Photo Album

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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.
NEWPORT MANSIONS PART 2
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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.
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THE GATES ARE OPEN, LET GO IN
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HERE WE ARE, IN 1981
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BELLA, RUTH AND MONA
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ENTRANCE HALL WITH A VERY LARGE STAIRWAY. FLOOR,
WALLS AND CEILING ARE ALL MADE FROM MARBLE.
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IN THE DINING ROOM EVERYTHING IS PINK INCLUDING
THE MARBLE WALLS
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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.
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MORE VIEWS OF THE GOLDEN ROOM
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THE SITTING ROOM IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT IS NOT
CLAD IN MARBLE
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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.
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THE GOTHIC ROOM'S FIREPLACE
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THE GREEN ROOM WITH MATCHING DRAPERIES AND
CURTAINS
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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.
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A small pond gives a beautiful reflection
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ON OUR WAY OUT, MY DAUGHTERS FOUND A LITTLE FRIEND
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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.
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UNUSUAL STATUES ADORN THE ROOF
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THE MAGNIFICENT STAIRCASE IS CONSTRUCTED OF WHITE
MARBLE WITH AN INTRICATE RAILING OF WROUGHT IRON
AND BRONZE
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VERY ELEGANT DINING ROOM
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BREAKFAST ROOM
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LIBRARY WITH ORIGINAL FURNISHINGS
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CONSERVATORY ROOM
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AT CHRISTMAS TIME THE HOUSE IS BEAUTIFULLY
DECORATED
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VERY NICE FORMAL GARDENS WITH MANY STATUES
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SOMETIMES IT IS USEFUL TO HAVE A VERY LARGE BENCH
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A MIXTURE OF SPHINX AND CHERUB
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THE FOUNTAIN OF THE TURTLES
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RUTH, DAN AND MONA IN 1981 ARE SAYING BYE-BYE
NEWPORT PERHAPS WE WILL COME TO VISIT AGAIN
SOMETIME
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This is the end of our visit together at some of
the famous Newport mansions
and

                                                


PRESENTATION AND PICTURES(SOME FROM INTERNET) BY
DAN CALISTRAT dcalistrat_at_aol.com
THEN......................
AND NOW