While The Breakers justly holds its title as a symbol of Vanderbilt grandeur, prepare to be even more astonished by the sheer extravagance of Marble House. This magnificent Newport “cottage,” built from 1888 to 1892 for William Kissam Vanderbilt and his ambitious wife, Alva, redefined luxury and set a new standard for Gilded Age opulence. Costing about eleven million dollars at the time, with seven million spent on five hundred thousand cubic feet of marble, it was gifted to Alva for her thirty ninth birthday and became her personal “temple to the arts,” designed by Richard Morris Hunt and inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
The Grand Staircase
Upon entering Marble House, you are immediately confronted by the dazzling Grand Staircase. Crafted from lustrous yellow Siena marble polished to a mirror shine, it sweeps upward with a breathtaking wrought iron and gilt bronze railing modeled on Versailles precedents. An eighteenth century Venetian ceiling painting of classical gods and goddesses crowns the space, adding to its theatrical impact.
The Dining Room
The Dining Room is a vision in pink Numidian marble from Algeria, with gilt bronze capitals and trophies punctuating the design. The fireplace reproduces the mantel in the Salon d’Hercule at Versailles, and an eighteenth century French ceiling painting elevates the classical grandeur of the room. Reports that the heavy Louis XIV style chairs required footmen to assist guests are anecdotal, so treat that detail as unconfirmed unless cited by a primary source.
The Gold Room
Designed as the mansion’s ballroom, the Gold Room lives up to its name with walls shimmering in gold leaf. Ornate gilded decoration, a grand fireplace with a large mirror, and bronze figural candelabras complete a setting that embodies the Gilded Age taste for extravagant display.
The Gothic Room
Conceived as a chapel like gallery for Alva Vanderbilt’s collection of Medieval and Renaissance art, the Gothic Room was designed and executed by Jules Allard and his Paris workshops. A Caen limestone fireplace copied from a fifteenth century French palace (the Jacques Cœur House in Bourges) anchors the space. Much of Alva’s collection, acquired from Paris dealer Émile Gavet, was sold in 1926.
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The Library
With Rococo style details, the Library offers an intimate yet richly finished retreat. Intricate woodwork, carved walnut doors and bookcases by Allard’s ateliers and cabinetmaker Gilbert Cuel, and a cozy scale make it a space for lingering and contemplation amid Marble House’s larger marble clad rooms.
Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom
Alva Vanderbilt’s personal bedroom is rooted in Louis XIV French Revival style. A circular ceiling painting of Athena by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, dated around 1721 and brought from the Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice, presides above a suite of furnishings crafted by Jules Allard & Sons of Paris. The result is a private chamber that mirrors the public rooms in its devotion to European art and historic references.
The Chinese Tea House
Perched on the seaside cliffs and constructed between 1912 and 1914 by the firm Hunt and Hunt, the Chinese Tea House overlooks the Cliff Walk and Narragansett Bay. Alva commissioned it after reopening Marble House and used it for social events, including women’s suffrage gatherings. Its upswept eaves, guardian animal figures, and Ming Dynasty style painted interior panels reflect East Asian inspiration filtered through early twentieth century American eclecticism.
