Newport, Rhode Island’s famous “cottages” are anything but modest. These sprawling summer estates, many visible along the Cliff walk, were built by America’s wealthiest industrialists during the Gilded Age, and they offer a window into a world of extraordinary opulence, craftsmanship, and eccentricity. While most visitors know the mansions for their sheer size and grandeur, each estate holds a collection of surprising details that reveal even more about the people who built them and the era they represent. Below is a closer look at some of the lesser-known stories behind Newport’s most iconic properties.
Key Takeaways:
- The term “cottages” was an ironic nickname, since these homes were only occupied for a few weeks or months each year.
- The Breakers was deliberately built from fireproof materials after its wooden predecessor burned down.
- Marble House’s ballroom chandelier weighs as much as a smart car.
- The Elms offers a Servant Life Tour highlighting the labor behind the luxury.
- Hunter House predates the Gilded Age by more than a century.
- The mansions are especially popular during the winter holiday season, when they’re elaborately decorated.
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Why “Cottages”?
Perhaps the most ironic detail about these palatial estates is their nickname. Wealthy industrialists referred to their massive, multi-million-dollar summer retreats as mere “cottages,” a term that reflected the fact that these homes were only lived in for a few weeks or months out of the year. For families accustomed to multiple residences and staggering fortunes, a seventy-room mansion was simply a seasonal getaway.
The Breakers: Built to Never Burn Again
The Breakers, constructed between 1893 and 1895, is widely considered the grandest of Newport’s cottages. With 70 rooms, including 48 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, and 27 fireplaces, the estate is a monument to scale. Its largest fireplace resides in the library. What many visitors don’t realize is that The Breakers was built specifically to replace an earlier wooden home that had burned down. To prevent history from repeating itself, the new mansion was constructed from steel, brick, and limestone rather than wood.
The home’s ornate music room was built in France by Allard & Sons, then disassembled and shipped across the Atlantic to be reassembled inside the mansion. The Great Hall is another architectural marvel: a perfect cube, with a ceiling rising 50 feet high and all four walls measuring exactly 50 feet in length.
Electricity was a novelty during the Gilded Age, and The Breakers had it. Yet the two chandeliers in the dining room were designed to be lit by either electricity or the original gas jets, a nod to the transitional technology of the time. The mansion’s Otis elevator, installed in 1895, still works today. Perhaps the most eye-catching detail is the marble bathtub, carved from a single block of stone and weighing an astonishing 3,000 pounds.
Marble House: A Birthday Gift of Staggering Proportions
Built between 1888 and 1892, Marble House was William Vanderbilt’s 39th birthday gift to his wife, Alva. Nearly two-thirds of the entire construction budget went toward 500,000 cubic feet of marble, making it arguably the most opulent of all the Newport estates. The grand ballroom houses a massive Baccarat crystal and gilded metal chandelier weighing roughly 1,500 pounds, about the same weight as a modern lightweight smart car.
The estate was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who also designed the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, and other Vanderbilt properties including The Breakers and Biltmore. Interestingly, Marble House also blends historic grandeur with modern environmental science. A 2,800-square-foot rain garden near the parking lot captures stormwater runoff to reduce flooding and pollution, holding up to 25,000 gallons of water under normal conditions and as much as 38,000 gallons during heavy rain.
The Elms: Beauty and Labor Behind the Scenes
Completed in 1901, The Elms is known for its refined elegance, including a Conservatory statue featuring horses whose hooves are shaped like flowers. Beyond the beauty, The Elms offers something many other mansions don’t: a Servant Life Tour, which explores the experiences of the household staff who kept the estate running. This tour also touches on immigration, employment conditions, and labor disputes of the era, offering a more complete picture of Gilded Age society.
Isaac Bell House: An Architectural Turning Point
Built in 1883, the Isaac Bell House is a favorite stop for architects. It’s considered one of the finest examples of shingle-style architecture in the country and represents a pivotal shift from Victorian design toward more modern architectural styles.
Rosecliff: Marble Illusions and a Magician’s Stage
Constructed between 1899 and 1902, Rosecliff boasts the largest ballroom in Newport and hosts more than 100 parties each year. The legendary magician Harry Houdini once performed within its walls. While the mansion appears to be built of marble, it’s actually constructed from brick and covered in white glazed tiles designed to mimic marble’s appearance. Rosecliff is also home to a distinctive heart-shaped Rococo-style staircase.
Hunter House: Older Than the Gilded Age Itself
Unlike its Gilded Age neighbors, Hunter House was built between 1748 and 1754, more than a century before the era it’s now associated with. This makes it the oldest of the Newport mansions. Hunter House also played a key role in the preservation movement, as Katherine Warren led a small group of supporters in 1945 to establish The Preservation Society of Newport County.
Kingscote and Chateau-sur-Mer: Early Innovation
Kingscote, built between 1839 and 1841, is one of the earliest Gothic Revival properties in America and features the first known use of Tiffany glass bricks, along with a cork ceiling in the dining room. Its exterior was painted with a mixture of beige paint and real sand to achieve an authentic sandstone texture.
Chateau-sur-Mer, completed in 1852, held the title of the most palatial residence in Newport until the Vanderbilts arrived. In the 1870s, the original owner’s heirs renovated the home so extensively that many believed the original structure had been torn down entirely.
Exploring the Mansions Today
Many of these estates are visible from Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, a free 3.5-mile National Recreation Trail open daily from sunrise to sunset. The mansions are also especially popular during the winter holidays, when many are elaborately decorated for the season, adding festive charm to their already remarkable history. Check the Newport Mansions website for tickets and tour dates and times.
