There are so many wonderfully beautiful grand mansions in Newport, Rhode Island – some from the Victorian Age and some from the Gilded Age. I have had the great opportunity of visiting them a couple times over the years and thought it would be cool to look at the history of some of these mansions over the next few weeks and tour them a little bit.
The Front of the Breakers as you proceed up the driveway
Photos by Me
The most renowned of the mansions is The Breakers, located at 44 Ochre Point Ave. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, his wife, Alice, and seven children resided in this 70 room “cottage” 2-3 months out of the year.
Left: Cornelius Vanderbilt II Right: Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The house was built in 1893 by architect Richard Morris Hunt in the style of an Italian palazzo. The first and second floors were primarily used for the family, while the third floor, attic, and basement were primarily for the servants and additional bedrooms. The Breakers sits right on the Cliff Walk and faces out toward the Atlantic Ocean.
The back lawn and view of the Breakers from the lawn.
Photos by Me
Vanderbilt died 4 years after the completion of the house. Upon his death, ownership of The Breakers passed on to his wife Alice until her death in 1934 and then to their daughter Gladys. In 1972, the Newport Preservation Society purchased the home, allowing the family to continue to live on the third floor.
Also part of the Breakers property, is the Carriage House, located down the street where the horses and carriages were kept. Family members could call down and request a carriage or Alice would send down her schedule book with times to have the carriage requested.
The Breakers is the most visited mansion of the Newport Mansions and is open daily as a single house visit or part of the Gilded Age tour package. You can read more about The Breakers at the Newport Preservation Society page.
They don’t typically allow photography or videography inside the mansion, so the video I found only is of the outside and the grounds.
However, when we attended for Christmas, we were allowed to take some photos of the decorations.
The Great Hall of The Breakers for Christmas
Photos by Me
Can you imagine living here? Have you visited The Breakers?
Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court
The Breakers seems to have been mentioned in several of the books I've read, but I really didn't know much about it. Interesting post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just love learning about locations as opposed to people.
DeleteI've been there and to several of the other mansions. Glorious excess! Unmissable.
ReplyDeleteI have been to all of those on the Victorian and Gilded Age tours by the Newport Preservation Society. Beautiful!
ReplyDelete