Marble House

Oh how I love this place! But marble house isn’t the only treasure here. You’ll also want to enjoy the FREE cliff walk between the mansions and the Atlantic. Seeing the mansions from the Atlantic view and Salve Regina University along the walk is a must. Marble house, and the other mansions that are open, are a part of the historic gilded age that is so fun to experience. You’ll feel like you’re touring historical European homes without navigating different currencies and customs, and spending the money and time to fly across the “pond”.

Super exciting visit. It was interesting to see how the ultra elite lived during the gilded age. The tour comes includes access to the property and an audio tour. They provide a smartphone with headphones. I recommend bringing your own headphones for additional comfort. The headphones they provide dont work well with kids. This property is spectacular and the Japanese tea garden is cool too. Four stars because it was busy on the day I visited and some of the areas in the house were off limits. I recommend getting the annual pass so you can visit other Newport Preservation societys properties. I visited on 23 November 2019. The mansion was dressed up for Christmas and it was an amazing experience!

The Marble House did not disappoint! The Vanderbilt history is woven together through the tour very well. We spent about an hour here. We could have spend a little more time, but an hour was sufficient for us. We have tours the Breakers and the Marble House. Both are good tours! The Marble house is a shorter tour than the Breakers.

Beautiful house, and nice self guided tour. All of these mansions are definitely worth taking tours of. It’s nice that these beautiful pieces of America can be taken care of, and preserved for generations to come...

Because They Have Beatiful Buildings

Such a spectacular location. The attention to detail is superb! Enjoyed a beautiful dinner under a beautiful tent in the back. And the Pagoda is such a special treat. Thank you for allowing this beautiful house to be open to the public.I especially loved the spiral staircase. The guides were very well informed on the property and were able to answer any questions. Thank you for a wonderful experience

What a beautiful mansion. Its not the longest tour but its definitely worth your time. My only regret is going on a day when it rained and missing some of the beautiful view and having to enjoy the grounds in the rain. Unfortunately you can only access a bathroom before or after the tour, but this beautiful house has a sassy story and is worth your time!

Pictures do not do it justice! Everything was glamorous! It was adorned with Christmas decorations for the season. Self guided tour was educational and interesting to learn about the family.

This was truly a Marble house, one of the most decadent homes of the Newport Mansions, I recommend everyone to come out and see these homes and learn about the guided era. This was not only very educational but a pleasure to the eye, great day trip!

If your looking for a mansion that is huge but still homey look no further than the marble house. Slightly smaller than The Breakers this mansion is worth visiting. Does not have A/C but the experience in the house is what matters. This house has all marble both on the walls, floors, and stairwells. The mansion is a quicker one to walk through and has a tea house on the back lawn facing the Atlantic ocean. From the property you can see The Breakers along with a few other big mansions that are privately owned. This is also another self guided tour so take your time and view all the details and characters in this mansion.

Great experience and just wow, you have to visit this if you are coming to Newport. We did the two house tour which is breaker and Marble house totally worthy he 32 dollars.

Amazing architecture with awesome views. There is great history to the house with an amazing story to tell. It also has a tea house in the design of a Chinese temple out in tbe gardens overlooking the Newport Harbor. If you are doing the mansion tours this should be your first stop. Its a must see.

Magnificent mansion!! Gorgeous ocean view, beautiful Chinese Tea Room on the grounds, where you can get coffee, tea and something light to eat.

Among the better homes to visit with a great audiotour, and a good description of the house.

Love this mansion. One of the best out of all the mansions in newport. Definitely need to go if you are in Newport visiting mansions. You wont regret it. Amazing and huge rooms, the history of this mansion is amazing. They are self guided tours so when you go there they will give you a headset and ipod and as you walk through the mansion on your own at your own pace you get to listen to the story and history of this great mansion. The art work is unbelievable and if you get a family pass its good for everyone in your home and you can go to all the mansions unlimited times for an entire year and the membership cost less than if you pay to have 4 people go to one mansion one time. The membership also is hood for discounted merchandise, discounted tours and even some free tours are included has well.

Fantastic historic Vanderbilt summer cottage! Lots of history and exciting things to see! See my photos! From the tea house to the kitchen there is so much to see. They upgraded the tours with a tabular tour pad which makes it easy to track where you are and control your tour!

Great place to reminisce antique pieces.

