This Main Line Neighbors series, Exploring Castles Close to Home, began for two reasons: looking for long weekend destinations and anticipating Season 3 of The Gilded Age. The date for the new season of the HBO show isn’t set. That allows time to visit and explore Gilded Age masterpieces. Several serve as settings for the show.
There are many Gilded Age mansions a few hours from home. They all feature over-the-top architecture, grand interiors and eclectic art featured in the series. And they are terrific destinations for long weekend getaways to New York’s Hudson Valley and Rhode Island’s Newport. For places to visit that are located closer, check out last month’s Main Line Neighbors newsletter .
Visiting these magnificent relics of a time gone by is an adventure filled with beautiful, almost unbelievable craftsmanship and American history. It’s a time also remembered for polarity of wealth and poverty, issues of immigration, political corruption and women’s rights as well.
New York’s Hudson Valley in the late 1800’s became a center for the arts. “Rip Van Winkle” and “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” author Washington Irving’s Gothic Revival home Sunnyside is open for visitors with excellent guided tours. About thirty minutes away is Jay Gould’s Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown. Both are short drives from the appropriately named Castle Hotel, a 19th century Norman castle offering amazing views from the highest point in West Chester County along with cavernous rooms to explore and stay overnight.
An hour’s drive to from Tarrytown to Hyde Park allows for a visit to Vanderbilt Mansion, (Frederick William Vanderbilt) and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt home and library. The informative tours provide an intriguing look back into that time.
There’s lots to see in New York’s Hudson Valley but a bit farther from home are Newport Rhode Island’s grand home treasures. Most of these were featured in The Gilded Age series. It’s only a short drive from Newport’s downtown area featuring iconic New England water views to the Gilded Age mansions. Located close to one another, they’re easy to find and visit. Several have multiple tours providing more in-depth understanding of the life and times of both the Gilded Age families and their staff. Especially fascinating was The Elms’ tour “Servant Life” with photos of several of the staff members and excellent descriptions of what countries they emigrated from and explanations of their daily routines and aspirations. The Elms’ kitchen is featured in the show.
The Elms, completed in 1901, features French and Venetian paintings and Renaissance ceramics throughout the French inspired residence. The gardens have marble pavilions and a sunken garden and are known to be among the finest in Newport.
Marble House was, of course, an imported marble Beaux Arts showcase echoing Paris’ Petit Trianon. The floor to ceiling stained glass windows allow ambient light to set the mood for this masterpiece built by William Vanderbilt (Grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt of NY Central Railroad and steamship fame) in the late1880’s as a birthday present for his wife Alva. She called this her American “temple to the arts.” The Gilded Age’s main character Bertha (Carrie Coon) was patterned after Alva, whose elaborate, invitation-only parties determined the in-crowd.
Not to be outshone, William Vanderbilt’s brother Cornelius II Breakers has an “intimate” 70 rooms with astonishing mosaic tile floors and ceilings. Built by architect Richard Morris Hunt in 1895, he hired international artisans to echo 16th century Italian palaces. The Great Hall features 50-foot ceilings. Breakers is breathtaking from every perspective.
Rosecliff the site for movies including “True Lies”, “The Great Gatsby: among others, is the site of the largest ballroom in Newport. It served as the location for exclusive parties featuring Harry Houdini the magician. The façade is featured on The Gilded Age.
Photos don’t capture the scale and jaw-dropping craftsmanship of these Gilded Age relics. They’re all conscientiously cared for by the Preservation Society of Newport County, hosting fascinating tours through several. If you’re looking forward to the HBO series, consider visiting The Gilded Age settings in person. Your own imagination will transport you to another world and time. What a trip!
Happy travels,
Jane
