The Marble House RI
The imposing, magnificent mansions of Newport Beach are a sight to behold. Built in 1800s, most of them are a testament to the power of new money that symbolized the rise of United States of America and its new monied gentry.
The flamboyant rooms of these exquiste stone palaces that ushered the gilded age in Newport competed with each other to showcase garish opulence, the excess affluence that railroad business, sea trade, banking and coal mining afforded the rich and powerful of that era.
These ‘summer cottages’ – a term that defies logic considering that these ostentatiously expensive buildings that swallowed millions of dollars were used for only a few weeks by their owners every summer – are now a part of the Preservation Society of Newport County, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
We said goodbye to 2014 visiting the most extravagant of these mansions – The Marble House. Commissioned by William Vanderbilt, second son of Railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt and designed by the famous architect Richard Morrison Hunt, the mansion stands as an extravagant affirmation to the riches of Vanderbilt family, who had made their fortune in the railroads.
The entrance of Marble House
Exquisitely carved gigantic doors invite you into a world that was created to mark the ascendance of a powerful woman up the society ladder right to the top. Gifted to Alva Vanderbilt by her then husband William Vanderbilt for her 39th birthday, Alva left no stone unturned to show off the Vanderbilt fortune and power. Marble and gold have married in this unbelievably opulent mansion, a deliberate and well thoughtout hallmark of social supremacy by Alva Vanderbilt who became the queen bee of aristrocracy of North America, ushering the gilded age in USA, where everything was over the top, garish, indeulgent and spoke of access.
The rich, excessively opulent Dining Room of the vanderbilts at the marbe House
The house is made of gold flaked cream marble, all 500,000 cubic ft imported.
The furnishings are rich and luxurious, right from the fabrics to the figurines of Roman Gods and Godesses carved on the pillars, ceilings and posts.It boasts of a gold room that is covered with a plate of 22 carat gold. Alva Vanderbilt hunted for treasures across Europe, recycling many exorbitantly expensive pieces of art, handloom, antiques and even ceiling carvings to furnish this ‘cottage’. Craftmen worked hours to fashion furnitures and procure one of a kind designs to adorn every inch of the house.
The Gold ballroom, completely covered with 22 carat gold plates.
Mrs Elizebeth Lehr, one of the richest Newport residents who graced the grand balls hosted by Alva Vanderbilt
Marble House is as much about marble, gold and over the top luxury as it is about Alva Vanderbilt. A study in contradiction, Alva spend first half of her life indulging in unbelievable luxury and controlling people around her and the second half fighting for women’s rights.
Alva Vanderbilt’s bedroom, furnished with treasures aquired from the impoverished palaces, libraries and churches of Europe.
On one hand she coerced her totally dominated daughter Consuelo into a loveless match with a Duke (9th Duke of Malborough to be exact, first cousin to Winston Churchill) to lay her hands on a title by any means, nevermind the fact both her daughter and the impoverished Duke were in love with other people at that point of their lives; on the other, she herself divorced Wiliam Vanderbilt three years after the Marble House was completed when such things were unheard of. Surprisingly, not only she did not suffer any slight to her social position, she rather secured it even further by marrying another disgustingly rich man (Oliver Belomont) right after and moving into another magnificent palace (Belcourt) few mansions down. At the same time, she managed to keep Marble House for herself during the divorce settlement and legend has it that this jawdroppingly expensive house was used as a ‘laundry place’ for the lady.
The magnificent ocean view
An army of servants worked long and hard to keep the family in comfort and upkeep the house during their visits, and she was extremely picky on who she let inside the magnificent gates of Marble House. Yet, in her later years, she became a champion for women’s rights movement, fighting for women’s right to vote. She threw open the doors of the Marble House to host meeting on suffrage and drew from her wealth and might to make a difference. The famous Chinese tea House was said to be the meeting ground for women rallying for the voting rights.
She also became very close to her daughter Conseulo who, supported by the very mother who had forced her in the first place, finally divorced. On request of the Duke, Consuelo’s assent and Alva’s testimony that she had indeed forced the marriage between the two, Vatican granted an annulment 31 years after the marriage took place.
The commercial kitchen. the French chef was paid $10,000 an yr to whip up exquisite dishes for the queenbee of Newport society.
Marble House is open to visitors all round the year. Sitting atop a hill top facing the sea with a spectacular view, it’s a treat on a summer day and a retreat on a winter. Tourists can buy tickets either on site or online. The visit includes a self guided tour. With the touch of a button on a small unit that can be held in the palm of hand or around neck with the lanyard cord, that is attached to a microphone, you can access the stories of the ‘Cottage’ and its long gone inhabitants. The audio tour is beautifully done, letting you into juicy titibits one at a time, while allowing you to explore the mansion at your own pace.
Marble House
596 Bellevue Avenue,
Newport, RI 02840
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