderbilt and his wife, Alva.

First, if you are not familiar with Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, I highly recommend you read “Alva”. This lady was absolutely fascinating!! She is described as a “fiery, flamboyant redhead” - maybe that’s part of the reason I like her so much. 🥰😁

Shortly after marrying Willie Vanderbilt, grandson of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, in 1875, she conceived Marble House. She hired architect Richard Morris Hunt, and together they would design a “summer home” that was unrivaled in it’s time. She would later be celebrated for her design work for this home and other architectural projects by being awarded membership into the American Institute of Architects, becoming one of the first female members!

Marble House was completed in 1892 at the estimated cost of $11 million! The marble alone was estimated to cost over $7 million! Today, the figure would be closer to around $388 million in total worth!! 😳😳😳

The home was comprised of 50 rooms and it required a staff of 36 servants (butlers, maids, footmen, coachmen, cooks) to handle the daily chores. The home was given to Alva by Willie as a gift for her 39th birthday.

Now, let’s talk more about Alva. This woman was a social dynamo, and elevated herself into the very top of Newport society. I’m not sure what she had on Willie, but in 1895 she divorced him, which was truly scandalous in those days. Women just didn’t do that then! She walked away from the Vanderbilt family with Marble House, custody of all three children, and support of $100,000 a year, AND she retained her social status! Then she did the unthinkable of marrying yet another Newport millionaire, Oliver Belmont. Still, this woman survived the scandal and thrived in the social circles of her time.

She became a fierce champion of women’s rights, and would later give much of her wealth to this important cause.

If you are a fan of The Gilded Age TV series (I’m obsessed) on HBO, the main female character, Mrs George (Bertha) Russell, is obviously a nod to Alva.

It is going to be interesting to see just HOW closely they tie this character’s life to Alva as the series plays out. 😁

Next up! The third and final home we visit on this day is The Breakers - summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his wife, Alice.

The Elms - Newport

Day 6 - Part 1 - Wednesday - September 14

EC/NE Camping Adventure 2022

Mansion hopping day! We are always amazed by the lavish and ornate Newport Mansions. We have visited twice before, but still couldn’t pass up a chance to admire them again.

Our first of three mansions we visited this day was The Elms.

The Elms was constructed from 1899 to 1901, for coal baron Edward Berwin and his wife Sarah. It cost approximately 1.5 million dollars to build (that is equivalent to just over $50 million in today’s dollars). The Elms features French architectural design, recreating the romantic atmosphere of an 18th century French chateau.

The Berwind family began spending summers in Newport in the 1890s. By 1898, it was clear that their original property (a small traditional beach cottage) was too small for the grand parties the Berwinds were having, and so they had the place torn down. Berwind hired Horace Trumbauer to build a much larger house, better fitting his status. Like many of the grandest summer residents of Newport, Edward Berwind was "new money" (his parents were middle-class German immigrants); by 1900 his friends included Theodore Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany as well as many high-ranking government leaders from Europe and America. At this time Berwind was hailed as "one of the 58 men who rule America", making him one of Newport's most important summer residents.

Berwind was interested in technology, and The Elms was one of the first houses in America to be wired for electricity with no form of backup system. The house also included one of the first electrical ice makers. It was one of the most sophisticated houses of the time.[6] When The Elms opened in 1901 the Berwinds held a huge party.

During the next 20 years, Berwind's wife, Sarah, would spend the summers there, the season being from the 4th of July to the end of August; Berwind would come out only on weekends, for his coal-mining interests kept him in New York during the week. Did you catch that?? They lived in this lavish home for only about two months out of the year. TWO MONTHS. 😳 I think that is what fascinates me most about these mansions, they were just summer homes for these mega-rich families that were built to basically impress and outdo their neighbors.

Next up? Marble House - summer home of W.K. & Alva Vanderbilt.

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