General Info

Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. It was a summer house, or "cottage," as Newporters called them, but also a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's transformation from a quiet summer colony to a legendary resort of the Gilded Age. Mr. Vanderbilt was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the family's fortune in steamships and the New York Central Railroad. His wife, Alva, was a leading hostess in Newport society during the Gilded Age, and envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America. The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, one of the premier architects of the Gilded Age, who found inspiration in the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The cost was reported in contemporary press accounts to be $11 million, of which $7 million was spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble. Several scenes from HBO's hit series "The Gilded Age" were filmed in Marble House.Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. It was a summer house, or "cottage," as Newporters called them, but also a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's transformation from a quiet summer colony to a legendary resort of the Gilded Age. Mr. Vanderbilt was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the family's fortune in steamships and the New York Central Railroad. His wife, Alva, was a leading hostess in Newport society during the Gilded Age, and envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America. The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, one of the premier architects of the Gilded Age, who found inspiration in the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The cost was reported in contemporary press accounts to be $11 million, of which $7 million was spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble. Several scenes from HBO's hit series "The Gilded Age" were filmed in Marble House.