Confessions of an RVer: THE MARBLE HOUSE

The mansion was built as a summer "cottage" between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. It was a social landmark that helped spark the transformation of Newport from a relatively relaxed summer colony of wooden houses to the now-legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. The fifty-room mansion required a staff of 36 servants, including butlers, maids, coachmen, and footmen. The mansion cost $11 million to build (equivalent to $307 million in 2018). They only spent 6 weeks every year at this house.

The Marble House

The dining room

Mr. Vanderbilt's room

Mrs. Vanderbilt's room

The guest room

When Alva Vanderbilt divorced William in 1895, she already owned Marble House outright, having received it as her 39th birthday present. Upon her remarriage in 1896 to Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, she relocated down the street to Belmont's mansion, Belcourt. After his death, she reopened Marble House and hosted rallies for women's suffrage. Alva Belmont closed the mansion permanently in 1919, when she relocated to France to be closer to her daughter. She sold the house in 1932, less than year before her death. The mansion still stands in great visible condition and is used for many things such as guided and non-guided tours, as well as hosting various special events, parties, and weddings. Several movies have shot scenes in the house.

We toured The Breakers 20 years ago when we visited this area. The Breakers is bigger and was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt. These houses boggle my mind. They were their "summer" houses and they are huge and over the top opulent. I can't even begin to imagine living in something like that, but I like touring them. You do a self-guided tour with an audio set that takes you from room to room and tells you some personal stories from the family.

We started the day having a picnic at a park by the seashore. It was a great place and the weather was great. We ended the day by seeing a cruise ship in the bay right behind where we are staying. We decided to go sit by the bay and enjoy the scenery. We got a treat in seeing a seal. There is a restaurant called The Pilot House across the bay from us and you can hear their nightly entertainment. All in all, it was a great day.