Newport, Rhode Island, and the Gold Coast on Long Island, New York, are home to some of America’s most extravagant palatial estates, each reflecting the Gilded Age’s architectural grandeur and opulent lifestyles. Newport mansions line the Rhode Island coast, their summer “cottages” dripping with Italian Renaissance and French opulence, all designed to remind you who had the big bucks. The Vanderbilts, Berwinds, and Dukes threw epic parties at places like The Breakers and Marble House, where every marble staircase and ballroom chandelier practically yelled, “We have arrived.” Architects like Richard Morris Hunt pulled out all the stops, creating oceanfront palaces that were as theatrical as they were lavish. On Long Island’s Gold Coast, the estates double down on European fantasy but with a year-round sense of permanence. Think Oheka Castle’s French château style, Winfield Hall’s Italian Renaissance, and Eagle’s Nest’s Spanish Revival — all with views of the Sound and a backyard for polo. Here, industrialists like Otto Kahn and William K. Vanderbilt II lived like American royalty. Their homes weren’t just seasonal hideaways but cultural landmarks, where fortunes and legacies were displayed like prized trophies. Both regions serve as time capsules of the Gilded Age and remain icons of American wealth, culture, and architecture. While Newport shines as a seasonal social scene for America’s elite, the Gold Coast reflects the long-term legacy of some of America’s wealthiest industrialists. Each mansion carries its own unique charm and historical impact, highlighting how East Coast high society lived, entertained, and displayed its opulence.
About the Newport Mansions (Rhode Island)
Heavily influenced by European palaces, especially Italian Renaissance and French styles, the Newport estates were designed to emulate, or surpass, the elegance of European nobility. Mansions like Marble House and The Breakers are prime examples of opulence inspired by Italy and France. Built as summer “cottages,” Newport mansions reflect the seasonality of elite social life. They hosted some of the most famous gatherings in American high society, providing a temporary escape from New York City with extravagant parties and leisure by the ocean. Prominent families like the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Berwinds dominated Newport, bringing New York wealth into smaller, but equally opulent, summer estates. Managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County, Newport’s mansions have become one of New England’s top historical attractions, with homes like The Breakers open to the public.
10. Rough Point
At Rough Point, you’re stepping into Doris Duke’s world of eccentric opulence. Built in 1887 in an English Manor style, this seaside mansion shows off Duke’s taste for the finer things — from exotic art to 18th-century French furnishings. She filled this home with a mix of art pieces and furniture, each chosen for maximum drama. Rough Point’s gardens flow seamlessly into Newport’s rugged coast, where Duke famously cared for animals and lived her last years on her terms.
9. Marble House
Marble House is Newport’s answer to the Palace of Versailles, built by Alva Vanderbilt in 1892 to outshine every mansion on the Gold Coast. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the place drips with over-the-top opulence. Alva had 500,000 cubic feet of marble imported from across the globe, lining the floors, walls, and everything else she could think to gild. The mansion’s French-inspired architecture, with its columns, pediments, and a dose of Renaissance flair, was meant to showcase Alva’s social power and the Vanderbilt name’s unstoppable wealth. Inside, the decor doesn’t let you forget it — rooms are studded with gilded mirrors, carved wood, and marble as far as the eye can see. The ballroom alone could host an emperor’s soirée, and the grand staircase is as close as you’ll get to royal pomp in the States. Alva, a sharp social player and early feminist, wasn’t content with decor alone; she made Marble House the heart of Newport’s social scene and a base for her suffrage movement.
8. The Elms
The Elms is Newport’s French-inspired masterpiece, a lavish summer “cottage” built in 1901 for coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind. Designed by Horace Trumbauer, the mansion channels the grandeur of a Parisian chateau. Its limestone facade is all classical elegance, with sculpted details and arched windows that invite you in for a closer look. Berwind spared no expense, aiming to create a home that exuded sophistication, European flair, and enough space for the social season’s endless string of parties. Step inside, and The Elms keeps impressing. The rooms are decked out with 18th-century French decor, bronze statues, marble columns, and walls draped in silk, transporting you straight to the French aristocracy’s glory days. Berwind’s staff operated in hidden passageways, running the mansion with clockwork precision — The Elms had some of the first electrical systems, making it a marvel of modern luxury. The Elms was a social hub, where Berwind hosted Newport’s elite amid the sparkle of chandeliers and clinking champagne glasses. Outside, the gardens are modeled after the parks of Versailles, complete with fountains, marble statues, and formal terraces.
7. Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer is Newport’s grand dame, setting the stage for opulence long before the Vanderbilts and Astors arrived. Built in 1852 for William Shepard Wetmore, a merchant who made his fortune in China, this mansion practically invented the Gilded Age aesthetic. Designed in the Italianate style and later revamped in High Victorian fashion, Chateau-sur-Mer mixes the sturdy elegance of an English country home with exotic flair. It was Newport’s first true showpiece, drawing admiration for its bold style, thick stone walls, and intricate woodwork. Inside, the mansion doubles down on its eclectic tastes, with grand rooms draped in velvet, hand-carved mahogany, and rare marbles. The great hall greets you with a grand staircase and massive stained-glass windows that play with the light in a way that feels otherworldly. Each room channels a different design mood — Rococo here, Gothic there — creating a tour of Victorian excess. Chateau-sur-Mer hosted the elite’s first grand Newport parties, setting a standard for social gatherings to come. The estate’s gardens, featuring exotic trees and sprawling lawns, were the perfect backdrop for a society obsessed with leisure and luxury. Chateau-sur-Mer is where Newport’s love affair with architectural drama truly began, an original among the later giants.
6. Rosecliff
Rosecliff is Newport’s ultimate party palace, built in 1902 by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs to host soirées that would leave the town buzzing. Modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles, Rosecliff beckons with its white stucco facade and arched windows, all designed by architect Stanford White to capture the elegance of French courtly life. White created a mansion that’s all about open spaces, grand views, and a ballroom that stretches out like a dream. Inside, Rosecliff flows with opulence meant for entertaining. The ballroom alone is one of Newport’s largest, a sweeping space where the Oelrichs family threw lavish parties, like the “Bal Blanc,” where everyone wore white to match the shimmering marble floors and sparkling chandeliers. The house is dotted with details meant to impress: gilded mirrors, frescoed ceilings, and airy spaces that catch ocean breezes, reminding guests they’re at the pinnacle of Gilded Age luxury. The gardens, designed for strolling and scheming, add a final touch of European romance. Rosecliff turned the concept of a “summer cottage” on its head, making every event feel like a scene from a European fairy tale.
5. Chepstow
Chepstow is Newport’s Italianate charmer. Built in 1860 and set amidst gardens that hint at classical Europe, it was home to the Morris family for over a century. Its understated elegance makes it feel less like a mansion and more like a refined family home — though with a bit more flair. Inside, the house brims with American and European antiques that reflect the family’s travels and artistic taste.
4. Hunter House
Hunter House is a Georgian Colonial with real history, dating back to the 1740s. This mansion tells Newport’s colonial story before the Gilded Age even arrived. With its symmetrical brickwork, wood-paneled rooms, and period furniture, it’s a time capsule of 18th-century life. Originally built for a ship captain, it later became home to wealthy merchants and today stands as a reminder of early American elegance.
3. Kingscote
Kingscote is Newport’s Gothic Revival gem, built in 1839, and filled with exotic woods and vibrant colors. George Noble Jones, a southern planter, built this fantasy retreat, later passed to the King family, who added stained glass windows and opulent interiors. Its carved wooden arches and playful decor make Kingscote an eccentric piece of Newport history, with interiors that capture an almost storybook quality.
2. Isaac Bell House
Built in 1883, Isaac Bell House stands out for its Shingle Style architecture, a departure from the showier designs of its time. Designed with an open layout, natural materials, and Japanese-inspired woodwork, it feels light and modern, a summer retreat that celebrates simplicity over pomp. The home’s owners, Isaac Bell and family, preferred a tasteful, unpretentious style that contrasts with the heavy opulence of their Newport neighbors.
1. The Breakers
The Breakers is Newport’s crown jewel, built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1895 to remind everyone that the Vanderbilts were top of the American social ladder. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, this Italian Renaissance-style “cottage” flaunts 70 rooms and an oceanfront location that takes luxury to another level. Think marble, gilded ceilings, frescoes, and walls lined with imported European masterpieces, all pulled together to create a palace of wealth. Vanderbilt wanted a home that could host and impress, and The Breakers delivers. Step inside and you’re hit with the grandeur of the Great Hall — an open, sky-high space decked out with mosaics and enough stone to start a quarry. Every room reflects Vanderbilt’s obsession with the Old World: there’s French decor, Italian marble, and even rooms inspired by Louis XIV’s Versailles. The dining room alone has carved woodwork so elaborate it could pass as an art museum.
