The Breakers

Welcome to The Breakers, the undisputed pinnacle of Gilded Age architectural achievement and the grandest of all Newport summer cottages. Commissioned by Cornelius Vanderbilt the Second and his wife Alice, this breathtaking…

Upon entering The Breakers, visitors are immediately confronted by the awe-inspiring proportions of the Great Hall. Measuring an exact fifty feet wide, fifty feet long, and soaring fifty feet high, this monumental space functions…

Flowing gracefully from the Great Hall, we discover the jaw-dropping two-story formal Dining Room, a space that covers an astonishing two thousand four hundred square feet. This magnificent room is flanked by twelve colossal,…

Continuing our exploration of the primary reception spaces, we encounter two rooms that perfectly illustrate the gendered social dynamics of the Gilded Age. The magnificent Music Room, famously utilized as a filming location for…

Leaving the glittering reception spaces, we transition into the highly functional, hidden service wing to examine the Kitchen and Butler's Pantry. Uniquely for grand houses of this era, the kitchen at The Breakers is situated on…

Ascending the grand staircase to the second floor, we enter the private family quarters, which provide fascinating insights into individual Vanderbilt personalities. Gertrude Vanderbilt's bedroom is a vibrant, expressive space…

To truly comprehend the engineering genius behind The Breakers, we must descend deep beneath the property into the massive Underground Boiler Room. Because the family's previous wooden home had burned to the ground, extreme…

As we conclude our comprehensive tour of The Breakers, we are left to ponder the complex legacy of this monumental structure. It stands as the ultimate architectural expression of the American Gilded Age, a brief, glittering…