Look inside the Breakers, a 70-room, 138,300-square-foot mansion that belonged to one of America's wealthiest Gilded Age families

Talia LakritzAug 16, 2024, 23:32 IST

The Breakers was owned by one of America's wealth.Alexander Nesbitt/The Preservation Society of Newport County<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Vanderbilts, one of America's wealthiest Gilded Age families, owned multiple opulent homes.</li><li>The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, was their summer escape.</li></ul>During the Gilded Age, <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/historic-homes-to-visit-vanderbilt-mansion-gilded-age-2023-2">Cornelius Vanderbilt</a> was America's richest man with an estimated net worth of $100 million, or around $200 billion in today's currency. Having amassed his fortune in the railroad business during a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization, he would be wealthier than <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-life-career-education">Jeff Bezos</a>, <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a>, and <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-warren-buffett-spends-money-net-worth">Warren Buffett</a> if he were alive today.His grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, succeeded him as the president and chairman of the New York Central Railroad in 1885. As heir to the family fortune, he built a 70-room, 138,300-square-foot mansion on the shores of Newport, Rhode Island, as a summer escape for his wife, Alice Vanderbilt, and their seven children.The seaside residence, named "the Breakers" after the waves that break on Newport's rocky shores, was one of many opulent homes that the Vanderbilts owned as one of America's wealthiest <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vintage-photos-how-americas-rich-tycoons-lived-during-gilded-age-2023-3">Gilded Age</a> families.The mansion is now a museum open to the public. Take a look inside.

Completed in 1895, the Breakers is now a museum that preserves the extravagant wealthy lifestyle of a millionaire family in the Gilded Age.

The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island.Alexander Nesbitt – The Preservation Society of Newport County

The first stop on the tour was the jaw-dropping Great Hall.

The Great Hall.Alexander Nesbitt/The Preservation Society of Newport County

The audio tour pointed out unique details in a fireplace alcove: cherubs accompanied by railroad imagery.

An engraving above a door at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Great Hall opened out to a porch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

A balcony at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

In the Dining Room, the Vanderbilts entertained other wealthy members of Gilded Age society.

The Dining Room.John W. Corbett – The Preservation Society of Newport County

A painting on the gilded ceiling depicted Aurora, the goddess of dawn.

The ceiling of the Dining Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Hunt, the architect, took inspiration from ancient Rome while designing the Billiard Room.

The Billiard Room.Gavin Ashworth/The Preservation Society of Newport County

The floor of the Billiard Room featured acorns, the symbol of the Vanderbilt family.

The floor of the Billiard Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The walls in the Billiard Room were made of Cipollino marble that the Vanderbilts imported from Switzerland.

A wall in the Billiard Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Morning Room was designed by French decorator Jules Allard in the French and Italian Renaissance style.

The Morning Room.Alexander Nesbitt/The Preservation Society of Newport County

Shining platinum panels in the walls showed the Muses, Greek goddesses of the arts.

Platinum wall panels in the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Vanderbilts played music and hosted concerts in their Music Room.

The Music Room.Alexander Nesbitt/The Preservation Society of Newport County

The Music Room also served as a set for the HBO show "The Gilded Age."

The Music Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Library served as a private space for the Vanderbilt family to relax and take their afternoon tea.

The Library.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

In keeping with the bookish theme, craftsmen pressed gold leaf into the wood panels to make it look like a leather book cover.

Walls in the library at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Recessed boxes called coffers adorned the ceiling.

The ceiling of the library in the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The tour continued on the second floor with the Vanderbilts' daughter Gladys' room.

Gladys Vanderbilt's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Cornelius Vanderbilt II slept in a bedroom down the hall.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Breakers had a total of 20 bathrooms.

A bathroom at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

Alice Vanderbilt's room also functioned as an office where she managed household affairs.

Alice Vanderbilt's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

She could communicate with servants through a phone on her bedside table.

A telephone next to Alice Vanderbilt's bed.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Vanderbilts' oldest daughter, Gertrude, slept in this room with pink floral wallpaper.

Gertrude Vanderbilt's room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

Codman decorated one of the guest bedrooms with paneled walls in a design that wouldn't have been out of place in 18th-century France.

A guest bedroom at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

The top of the grand staircase featured a portrait of Alice Vanderbilt painted by Spanish artist Ricardo Federico de Madrazo y Garreta.

The grand staircase at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Out in the hallway, speaking tubes allowed servants to communicate with each other in an early intercom system.

Speaking tubes at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Downstairs, a safe in the butler's pantry stored the Vanderbilts' 1,000-piece set of monogrammed silver from Tiffany & Co.

The butler's pantry.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

In the kitchen, an enormous cast-iron stove was powered by coal and wood as a team of cooks prepared French cuisine for the Vanderbilts.

The kitchen at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The kitchen led out into the gift shop and the exit, where visitors could explore the sprawling grounds.

A garden at the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The grounds also featured European beech trees imported from overseas.

A European beech tree on the grounds of the Breakers.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

While the Vanderbilts regarded the Breakers as their summer "cottage," its lavish interiors are nothing short of remarkable.

The Breakers viewed from the southeast.Gavin Ashworth – The Preservation Society of Newport County

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