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We got up and drove from the Providence area to Newport. Wow - it was our first brisk morning on this trip! We toured four mansions from the late 1800s-early 1900s. It was the gilded age - one without income tax so these mansion owners spared no expense. I toured Newport almost 25 years ago. One of the mansions I toured has been purchased by the CEO of Oracle. He is doing a complete renovation for his art collection.
We toured 4 mansions. Our first was the Grand Dame, The Breakers. It typified the Gilded Age - gold, marble elaborate finery everywhere. This was the summer home for the Vanderbilts. The home featured 20 bathrooms over 4 floors. It was quite magnificent.
The next home we toured was The Elms. This was the summer home to a coal baron and his wife. The furnishings were not all original. This couple had no children and so the home did not stay in the family. It was still a beautiful mansion and a great tour.
The third mansion we toured was another one in the Vanderbilt family. It was Marble House and as the name implies, it was FILLED with marble from all over the world! It was opulent but with a sad story. It was a gift from Mr. Vanderbilt to Mrs. Vanderbilt for her 39th birthday. Sadly, she divorced him and a year later married his friend. She moved to her new husband's Newport summer home and used Marble House for storage! She forced her daughter Consuela to marry the Duke of Marborough to garner a royal title. This was never Consuela's desire and she repeated history by divorcing him at age 43 for a French aviator. Interestingly enough when she was married to the Duke her residence was Blenheim Palace. Years ago, Mom and I visited Blenheim..
The last mansion we visited was Chateau Del Mar. We enjoyed a great tour, but the mansion was still in need of renovation. The historical preservation society had just done a roof renovation for $2 million!
We totally enjoyed our time in Newport! We enjoyed some crackers, slim jims and applesauce in the car on the way to Boston.
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