Society’s Summer Playground
Last summer, instead of going on a typical “senior week” filled with debauchery, I went to Newport, Rhode Island for a long weekend with my mom to tour Gilded Age mansions. Newport was the summer playground of American royalty. Vanderbilts, Dukes, Astors, and Belmonts built massive “cottages” along its coast. They spent their days bathing at Bailey’s Beach and playing lawn tennis at the Newport Casino. They also knew how to throw down, hosting parties that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just to impress the rest of society.
Many of the homes are still privately owned today, but others are open to the public or have been converted for other uses. My personal favorite homes were used for various purposes: some preserved as museums, some undergoing restoration, and one even serving as the main building of a university.
Ochre Court
The back side of Ochre Court, the palatial Goelet family home. Photo courtesy of: http://countrysideofjersey.aminus3.com/image/2008-11-10.html
Ochre Court is the Old Main-equivalent of Salve Regina University. And it’s incredible. The building is open during business hours, so my mom and I showed ourselves in. The main hallway leads to a huge open room, where if you look up, you can see the three floors above you. As you wander around, you find smaller but more ornate rooms that are straight from a French chateau. While none of the furnishings remain, mirrors, paintings, and gilt detailing reveal just how magnificent the home once was. The best feature was the large windows at the back of the house that look out on the ocean from the perfect vantage point.
The main room of Ochre Court.
The fireplce in one of the rooms of Ochre Court.
Beechwood
Beechwood prior to renovation. Photo courtesy of: http://colognoisseur.com/the-sunday-magazine-the-newport-mansions/
Beechwood’s owner, Caroline Astor, was the hostess of society. She determined who was and was not part of Newport’s elite. Beechwood was the background of many a lavish fete in its day. For many years the home was open to the public, and guests were greeted by actors pretending to be servants or even Mrs. Astor herself. Yet today, the home looks nothing like it once did. I saw it only from the sidewalk, as construction gates and tape blocked me from approaching the mansion. According to Hogan Associates Real Estate, Beechwood was purchased by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is restoring the home to house his art collection and serve as his private residence. When I saw the building, it had been raised on stilts and was stripped of its white stucco exterior.
Beechwood under construction. The mansion had to be raised on stilts and held together with the structure seen in this photo in order for restoration to occur.
The Elms
My favorite of the mansions that has been turned into a museum was the Elms, home of coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind. The Newport Discovery Guide recommends spending “a few hours enjoying the house, the grounds, and even lunch.” The home has beautiful gardens and ornate decoration inside and out that definitely make a trip worthwhile– I’ll let the pictures explain.
Me standing in the backyard of the Elms.
The gardens at the Elms. photo courtesy of: http://travelogged.com/2011/09/03/newport-mansions/
The staircase at the Elms. Photo courtesy of: http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-elms
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3 Responses to “Society’s Summer Playground”
I’ve actually been to Newport as well. We went with a couple of our family friends. It was so beautiful. We saw the Elms as well. I remember looking out at the yard and it was so expansive. You could look out straight at the green and it looked never ending from what I remember. I think we also saw Rosecliff and the Breakers. It was such a great trip. All the mansions were so gorgeous and I loved learning about the history behind each one. I had no idea Beechwood was bought by Larry Ellison. That’s very interesting! I also didn’t know the Astors lived there. That is very cool, I have heard so much about them because of the Waldorf Astoria and their son’s death on the titanic.
The photos and mansions all look so amazing. In pictures, the mansions look massive. It seems like they can be more like hotels than houses. The present uses of these mansions also seems as interesting as their past. They are now serving purposes beyond their days as mansions. I especially find it interesting that Larry Ellison has purchased and is now restoring a Newport mansion. I hope one day I’ll be able to take a visit!
I love all the pictures! Its so funny to hear about society’s elite: It sounds like a high school clique–just with better houses. Nevertheless, they are all beautiful. I can see why the Elms is your favorite with the gardens! Just out of curiosity, why is Delaware the place for all these estates? Was there a reason for this back in the 20’s?