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A touch of Versailles comes to Newport in the French-inspired Marble House

The lavish decoration and exemplar of the Vanderbilt's stature is reflected the Gilded Ballroom

All that glitters really is gold in the Gilded Ballroom

The Gothic Room — designed for Alva Vanderbilt's collection of Medieval artifacts

Marble House is also the perfect outdoor setting for summer celebrations

Possibly the most ornate rainwater outlets ever...

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Marble House

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Style: Social Gatherings

Built by the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt as a summer “cottage,” this Gilded Age beauty was a 39th birthday gift to his wife Alva Vanderbilt.

Newport, Rhode Island, was a seaside town widely known as a seasonal resort destination. Leading up to the late 19^th century, it was primarily comprised of both large and small wood-framed homes. The Newport Mansions, a group of eleven buildings, changed the face of Newport. They introduced a new level of grandeur and scale.

Upon the completion of Marble House, William gave the marble masterpiece to his wife Alva as a 39^th birthday present. It has fifty rooms and soon became a social destination and a place for entertaining, particularly by Mrs. Vanderbilt.

Marble House has been a National Historic Landmark since 2006 and is owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Images courtesy of the Newport Mansions