Which Mansions Should I visit?

One of the most popular thing to do in Newport is to visit the Mansions. Self-guided audio tours are provided at The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House and Rosecliff. Colonial, Victorian, the Gilded Age – Newport has it all – Newport showcased a display of wealth during the Gilded Aged of the late 19^th Century, and these summer homes. The Preservation Society offers visitors a variety of affordable ticket and membership packages. Since you only have a limited time in Newport, here are some of the more popular one.

• The Breakers
• The Elms
• Marble House
• Rosecliff
• Rough Point (Doris Duke) Seperate fee.

Newport’s ultimate “summer cottage” – The Breakers

The Breakers mansion is the crown jewel of Newport Rhode Island mansions. It is the most popular attraction in the entire state of Rhode Island (300,000 visitors annually). Built in just two years (1893-1895) at a cost of over 7 million dollars (equivalent to over $150 million today), this National Historic Landmark was the summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

The Elms – modeled after the French Château d’Asnières

The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d’Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris.

Marble House – Over 500,000 cubic feet of marble!

Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt.  It was a summer house, or “cottage”, as Newporters called them . The cost of the house was reported in contemporary press accounts to be $11 million, of which $7 million was spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble.

Rosecliff – based on the French Grand Trianon at Versailles

You may recognize Rosecliff from a couple of great Hollywood films, The Great Gatsby (starring Robert Redford) and True Lies (starring Arnold Schwarzenneger).

Along with Mrs. Astor’s Beechwood mansion, Rosecliff was probably the scene of some of Newport’s most lavish parties during the Gilded Age.

Doris Duke’s Rough Point – view from Newport Cliff Walk

The oceanfront estate of Doris Duke—heiress, philanthropist, and art collector—still decorated as she left it with French furniture, European art, Chinese porcelains, and Flemish tapestries.  [seperate entrance fee.]