Beautiful, historic home available to tour. Outside Japanese structure is also a place to eat a salad and have an iced tea before venturing to the next home. The property has stunning views of the Atlantic coast and the Cliff Walk. The Gift Shop has alot of items on the suffrage movement and historical women.

Found Marble House while looking for something to see while in Rhode Island. Gorgeous mansion full of story and history. Regular self-guided tour was well done and admission is reasonably priced. Be sure to take your time and try to go on a cool day. House was built in the late 1800s so theres zero air-conditioning.

This mansion was filled with marble. This one is a must see. The tea house in the back yard was great. You will not be disappointed.

What an amazing place, we spent about 2 hrs exploring this beautiful marble mansion built for the Vanderbilt family in 1888, totally lost track of time in the tour just amazed by the uniqueness of each room and the history behind the creations. The staff on site was very knowledgeable and friendly, a must see while your visiting Newport RI for sure.

Nice place, don’t get me wrong because of 4 stars, but I saw better mansions in USA. Please be advised that parking is free, just across the mansion. You can walk around the building for free but be ready to pay $17.50 per adult ticket if you would like to go inside. Really pretty summer house for that century, you can get a sense of that time, so overall interesting spot for Newport

This was my second favorite mansion after The Breakers. Really beautiful architecture and inside decor. Seeing a Chinese tea house outside was rather random but very exciting. Definitely recommend visiting if you’re found 3 or 5 mansion tour.

Covered with marbles, this mansion has was worth visiting, particularly enjoyed the audio program.

Another beautiful Vanderbilt home. The Gothic room is very impressive. Audio guide was useful and educational

Easy and free parking, visited during Christmas break. Tour of house is great with self guided electronic devices for each person. The entire property indoor and outdoor is meticulously cared for. Takes about an hour to see the whole house. May take longer if you elaborate on stories of each room. I could imagine the tours are pretty crowded in beach season.

Absolutely beautiful place, as everybody says - the best mansion to see in Newport. Stained glass windows are incredibly beautiful! Chinese tearoom behind the palace is stunning. Wonderful views from the back of the mansion. Id say its a bit overpriced, but if you buy a 5-mansion pass, its a good deal.

Come here to learn about crazy, rich, summer cottage living. The audio tour was more enjoyable than expected. Dont come here if you want to stop on and take pictures from the staircase. Thats not allowed.

Gorgeous mansion with breathtaking artworks inside and out.

One of my favorite mansions on Bellevue Avenue. The Vanderbilts knew how to live! Wonderful grounds with a Chinese tea house overlooking the ocean. Definitely check out the gift shop.

So over the top, but so Beautiful!! DEFINITELY, recommend a visit

Absolutely gorgeous. Inside and outside of the house is worth seeing. The Chinese Tea House and water views in the back are great. Save yourself time and buy tickets beforehand.

Wonderful and refined place. Must see.At one point the most expensive house in the United States.

Visiting a Mansion from the 1800s and getting to experience the way of life from forgotten years was truly like traveling back in time. A historical throwback.

Phenomenal place, a must-see while visiting Newport!

Close to the Breakers mansion. This mansion has a better parking lot. We were amazed by the Chinese Tea House here.

Summer cottage of William and Alva Vanderbilt. Built in 1892, it was modeled after the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Designed by famed architect Richard Morris hunt. This home was built as a gift to celebrate Alvas 39th birthday. She had the Chinese tea House on the property built to host a party for her suffragette movement. The Mansion has been a production site for The Great Gatsby, the miniseries the buccaneers, 27 dresses and more recently Victorias secret holiday catalogs and commercials. owned and operated by the preservation society of Newport County. tickets may be purchased on site or at the Newport Visitor Center on Americas Cup Avenue.

I love history and really enjoyed the other historical society houses however I didnt enjoy this one as much. With the odd decision to include modern art side by side with historic furniture and decor it seemed to shatter the historic immersion. Still fun to see but not as good as the others.

What a marvelous place. The tour is informative and the staff friendly and helpful. Be sure to check out the tea house.

Wow! I was blown away by this gorgeous mansion. We visited when they were decorated for Christmas and I highly recommend going during this time! Stunning

This is my favorite home in Newport. Exquisite is every way. The $80 membership for 2 people is the best deal and you get to see all of the homes or $55 for individual membership.

Amazing place to have an idea of how the wealthy vacationed during the Gilded Age. The mansion itself is beautifully preserved!

