The Breakers

We then headed to start the mansions tour.  Newport has a lot of opulent summer homes and some of these were built in the late 1800’s. The Vanderbilt family who acquired much of their wealth from the railroad and shipping industries had a few homes built here.  The Breakers is probably the most famous.  Over 125,000 square feet, ridiculously lavish, and built in 2 years for $150 million in today’s money.  It was overwhelming with how over the top the finishings were.  Platinum coated walls, an entire room & ceiling finished in 24k gold embossed on leather panels, just as a few examples.  The ocean view was incredible.  The servants quarters on the top 3 floors were out of bounds for the owners.  The kitchen had 24 feet of cooking surface that was heated with 30 tons of coal a season.  The bathtubs had 4 taps...2 for indoor plumbing & 2 for seawater.  The tubs were carved out of solid marble.  They would be filled at least 3 times with hot water & drained before the water stayed warm for bathing. We were blown away with how much money was spent on these homes.  You’d have to see them in person to do them justice.  We also did part of the cliff walk that follows the ocean and is the back yard of these homes.







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