House Hunting

The Breakers

Completed in: 1895

Built for: Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his wife, Alice

Designed by: Richard Morris Hunt

Present owner: The Preservation Society of Newport County

In 2006, a lab analysis discovered a series of wall panels in the priceless mansion were even more precious than previously thought. The presumed silver leaf was actually a valuable platinum that hadn’t tarnished in the house’s 111-year history.

 

 

Belcourt

Completed in: 1894

Built for: Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont

Designed by: Richard Morris Hunt

Present owner: Carolyn Rafaelian

Constructed as a bachelor pad for Belmont and his horses, Belcourt got a feminine touch in 1896 when he married Alva Vanderbilt, his divorced neighbor’s former wife. It’s said to be haunted: Later owners reported regular sightings of a spectral monk walking the property and preparing for Mass in the chapel.

 

Rosecliff

Completed in: 1902

Built for: Theresa Fair Oelrichs

Designed by: McKim, Mead and White

Present owner: The Preservation Society of Newport County

Oelrichs was so eager to show off her summer cottage that she threw her first party there in 1900, two years before it was complete. Later events featured exotic visitors like the famed magician Harry Houdini.

 

 

Marble House

Completed in: 1892

Built for: William K. and Alva Vanderbilt

Designed by: Richard Morris Hunt

Present owner: The Preservation Society of Newport County

William K. Vanderbilt’s fifty-room mansion was built as a thirty-ninth birthday present for his wife, Alva. But alas, it wasn’t enough to save their marriage: The couple divorced in March 1895. (Alva got to keep the house.)

 

 

Seaview Terrace

Completed in: 1925

Built for: Edson Bradley

Designed by: Howard Greenley

Present owner: The Carey family

Seaview Terrace was originally built in Washington, D.C., before it was deconstructed and moved to Narragansett Bay. A favorite locale among fans of the paranormal, it’s also one of the average
admirer’s few opportunities to join the ranks of the Aquidneck elite: In 2021, the house went on the market for $29.9 million.

 

 

Chateau-sur-Mer

Completed in: 1852

Built for: William Shepard Wetmore

Designed by: Seth C. Bradford

Present owner: The Preservation Society of Newport County

Unlike most of the Bellevue Avenue elite, the Wetmore family lived in their mansion year-round. William’s son, George, was a Rhode Island politician who served as governor and in
the United States Senate.

 

Ochre Court

Completed in: 1892

Built for: Ogden Goelet

Designed by: Richard Morris Hunt

Present owner: Salve Regina University

This fairy-tale estate along the Cliff Walk once housed the entire college. The Goelet family donated the property to the Religious Sisters of Mercy to open Salve in 1947. The original fifty-eight students lived on the third floor, attended classes on the second and dined on the first.

 

Vernon Court

Completed in: 1898

Built for: Anna Van Nest Gambrill

Designed by: Carrère and Hastings

Present owner: The Alliance for Art and Architecture

Anna Van Nest Gambrill had Vernon Court built as a summer residence after the death of her husband, Richard, making it one of the few Gilded Age properties commissioned by a woman. Today, it hosts works by Norman Rockwell and others as the National Museum of American Illustration (although it’s currently closed for renovations).

 

The Elms

Completed in: 1901

Built for: Edward Julius Berwind and his wife, Sarah

Designed by: Horace Trumbauer

Present owner: The Preservation Society of Newport County

The Elms is known for its lavish gardens, but the true marvels lie beneath the house: An underground tunnel connects the basement with nearby Dixon Street to shuttle coal discreetly into the home.