Jaw dropping! Amazing! The property is managed by the preservation society and have well organized self guided audio tours. Takes 1 hr if you dont run through additional audio tracks but I would definitely suggest to listen all the additional audio tracks to get to know the history of this mammoth property. They have off road parking inside the main entrance. Single house tickets cost $7 and five house tickets cost $35, can be purchased online or at the property itself! Below is the website.Marble house must be planned as the last mansion to visit if you have plans to visit multiple mansions. The best one to be reserved for the last you know what i mean !!https://newportmansions.org/

(Full disclosure, I have a family member that is a Board member of the Preservation Society that runs this propertyMarble House is a home in most see when in Newport.Gorgeous grounds, gorgeous house, history unfolds in front of you.Take your time to notice the small details in the carvings and the meticulous craftsmanship.Theres so much to see and learn.Young kids will be bored until they can get outside on the lawn and run around.Check out the Chinese Tea House and take in the view of Eastons Point across the bay.

One of my favorite mansions to visit at Christmas time.

The Marble House was the 2nd of 5 Gilded Age Mansions we toured one day a couple Octobers ago. This one I found especially of interest as is was the summer home of William Kissam Vanderbilt, the eldest son of William S. Vanderbilt and the main heir to Cornelius Vanderbilts fortune which he took and tripled it for the Vanderbilt family. Its front resembles that of the White House. Designated as a summer cottage that took 4 years to complete by 1892. Consisting or 56 rooms, it required a staff of 36 servants. It cost $313 million to build in todays dollars. The house was used to film part of the movie, The Great Gatsby.

I visited Marble House on a free day for Newport County residents which saved me a few dollars however I would have been happy even if I had paid for my admission. One of the smaller of the Newport mansions it is no less beautiful or awe inspiring. The gothic room is incredible and in my mind truly stands out among the numerous elaborately designed spaces. Also of note, this mansion has a more personal feel than some of the others and you get a real sense of the people behind the architecture and interior design. Ill definitely revisit here in the future!

Cliff walk is really nice, bring water to stay hydrated

I enjoyed the audio tour and the house was cool. The marble was pretty awesome and the rooms were ornate. But the Chinese tea house was a little underwhelming

My favorite mansion tour, next to The Breakers out here in Newport. Stunning architecture!

The audio tour is really well done, beautiful mansion.

Fantastically fantiscal! One can only dream of living in a place like this! Not very handicap accessible.

A must see if youre visiting Newport! Its a bit shorter tour than The Breakers but no less majestic. Its astonishing how exquisite the finishes and details are, and the audio tour gives an excellent history of the house as well as the gilded age. Definitely worth a trip to see this piece of history and the grounds

Very nice visit and self paced tour.

This is an incredible monument to conspicuous consumption. They lived here only a few weeks a year and had several other houses. Definitely fun to see. The docents and wonderful. On the recorded tour, dont skip all the little side tours.

A beautiful cottage turned into a museum. They have an audio walking tour which provides a detailed description of each room. The workmanship that went in to each room is fantastic. The walking tour also includes some Vanderbilt family history. The parking lot is across the street and there is plenty available. They do offer a AAA discount and if you decide to go to another mansion can upgrade your ticket for a small fee. The Chinese Tea House is included in the tour and service a small lunch menu. The food is pre-packaged and not much to write home about, but it was nice to sit inside and enjoy the view.

Quite fancy and elegant! Three floors of marble and exquisite decor. Our favorite part though was at the end where you go underneath into the kitchen quarters. It was huge and littered with old fashioned gizmos. The chinese tea house outside was very nice and provided awesome ocean view snacking! The tea hoise closes for the winter but the mansions are year round. Buy the five pack mansion ticket as one mansion already costs half of the five pack ticket.

Being a fan of Downton Abbey, I felt like I was thrown back in time walking through this mansion. You get an audio guide which lets you explore the place on your own. The audio guide can give you a quick 40 minute tour or if you want to get into more details, it has little snippets of information regarding each room as well.It takes you through the story of the Vanderbilt Family and their contributions.They have played a major part in womens rights to vote, world of sailing and multiple other fields.The house is build on the inside mostly in marble and it looks absolutely majestic. There is also a Chinese tea room just outside the house where you can get refreshments.

