What to Know About The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island
One of the grandest homes in the United States is a “cottage” built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, son of William Henry Vanderbilt and grandson of the infamous “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Breakers represented the ultimate display of vast wealth accumulated by the Vanderbilt family leading to the Gilded Age. The richest and most influential families in the country flocked to Newport, Rhode Island and started competing with one another by building opulent summer getaway houses, with each subsequent house being constructed becoming larger and more ostentatious than the next.
Recruiting the best architect of the period, Cornelius and his wife Alice had Richard Morris Hunt design the house using steel, brick and limestone, to ensure the house’s safety from fire. Artisans were brought from Europe to construct and add the finest of decorative elements inside and outside of the house, the firm Allard and Sons of Paris, in addition to Austro-American sculptor Karl Bitter, assisted with further design of the interior spaces. Construction lasted from 1893-1895, and when it was finished, the 70 rooms, of which 48 were bedrooms, complete with both electric and gas lighting, were finally ready for the Vanderbilt family.
The Breakers was inherited by a daughter of Cornelius and Alice Vanderbilt, Countess Szechenyi (Gladys), and in 1948 she allowed the Preservation Society of Newport County to offer tours to the public in exchange for covering the operating expenses and maintenance of the house. She was also allowed to reside in the house through the rest of her lifetime, passing away in 1965. By 1972 the Breakers was bought by the Society from her heirs and is now a National Historic Landmark.
The stately home of the prominent Vanderbilt family can be viewed year-round, and it is particularly stunning this time of year with the holiday decorations. Through December 29 you can see incredible outdoor holiday lights display at The Breakers, and the interiors are equally over-the-top, especially the glorious 50ft tall main entrance of the house with trees, flowers and lights everywhere. Most of the other Newport mansions are beautifully decorated this time of year, many of which are possible to tour.
Visitors to The Breakers have many tour options at the house. The self-guided tour can take up to 90 minutes if you take it at a leisurely pace, which is sufficient time to learn about the history of the house and the family. There is a very interesting tour of the underground of the house, with a focus on the mechanics of running the huge house, in addition to seeing more of the space that the servants of the house used to from cooking to cleaning and storing countless things for entertaining vast crowds. The Exclusive Experience Tour is a private three-hour tour taking guests to areas of the house not seen by the public, including the Attic, greenhouses and conservation studio. There is also a new tour option to see some of the third floor, available for the first time ever, but it is limited to ten guests at a time.
The town of Newport is a great destination regardless of whether or not you chose to see one of the many amazing Gilded Age mansions along the coast. The tours of the houses are extraordinary of course, but many people come from spring to fall to enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean surrounding the peninsula and to partake of the excellent shopping and restaurants. With the proximity to both New York City and Boston, it is easy to get to, and it is a wonderful day trip any time of the year.
For more information: https://www.newportmansions.org/
