Marble House

Marble House Review

One of the most opulent of the Newport mansions, Marble House is known for its extravagant gold ballroom. The house was built between 1888 and 1892 by William Vanderbilt, who gave it as a gift to his wife, Alva, in 1892. Alva divorced William in 1895 and married Oliver H.P. Belmont, becoming the lady of Belcourt Castle. When Oliver died in 1908, she returned to Marble House and spent much of her time campaigning for women's rights. She hosted many suffragette rallies in the intriguing Chinese teahouse that she had built behind the estate in 1914, designed by the sons of Richard Morris Hunt, who designed Marble House itself.