Great house owned by the Vanderbilt. Great architecture details and has an entire room coated with gold

While I havent seen every mansion yet, of the few I have seen, this is my favorite. The size, architecture, and that tea house! Definitely worth a visit and consider donating or becoming a member of the Newport preservation society! The only things I wished were different were slightly less expensive refreshments, and traditional Chinese tea would be a great addition to the tea house!

Very insightful of what the life of the rich looked like back in the 1800. The headsets provided by the curators was like having a personal tour guide as you walked through this enchanted house.

Great cars and Coffee

Fascinating journey through the life of one of the first women Suffragettes and the coming of age of her daughter. Life was hard for women once, but this home also stands as a testament to their power and personal agency. Alva Vanderbilt was a trend setter to say the very least and it is reflected in the various Marble finishes throughout her glittering home.

Every room is decorated for Christmas and just beautiful to see .

This is an incredible home and hard to believe it was only used less than 3 months of every year. Definitely worth seeing!

I loved the house it was beautiful but the art randomly placed through out the house was just weird. One of the rooms was a beautiful gothic room and then it was just a giant foot in the middle of the room it really took away from the house and the beauty of it

Informative tour. Takes you back to those good old days and the grandeur of the place left me breathless

Marble House is a Gilded Age mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Designed as a summer cottage for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt by the society architect Richard Morris Hunt, it was unparalleled in opulence for an American house when it was completed in 1892. Its temple-front portico, which also serves as a porte-cochère, resembles that of the White House. Located at 596 Bellevue Avenue, it is now open to the public as a museum run by the Preservation Society of Newport County.The mansion was built as a summer cottage between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. It was a social landmark that helped spark the transformation of Newport from a relatively relaxed summer colony of wooden houses to the now-legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. The fifty-room mansion required a staff of 36 servants, including butlers, maids, coachmen, and footmen. The mansion cost $11 million (equivalent to $307 million in 2018; $660 million in Gold-dollar equivalence (1890 $20 Double Eagle)) of which $7 million was spent on 500,000 cubic feet (14,000 m³) of marble. Vanderbilts older brother Cornelius Vanderbilt II subsequently built the largest of the Newport cottages, The Breakers, between 1893 and 1895.When Alva Vanderbilt divorced William in 1895, she already owned Marble House outright, having received it as her 39th birthday present. Upon her remarriage in 1896 to Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, she relocated down the street to Belmonts mansion, Belcourt. After his death, she reopened Marble House and added the Chinese Tea House on the seaside cliff, where she hosted rallies for womens suffrage.Alva Belmont closed the mansion permanently in 1919, when she relocated to France to be closer to her daughter, Consuelo Balsan. There she divided her time between a Paris townhouse, a villa on the Riviera, and the Château dAugerville, which she restored. She sold the house to Frederick H. Prince in 1932, less than a year before her death. For more than 30 years, the Prince family carefully occupied the house during Newports summer season, taking special efforts to leave the vast majority of the interior intact as the Vanderbilts had originally intended. One notable event that occurred in the Marble House during the Prince familys residency was the famed Tiffany Ball in July 1957, sponsored by Tiffany & Company and held to benefit the relatively new Preservation Society of Newport County. Continuing late into the early morning hours, the ball welcomed guests with long national and international pedigrees, such as then Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy; Mr. and Mrs. E. Sheldon Whitehouse; the Astors; Count Anthony and Countess Sylvia Szapary of the Vanderbilt family; and hundreds of other luminaries. During their summer occupancies, to help preserve the integrity of Marble Houses famed interiors, the Princes primarily resided in smaller quarters in the buildings third floor, which had formerly been used for servant housing during the Vanderbilts time. In 1963, the Preservation Society of Newport County purchased the house from the Prince Trust, with funding provided by Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, the Vanderbilt couples youngest son. Through the Prince Trust, the Prince family donated virtually all original furniture for the house directly to the Preservation Society.The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 10, 1971. The Department of the Interior designated it as a National Historic Landmark on February 17, 2006. The Bellevue Avenue Historic District, which includes Marble House and many other historic Newport mansions, was added to the Register on December 8, 1972 and subsequently designated as a National Historic Landmark District on May 11, 1976. The mansion still stands in great visible condition and is used for many things such as guided and non-guided tours, as well as hosting various special events, parties, and weddings.

Well worth the money. Gives you a view into the royal and absolute ridiculous lifestyle some humans got to experience.