About the Gold Coast Mansions (Long Island, NY)
The Gold Coast blends Tudor Revival, Gothic, and French chateau styles. Oheka Castle and Coe Hall exhibit a love for European medieval and Tudor styles, showcasing ornate, Gothic detailing and sprawling layouts more rustic and eclectic compared to Newport’s polished classical inspiration. These homes were more often full-time residences, with estates built for both private life and public displays of wealth and power. The Gold Coast estates such as Oheka Castle and Eagle’s Nest showcase luxury for the purpose of both lifestyle and long-term legacy. Many of the Gold Coast mansions were owned by industrial titans and financiers like Otto Hermann Kahn, William K. Vanderbilt II, and the Phipps family, whose homes were often as focused on luxury as on establishing family heritage. Many Long Island mansions remain in private hands, although some, like Sands Point Preserve and Old Westbury Gardens, are now parks or cultural centers, showcasing the Gilded Age’s grandiosity to the public.
10. Beacon Towers
Beacon Towers was Jay Gatsby’s kind of place: sprawling, mysterious, and built to impress. Commissioned in 1917 by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, socialite and suffragist, this mansion was perched on Sands Point, overlooking the Long Island Sound like a medieval fortress transported to the Gold Coast. Alva had architect Richard Howland Hunt design a French Gothic and Spanish-inspired fantasy, complete with spires, turrets, and crenelated walls — an audacious mix that looked part chateau, part castle. Rumor has it that F. Scott Fitzgerald saw Beacon Towers from his own Long Island home and found inspiration for Gatsby’s lavish West Egg mansion. The place had the drama Fitzgerald loved: stone gargoyles, sweeping terraces, and a silhouette that screamed intrigue. Inside, Beacon Towers overflowed with Belmont’s eclectic style, including grand halls and gothic archways, perfectly suited for Gatsby-esque parties and whispered secrets. Culturally, Beacon Towers symbolized the Gold Coast’s eccentric grandeur, drawing socialites, artists, and endless gossip. Sadly, the estate didn’t last — it was demolished in 1945 — but its legendary design lives on through Fitzgerald’s prose.
9. Planting Fields Arboretum (Coe Hall)
While Coe Hall isn’t a residence anymore, its Tudor Revival architecture and botanical wonderland make it a standout. The estate combines Gothic arches, leaded glass, and carved woodwork with gardens that stretch for miles. With rhododendron walks and woodland trails, this arboretum feels less like a mansion and more like an endless, beautifully curated piece of nature.
8. Glen Cove Mansion
Glen Cove Mansion is a Georgian beauty originally owned by industrialist John Pratt. Set among lush gardens and scenic woodlands, the mansion radiates refined luxury with its classic brick facade and symmetrical design. Pratt’s family lived here in grand style, surrounded by formal gardens and all the hallmarks of classic Georgian architecture, from stately columns to perfectly proportioned windows.
7. Winfield Hall (Woolworth Mansion)
Winfield Hall, the Woolworth Mansion, is Long Island’s ultimate Gilded Age spectacle. Built in 1917 by F.W. Woolworth, the five-and-dime tycoon, this Italian Renaissance-inspired mansion sprawls across 16 acres in Glen Cove, dripping with grandeur. Woolworth had architect Charles P.H. Gilbert design a 56-room palace that could easily pass for a European noble’s estate. The walls are lined with marble, the ceilings soar, and the fireplaces look ready to roast medieval feasts. Inside, Winfield Hall is every bit as lavish as the exterior hints. Woolworth spared nothing, filling the mansion with fine tapestries, carved woodwork, and ornate plasterwork that almost glitters in the light. Among the many rooms is a great hall that practically begs for an orchestra and a formal ball. F.W. may have built the mansion, but its later occupant, his granddaughter Barbara Hutton — the “poor little rich girl” — brought it new levels of intrigue. Hutton grew up amidst Winfield’s luxury, only to lead a famously troubled life, splurging through multiple fortunes and marriages. Winfield Hall captures everything about Gold Coast life: immense wealth, family drama, and architectural showmanship. It remains an icon of Woolworth’s success and Hutton’s ill-fated story, wrapped in pure, unapologetic opulence.
6. Mill Neck Manor
Mill Neck Manor is a Tudor Revival marvel, initially built for Lillian Sefton Dodge, who clearly had a taste for the Gothic. The estate is filled with hand-carved interiors, intricate woodwork, and towering fireplaces, giving it a moody, medieval feel. It stands on waterfront grounds that add a serene backdrop to this robust architectural masterpiece.
