See inside Marble House, a 50-room Gilded Age mansion that a Vanderbilt heir gifted to his wife for her birthday

Talia LakritzAug 28, 2024, 02:21 IST

Marble House is in Newport, Rhode Island.Alexander Nesbitt — The Preservation Society of Newport County<ul class="summary-list"><li>Marble House was completed in 1892 as a summer home for William K. Vanderbilt and Alva Vanderbilt.</li><li>Built with half a million cubic feet of marble, it features 50 rooms and spans 140,000 square feet.</li></ul>Alva Vanderbilt's 39th birthday present from her husband was a 140,000-square-foot summer "cottage" on the shores of Newport, Rhode Island.As heir to the Vanderbilt family fortune during the <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gilded-age-mansion-tour-rosecliff-rhode-island-2024-8">Gilded Age</a>, William K. Vanderbilt spared no expense in building Marble House for his wife. It was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the same architect who worked on <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gilded-age-mansion-vanderbilt-rhode-island-breakers-photos-2024-8">The Breakers,</a> another expansive Newport mansion. Construction cost around $11 million in 1892, or about $380 million in today's dollars. The home's 500,000 cubic feet of marble alone cost about $7 million, or around $241 million today.The marriage didn't last, but Marble House remained in her possession after their divorce. In addition to throwing extravagant balls and dinner parties, Alva Vanderbilt also hosted <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/womens-rights-suffragettes-voting-election-vintage-photos">women's suffrage</a> rallies on the property and leveraged her wealth to champion the cause. She even wrote the libretto for an operetta about women's suffrage, which was performed at New York's <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presenting-a-history-of-the-astors-2012-4">Waldorf-Astoria Hotel</a> in 1915.In recent years, the HBO show "<a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gilded-age-historic-mansion-photos-2024-5">The Gilded Age</a>" has used Marble House as a film set.Take a look inside this historic Newport mansion.

Completed in 1892, Marble House is a 50-room, 140,000-square-foot summer home that belonged to William K. Vanderbilt and Alva Vanderbilt.

Marble House.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

William K. Vanderbilt gifted the home to Alva Vanderbilt for her 39th birthday.

William K. Vanderbilt and Alva Vanderbilt.NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Marble House's foyer featured walls, ceilings, and a grand staircase made of solid Italian marble, which Alva Vanderbilt chose for its warm hue.

The foyer and staircase at Marble House.John W. Corbett — The Preservation Society of Newport County

The marble entrance hall led out to a portico overlooking the ocean.

A porch at Marble House.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Dining Room was modeled after the Salon of Hercules at the Palace of Versailles.

The Dining Room.Gavin Ashworth — The Preservation Society of Newport County

The purple marble used for the walls was imported from Algeria.

The marble walls of the Dining Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Alva Vanderbilt commissioned dining-room chairs inspired by those used by King Louis XIV of France.

A dining-room chair.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Gothic Room displayed medieval and Renaissance art that Alva Vanderbilt acquired from Emile Gavet, a French art collector.

The Gothic Room.Gavin Ashworth — The Preservation Society of Newport County

Alva Vanderbilt purchased the art collection "en bloc," or all together in a set.

Stained-glass windows in the Gothic Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Morning Room also functioned as a library.

The Morning Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Grand Salon was also called the Gold Room because of the 22-karat gold leaf covering every wall.

The Grand Salon.The Preservation Society of Newport County

The Vanderbilts used it as a ballroom.

The Grand Salon.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The tour continued up the grand staircase on the second floor.

The second floor.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Consuelo Vanderbilt's bedroom appeared as George Russell's room on the HBO show "The Gilded Age."

Consuelo Vanderbilt's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A wooden spiral staircase outside Consuelo Vanderbilt's bedroom led to the service areas at Marble House.

The servant staircase.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Vanderbilts' youngest child, Harold Vanderbilt, was an award-winning sailor whose trophies were displayed in the Trophy Room.

The Trophy Room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Decorated in the Louis XIV style, Alva Vanderbilt's bedroom featured a throne-like bed and silk wall hangings.

Alva Vanderbilt's bedroom.The Preservation Society of Newport County

The lilac silk wallpaper was an exact copy of the original.

Alva Vanderbilt's purple wallpaper.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

William K. Vanderbilt's bedroom was much smaller than his wife's.

William K. Vanderbilt's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The guest bed still featured its original 18th-century lace canopy.

The guest bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The guest room was connected to a guest sitting room.

The guest sitting room.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Downstairs, Marble House would receive deliveries of flowers, wine, and food through the service entrance.

The service entrance.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Vanderbilts hired a French chef to staff the kitchen, which burned 30 tons of coal each summer.

The kitchen.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Dishes were cleaned and stored in the scullery.

The scullery.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Alva Vanderbilt made a set of china emblazoned with "Votes for Women" which she used at women's suffrage rallies hosted at Marble House.

Alva Vanderbilt's "Votes for Women" dishes.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Replicas of the "Votes for Women" china were available for purchase in the Marble House gift shop.

The gift shop.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The grounds of Marble House featured beautiful views of the ocean.

Ocean views at Marble House.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The grounds also included a Chinese Tea House which Alva Vanderbilt commissioned after the death of her second husband.

The Chinese Tea House on the grounds of Marble House.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

European copper beech trees dotted the property in another nod to the European palaces that inspired the design of Marble House.

European copper beech trees on the grounds of Marble House.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Marble House is more than just an opulent Gilded Age mansion — it tells the story of Alva Vanderbilt's remarkable life.