Marble House

This is Marble House, one of the magnificent mansions on the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.  The most famous of these is "The Breakers," and "Rosecliff" is another.  I believe that this is one of the smaller mansions, but man oh man, it is no slouch when it comes to elegance.  For an American house, it was unparalleled in design and opulence when it was built.  The mansion was built as a summer "cottage" retreat between 1888 and 1892 for William K. Vanderbilt and his wife.  The fifty-room mansion required a staff of 36 servants, including butlers, maids, coachmen, and footmen.  And it was only used six weeks out of the year!

 The dining room, featuring pink Numidian marble, imported from Africa.

This painting is on the ceiling of the front entrance way.

This is the Gothic room, designed to display Alva Vanderbilt's collection of Medieval and Renaissance decorative objects.with a cut stone fireplace with incredible detail, and cut stone in the ceiling.

The main entrance stairway in the front of the building is made of marble, but the light was harsh and I was unable to get a good photograph.  This is the back stairway, used for servants.  But look at the beautiful design and workmanship.

And this is another view of the front of the mansion.  I have wanted to see some of the Newport mansions for years, and just seeing this one was really a thrill.  We will have to come back and see some of the others.  There are 11 buildings all together now open to the public as museums run by the Preservation Society of Newport County.  It is amazing that all of these buildings have been preserved.