5. Sands Point Preserve (Hempstead House)
Hempstead House is Long Island’s medieval fantasy, planted right on the Gold Coast at Sands Point. Built in 1912 by Howard Gould, son of railroad magnate Jay Gould, this Tudor-style mansion pulls you into a world of Gothic romance. Gould wanted a house that looked like an old English fortress, so he went big — stone walls, soaring towers, and leaded glass windows that give it a vibe straight out of a King Arthur tale. Gould originally built it for his wife, actress Katherine Clemmons, who insisted on European elegance with American muscle. Grand halls with vaulted ceilings, heavy timber beams, and oversized fireplaces make the place feel more like a castle than a mansion. The rooms are filled with dark woodwork, intricate carvings, and stained glass, all adding to the moody medieval aesthetic. Gould later sold the house to Daniel Guggenheim, and it became a Gold Coast hotspot where the elite rubbed elbows and cut deals.
4. Bayard Cutting Arboretum – Great River
Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River isn’t your average Gold Coast mansion — it’s a 60-room Tudor Revival gem wrapped in nature. Built in 1886 for William Bayard Cutting, a savvy industrialist with a love for landscaped beauty, this mansion-turned-arboretum is more English countryside than Long Island estate. The building itself flaunts Tudor charm with its dark wood beams, pointed gables, and a façade that wouldn’t look out of place in a Brontë novel. Cutting had Frederick Law Olmsted, the mastermind behind Central Park, design the grounds. Together, they created a sweeping landscape with vast lawns, woodlands, and nature trails. Inside, the mansion is warm, with wood-paneled rooms and fireplaces that feel both grand and surprisingly cozy for a mansion of this scale. The Cuttings treated it as a family retreat, a place to escape the city’s buzz and get lost in nature. Today, the arboretum opens its doors to the public, inviting you to wander through carefully cultivated gardens, Japanese maples, rhododendrons, and oak groves.
3. Old Westbury Gardens (Westbury House)
Old Westbury Gardens is Long Island’s English dreamscape, planted firmly in the soil of American wealth. Built in 1906 for John S. Phipps, a steel magnate and son of a Carnegie partner, this Charles II-style mansion brings the charm of an English country estate to the Gold Coast. Phipps promised his British wife, Margarita, a home that would remind her of England, so he commissioned architect George Crawley to deliver a slice of Britain with all the grandeur and none of the rain. Inside, the mansion is pure Edwardian luxury. The rooms are filled with period furniture, tapestries, and artworks that feel as curated as they are opulent. The grand hall opens into stately drawing rooms, libraries, and a dining room that could host a royal feast. Outside, the gardens stretch over 200 acres, with manicured lawns, walled gardens, rose-filled parterres, and winding pathways that practically demand a stroll.
2. Vanderbilt Mansion (Eagle’s Nest)
Vanderbilt’s Eagle’s Nest is part Spanish palace, part playground for a millionaire with a taste for adventure. Built in 1910 by William K. Vanderbilt II, this estate sprawls over 43 acres on the North Shore of Long Island, with views that capture the Long Island Sound in all its glory. Vanderbilt, an heir to the railroad fortune, had a passion for the sea and world exploration, so he designed Eagle’s Nest to reflect both his wealth and his wanderlust. The architecture leans heavily on Spanish Revival style, with terracotta roofs, stucco walls, and decorative ironwork that wouldn’t look out of place in a Mediterranean villa. Vanderbilt filled the place with artifacts from his travels: exotic specimens, taxidermy, and tribal art, all collected on his global expeditions. Inside, rooms are both grand and eclectic, showcasing everything from marble floors to intricate wooden carvings. Eagle’s Nest was a beacon of Long Island society, but Vanderbilt had more in mind than social gatherings. He built a marine museum and later added a planetarium, transforming his estate into an educational hub.
1. Oheka Castle
Oheka Castle isn’t your everyday mansion — it’s Long Island’s grandest chateau, a 127-room French-style fantasy that sprawls over 443 acres in Huntington. Built in 1919 by financier Otto Hermann Kahn, Oheka was designed as a summer escape and social stage. Kahn, a German-born banker, poured over $11 million into building this estate, hiring Delano & Aldrich to make it look like something that belonged in the French countryside. Its name, Oheka, is a playful twist on Kahn’s initials (Otto Hermann Kahn), reminding you that Gilded Age millionaires knew branding long before influencers. Oheka is dripping with opulence. The grand staircase alone could host its own party, leading to rooms filled with Italian marble, grand fireplaces, and ballroom ceilings that seem to stretch forever. Kahn wanted his guests to feel awed, and he delivered: the mansion’s formal gardens, with manicured hedges, fountains, and reflecting pools inspired by Versailles, set the stage for legendary parties that rivaled anything the East Coast had seen. Oheka became the Gold Coast’s social epicenter, hosting everyone from movie stars to European royalty. It represents the ambition and excess of Long Island’s elite, embodying the spirit of the roaring twenties with Kahn’s unabashed love for grandeur and drama.
