Deconstructing Newport’s Gilded Age Villas
The focus of this monograph is eight of the vacation villas built in Newport, Rhode Island during the Gilded Age. These homes were utilized as both retreats from city life and venues for extravagant social events, like parties and galas, designed to demonstrate the owners’ extreme wealth. Notable residents include several generations of Vanderbilts, of railroad fame. The villas commonly featured large entertaining spaces like parlors, dining rooms, and ballrooms, bedrooms for overnight guests, as well as living quarters and workspace for the hired staff.
Contents Fairholme Beacon Rock Rough Point Marble House Ochre Court The Breakers Rosecliff The Elms
Fairholme Frank Furness 1874
Fairholme, 1874, Frank Furness
At the time of its construction, Fairholme was one of the largest summer villas in the area. The original design of the villa was in the Stick Style. As the property changed owners, the faรงade underwent several rounds of intense remodeling to bring it to its present form, with Gothic Style brick additions and work to cover the original Stick Style with Tudor elements.
The home’s disjointed stying, both inside and out, stem from many owners each making their own changes.
Fairholme, 1874, Frank Furness
Beacon Rock McKim, Mead & White 1887
Beacon Rock, 1887,McKim, Mead & White
The original design of Beacon Rock was intended to mimic the rocky cliff that the building sits on. As the project progressed, architect Charles Follen KcKim, influenced by his work for the World’s Columbian Exposition, altered the entrance façade to reflect Greek and Italian Renaissance styles, resulting in a miss-matched exterior.
Beacon Rock, 1887,McKim, Mead & White
Rough Point Peabody & Stearns, Horace Trumbauer 1887
Rough Point, 1887, Peabody & Stearns, Horace Trumbauer
Upon first examination, this granite-clad mansion appears strong and symmetrical. When dissected, the faรงade reveals intricate exterior details that distinguish each area of the home.
Rough Point, 1887, Peabody & Stearns, Horace Trumbauer
Marble House Richard Morris Hunt 1888
Marble House, 1888, Richard Morris Hunt
Marble House, 1888, Richard Morris Hunt
The imposing structure of Marble House is, fittingly, clad completely in Tuckahoe and Carrara marble. The design of the faรงade breaks the horizontals with Corinthian pillars at the entrance and Corinthian pilasters around the entire exterior of the home.
Ochre Court Richard Morris Hunt 1892
The first of the villas to be outfitted with electricity, Ochre Court served primarily to host extravagant parties for guests who included Grand Duke Boris of Russia and the Scottish Duke of Roxburghe.
Ochre Court, 1892, Richard Morris Hunt
The faรงade includes many Gothic references, seen in the balustrades and parapets. The home is topped with a slate and copper roof.
The Breakers Richard Morris Hunt 1893
Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the Breakers consists of an I-beam structure, covered in lavish limestone detailing. The Breakers, 1893, Richard Morris Hunt
The original Queen-Ane Style, shingle clad villa, commissioned by Pierre Lollard and later purchased by Cornellius Vanderbilt II, burned in 1892, after an accident in tending to the furnaces on a chilly day. Immediately, Vanderbilt hired Robert Morris Hunt to replace the villa with a larger, more extravagant home.
The Breakers, 1893, Richard Morris Hunt
Rosecliff
McKim, Mead & White 1898
Entry Hall, interior
Contrasting the expensive materials used to build Marble House, Rosecliff was constructed in terra-cotta and plaster. The ornate faรงade was produced at a much lower cost. Its design took direct influence from the Grand Trianon at Versailles.
Rosecliff, 1898, McKim, Mead & White
The Elms
Horace Trumbauer 1901
The extremely symmetrical design of The Elms utilizes exterior sculptures from the French Chateau d’Asnieres, combined with the vision of Horace Trumbauer. The decorative parapet that surrounds the top of the structure shields the service attic from view of guests.
The Elms, 1901, Horace Trumbauer
Visual Bibliography Kathrens, Michael C. Newport Villas: the Revival Styles, 1885-1935. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Text is based on information provided in this source.
King, Robert B., and Charles O. McLean. The Vanderbilt Homes. New York: Rizzoli, 1989.
Pardee, Bettie Bearden, and Michael Hales. Private Newport: at Home and in the Garden. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2004.
Sheldon, George William, and Arnold Lewis. American Country Houses of the Gilded Age. Mineola, NY: Dover., 1982.
Photo provided by the author
Editorial content produced by the author Schezen, Roberto, Jane Mulvagh, Mark A. Weber, and Robert A. M. Stern. Newport Houses. New York: Rizzoli, 1989.
Edited by Abigail E.P. Lewis for Visualization II, Spring 2020