This place is amazing to look at especially during the holidays. The self guided audio tours are easy to use and tell you just as much as you need to hear and more if you want to hear it.

While this house is a little gaudy for my taste its fascinating how people spent their money back then. Being winter, its a guided tour, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the house, art and people who once lived there.

Marble House is the most rococo of all the Newport homes. It also has a beautiful Chinese tea house overlooking the ocean. Easy access parking. When you enter the home, they offer you ready-to-use tablets, which make it nice as you walk through the house at your own pace. The home takes roughly 60-90 minutes to cover.

Another in one of many great properties to visit in Newport. As the name suggests this house heavily features marble stone work. As with most of the mansion properties you can tour this one offers a free audio tour to guide you through the house. Be sure to check out the tea house out back by the water after your tour. It has sweeping views of the ocean and neighboring properties. It also has some light snacks and beverages.

Very interesting. Free parking across the street. Headphones and tour devices are provided, which is very nice. There is a lot of extra information you can listen to on the devices. Photography is permitted as long as you dont use a flash. Unbelievable opulence.

The audio tour is great. Didnt like the modern art exhibit placed in the rooms. I guess that is temporary. They are out of place...

American history preserved. Great audio tour using touch screen technology.

Wonderful tour, beautiful history!

Lovely experience, a gift from my daughter to do the tour of these magnificent houses while in RI.

So beautiful and love the history.

Must visit and fantastic experience. Love it more than Asheville and the Biltmore

A wonderful glimpse into our past. The opulence of the gilded era and the lives of the uber wealthy of the time. The conspicuous consumption, the over the top home decor; so far removed from our modern world. Absolutely nothing was understated or simple.

A beautiful place to visit. Every nook and corner is made out of marble so it feels colder than most mansions. They give you a mobile device for the audio tour so dont forget to pick that up. Its closer to the Breakers so if you want to knock off two mansions in one run definitely check it out.

$11mm to build a home in the 19th Century...had to see it. An entire home (virtually) built of Marble! A must see when you tour Newport, both for the beauty of the construction as well as the essence of Mark Twain’s “Guilded Age.” So far over the top that you won’t believe the possibility of the excesses at that time. So beautiful, that your jaw will drop at the fact that something like this exists for us all to view!

Fantastic furniture and outstanding architecture.

This house is insanely opulent and definitely worth a visit. Nice parking area across from the house makes it easy to access. Plenty of walking and steps, so come prepared. The audio tour is great, the preservation society had done a great job with it and provides it in an app for your phone as well.

A taste of what an overabundance of money will achieve. ..awe-inspiring in one way..but really highlights the disparity of life...I appreciated the kitchen area for its warmth and simplicity. .imagined the massive work there...wished there was more insight into the servants quarters. .tour is well-prepared and informative. This cottage is just a taste of the wealth of the Newport

I will be highly recommending all the mansions in Newport. Fantastic preservation and beauty that is hard to believe its here in the United States, and not even that old. Amazing to see and the great staff helps you along the way. Make sure to grab a drink in the cafe by the ocean!

Incredible house with ridiculous detailing. The gothic room was one of my favorites!

An amazing house and grounds. Well worth a visit.

Ancient but well preserved house made of full marble and gold. Cost millions of dollars in late 1800s. Incredible

It is such a elaborate and big beautiful house. It has been well taken care of over the years. The house has so much marble and husband designed to such great detail. It is one of the other mansions to visit in newport. I would plan to spend at least an hour or 2 here if you want to take the audio tour and enjoy everything.

The definition of Conspicuous Consumption, but a wonderful step back in time

If you history and homes, it gets no better than in Newport at Christmas!!

An amazing place from a time that is no longer. No expenses were spared to design and furnish the mansion.From todays perspective, it is probably over the top, and it probably already was 130 years ago. Visiting this ultra luxury place takes you on a very unique journey.

The tour is self guided through a headset. Marble House is amazing. It is truly a one of a kind house. I enjoyed the tour and seeing this amazing home up close. I feel it was worth the money to see.

Fun excursion!! Very interesting!

Great place to visit! And area around also beautiful. Couple more residential also available for visit too

Elegant, sophisticated, craftmanship, beautiful.

The mansion is amazing, the tour is self guided and wonderful, very rich history, loved it.

Its an amazing house. I still cant believe the fortune the Vanderbilt have before .