As I mentioned in part one of my presentation, at the end of the 19th century, the wealthiest New York bankers and business families chose Newport, Rhode Island as their summer resort. There, they built large luxury mansions.

I visited Newport in 1981, 27 years ago. At that time, I took slide pictures and some of them were restored for this presentation. You can see a younger version of myself and my family! I also added some pictures from the internet. I selected four of these mansions for my presentations. All are open to the public. The Breakers and Rosecliff were featured in the first presentation. Marble House and The Elms are shown in this presentation.There are several more mansions in Newport, open to public:Chateau Sur Mer, Belcourt Castle, Beechwood, Kingscote, Rough Point, Vernon Court and Hunter House. Enjoy the pictures and perhaps plan a visit to see the mansions as they are today.

Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Vanderbilt. Marble House was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. Mr. Vanderbilt was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the family's fortune in steamships and the New York Central Railroad. His older brother was Cornelius II, who built The Breakers. Alva Vanderbilt was a leading hostess in Newport society, and envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America. The house was inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles and its cost was about $11 million ($240 million in today's money), of which $7 million was spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble.

THE GATES ARE OPEN, LET GO IN

HERE WE ARE, IN 1981

BELLA, RUTH AND MONA

ENTRANCE HALL WITH A VERY LARGE STAIRWAY. FLOOR, WALLS AND CEILING ARE ALL MADE FROM MARBLE.

IN THE DINING ROOM EVERYTHING IS PINK INCLUDING THE MARBLE WALLS

THE BALLROOM, KNOWN AS THE GOLD ROOM, IS VERY ORNATE. (PERHAPS TOO MUCH). THE WALL PANELS ARE OF CARVED GILT AND

THE PAINTED CEILING IS IN THE STYLE OF TINTORETTO.

MORE VIEWS OF THE GOLDEN ROOM

THE SITTING ROOM IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT IS NOT CLAD IN MARBLE

THE GOTHIC ROOM HAS COLORED STAINED WINDOWS AND A VERY ELABORATE CEILING.IN THE ROOM THERE IS AN ART COLLECTION OF RARE MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE OBJECTS.

THE GOTHIC ROOM'S FIREPLACE

THE GREEN ROOM WITH MATCHING DRAPERIES AND CURTAINS

In 1914, a Chinese Tea House was added on the seaside cliffs. To be authentic, it was built by workers brought from China. The building was a genuine tea house, but with no place to make tea! A track was laid between the main house kitchen and the tea house on which footmen on little rail cars delivered the tea.

A small pond gives a beautiful reflection

ON OUR WAY OUT, MY DAUGHTERS FOUND A LITTLE FRIEND

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 Pennsylvania coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds started the construction of a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d'Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost reported at approximately $1.4 million (approximately $30 millions in today's dollars). The interiors and furnishings were the setting for the Berwinds' collection of Renaissance ceramics, 18th century French and Venetian paintings, and Oriental jades. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds were developed between 1907 and 1914. They include terraces displaying marble and bronze sculptures, a park of fine specimen trees and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden, a carriage house and a garage. An unusual system was used to heat the house, powered by coal, that was delivered to the house via an underground railroad.

UNUSUAL STATUES ADORN THE ROOF

THE MAGNIFICENT STAIRCASE IS CONSTRUCTED OF WHITE MARBLE WITH AN INTRICATE RAILING OF WROUGHT IRON AND BRONZE

VERY ELEGANT DINING ROOM

BREAKFAST ROOM

LIBRARY WITH ORIGINAL FURNISHINGS

CONSERVATORY ROOM

AT CHRISTMAS TIME THE HOUSE IS BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED

VERY NICE FORMAL GARDENS WITH MANY STATUES

SOMETIMES IT IS USEFUL TO HAVE A VERY LARGE BENCH

A MIXTURE OF SPHINX AND CHERUB

THE FOUNTAIN OF THE TURTLES

RUTH, DAN AND MONA IN 1981 ARE SAYING… BYE-BYE NEWPORT PERHAPS WE WILL COME TO VISIT AGAIN SOMETIME

This is the end of our visit together at some of the famous Newport mansions:

                                                

THEN......................

PRESENTATION AND PICTURES(SOME FROM INTERNET) BY DAN CALISTRAT

dcalistrat@aol.com

and

……AND NOW