Newport, Rhode Island - home of the Megarich

Post date: Oct 1, 2015 11:02:51 PM

There are mansions of unimaginable splendor in Newport, built by the old money earned in railroad, mining, the stock market, etc. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such mansion is the "Breakers," the "cottage" (their term) belonging to the Vanderbilt family.  It is a monument to conspicuous consumption, with marble, gold, platinum, Tiffany lamps, grand staircases, splendid ocean views and beautiful frescoes. Absolutely everything is done to excess.  It's really not ugly so much as educational.  I found it a fascinating example of the power of great wealth, reflected in terms that I could see and touch (when the docents weren't looking).  No inside photos allowed, however.  This is probably a good thing since I'd still be there taking pictures.  As much as the Breakers is over-the-top, the Rosecliff mansion is elegance personified.  It was Gatsby's mansion in the movie.  The interior is almost completely cream colored and great restraint was shown on adding paintings and furniture to the rooms.  I actually gasped when the guide threw open the doors to the dining hall.  It is the size of a football field!  I tried to imagine the parties and banquets that took place in those magnificent rooms.  They had a complex schedule of social events during the summers and the women were under a great deal of pressure to wear something stunning to each event. These days, most of the mansions are maintained by trust societies.  I am so grateful that they have been so splendidly preserved for more than a century. 

Then after visiting the historic Newport, we got to see the present-day majesty of the Newport International Tennis Hall of Fame.  As you enter, you see a beautiful bright green tennis court, surrounded by half-timbered galleries.  This is not only the repository of memorabilia, but a real tribute to tennis greats of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.  There are lots of photos and displays of old tennis equipment and even the dress that Tracy Austin wore in the U.S. Open at the age of 17. I came to realize how important the great tennis moments have been to me over many years.  Hard to imagine a "thrilling" museum, but this one was!