Newport Mansion: Marble House
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Marble House is a Newport mansion built by a Vanderbilt captain of industry. The palatial vacation home helped transform a sleepy summer resort into a luxurious playground for America’s Gilded-Age capitalists. Today, the home is an historical museum, and touring it is one of the most interesting things to do in Newport, Rhode Island.
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LOGISTICS
Location: 596 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
Museum Tours: Tours are self-guided (paper guide or free audio guide app). A children’s tour for visitors under 13 is also available. Plan for 45 minutes to 1 hours to tour the house and grounds.
Hours: Open for admission daily. In season – 10am to 5pm. Off season – 10am to 4pm.
Cost: Adults $20.00, Youth (6-17) $8.00. (Prices accurate as of post-date.)
Parking: Free off-street parking is available.
Special Events: Specialty tours of the house and grounds are available throughout the year. During the holidays the house is typically decorated for the season through January, 1st.
HISTORY OF MARBLE HOUSE
In 1888, William Vanderbilt commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to build a summer home for his family. The resulting 50-room Beau Arts manor was modeled after a palace in Versailles. Its rise incited a flurry of new villa-style “summer cottages” in Newport RI (including the Breakers Mansion built by William’s brother).
At the time it was completed in 1892, the mansion was considered to be the most opulent in all of America. A massive exterior portico was evocative of the White House. Inside the mansion, around 7-million dollars was spent on African, Italian, and American marble.
The U-shaped “cottage” has 4-floors. There are service rooms in the basement, reception rooms on the ground floor, family bedrooms on the second floor, and servant quarters on the third floor. When the house opened, it employed some 33 servants to keep the Vanderbilt family comfortable.
William's wife, Alva Vanderbilt, held the deed to the house. It was a gift from William on her 39th birthday. Alva is said to have seen the property as her, “temple to the arts.” From the house’s Grand Salon, Alva positioned herself as a premiere Newport hostess, and launched the three Vanderbilt children into society.
When Alva and William divorced in 1895, Alva remarried (and moved down the street). Upon the death of her second husband, Alva reopened Marble House and built the famous Chinese Tea House at the edge of the ocean. From the Tea House, she hosted women’s suffrage protests and rallies.
In 1932, Alva moved to Paris where she lived the remainder of her life. Before she died, she sold Marble House to Frederick Prince. The Prince family owned the home for more than 30 years, and then sold the mansion to the Newport Preservation Society. In 2006, the house was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Many films and television shows have used the present-day historical museum (Marble House) as a filming location. It has appeared in 3-films, The Great Gatsby, Amistad, and 27 Dresses as well as The Buccaneers TV miniseries and a Victoria’s Secret commercial.
MANSION MAIN ROOMS
Stair Hall & Marble Hallway
The doors to the main entryway at Marble House historical museum are adorned with the letters “WV,” and weigh around 1.5 tons each. Visitors enter the Stair Hall. The two-story room is bathed in amber marble. It is set off by a grand staircase and French doors that let in the light. On the ceiling there is a painting of classical Gods and Goddesses.
The corridors surrounding the Stair Hall are made of Italian marble and decorated with elaborate molding, sconces, paintings, sculpture, and other artwork.
Dining Room
The stately dining room is swathed in shades of rose, red, and gold. Much of the rose marble throughout the room was imported from Algeria. The ceiling has a mural of an 18th century hunting and fishing scene. The fireplace is a replica of one at the Palace of Versailles.
Gothic Room
Entering the Gothic Room, cathedral-like stained glass windows frame the space. The parlor was a space to display the family’s treasures, including Alva's collection of Medieval and Renaissance objects. The fireplace was copied from the Palais Jacques Coeur in Bourges, France. The Gothic room is quite unique, and part of what makes Marble Head such a great Newport, RI attraction.
Grand Salon
The Grand Salon was the ultimate Gilded-Age show place. The walls were covered in carved wood and gold-gilt panels embellished in mythological scenes. The space was warmed with green silk and velvet upholstery. The ceiling, portraying Minerva, was modeled after the Queen’s bedroom at Versailles. The room was used for balls, concerts, and receptions.
In July of 1957, Tiffany and Company used the Grand Salon for their Tiffany Ball. The ball was held to benefit the Preservation Society of Newport. Guests included (then) Senator John F. Kennedy, and his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy as well as many other scions of society.
Library
Carved walnut was used to build the walls and bookshelves of the library / morning room. The morning room was a place for the lady of the house to organize herself for the day. It was also a space for the family to gather during the daylight hours to read and socialize.
Bedrooms
As you climb the Grand Staircase to the second floor on the home, the corridors and hallways between bedrooms are some of the grandest spaces in the home.
On the second floor of Marble House, you will find the bedrooms of William, Alva, and their children.
Alva’s bedroom is decorated in the style of Louis XIV. On the circular ceiling there is a mural of Athena (copied from a library in Venice).
On the second level, there is a room dedicated to the family’s yachting trophies.
Kitchen
The tour takes visitors from the second floor down a winding staircase to the basement of the home where the kitchen and other service areas were housed. The kitchen was used to feed the family and guests. It was not unusual for the kitchen to produce meals for hundreds of people at a time.
Gift Shop and Grounds
As you leave the kitchen area, the tour goes through a gift shop and out a side door of the mansion. Take time to walk the grounds. The back yard leads to ocean cliffs, and the famous Newport Chinese Tea House. Originally located near the cliffs, the Tea House was later moved further back on the property. In the Chinese Tea House, Alva Vanderbilt organized for the women's right to vote.
Cheerio! Laura and Randy
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