# Marble House
**Marble House** is a [Gilded Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/gilded-age) mansion at 596 Bellevue Avenue in [Newport, Rhode Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/newport-rhode-island), built between 1888 and 1892 as a summer house for [William Kissam Vanderbilt](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-kissam-vanderbilt) and Alva Vanderbilt and designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt in the Beaux Arts style.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) • [2](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025) Newporters called such houses "cottages," a term carried over from the modest summer houses of the early 19th century, but Marble House was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses into a resort of opulent stone palaces.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | 596 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island[2](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025) |
| Built | 1888–1892 for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) |
| Architect | Richard Morris Hunt; Beaux Arts style, inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) • [2](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025) |
| Reported cost | $11 million, of which $7 million bought 500,000 cubic feet of marble[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) |
| Later owners | Sold to Frederick H. Prince in 1932; acquired by the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1963[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) |
| Recognition | National Register of Historic Places listing published 9/10/1971 (NRIS ID 71000025); National Historic Landmark designation announced February 24, 2006[2](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025) • [3](https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/06_News_Releases/060224.htm) |
| Suffrage use | Site of national woman suffrage conferences in 1909 and 1914 under Alva Vanderbilt Belmont[4](https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/marble-house/) |
## Design and construction
Alva Vanderbilt, a leading hostess in Newport society, envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) Hunt modeled the house directly on the Petit Trianon at Versailles, a borrowing that has long been regarded as one of its most notable features.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) • [5](https://sah-archipedia.org/essays/RI-01-ART01) The house stands on a relatively small lot within yards of Bellevue Avenue, combining a grandly formal exterior with a series of sumptuous rooms that use a full palette of colored stonework.[6](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/RI-01-NE162)
Contemporary press accounts reported the cost as $11 million, with $7 million spent on 500,000 cubic feet of marble.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) Although the work was carried out within Hunt's design and supervision, the main exterior and interior adornments were created by specialist firms and artists, including Batterson, See & Eisele for exterior and interior marble work and Karl Bitter for sculpted bas-reliefs of Hunt.[7](https://preservation.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur406/files/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/newport/newp_bellevue-avenue_marble-house.pdf) Reliefs on the north side of the house refer to female attributes of industriousness and wisdom, fitting for Alva, who later became a prominent supporter of the suffrage movement.[6](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/RI-01-NE162)
Upon completion, William K. Vanderbilt gave the house to his wife as a 39th birthday present.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
## The Vanderbilt family
William K. Vanderbilt was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the family fortune in steamships and the [New York Central Railroad](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-central-railroad); his older brother Cornelius II built [The Breakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-breakers) nearby.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) Three children were born to the Vanderbilts: Consuelo, who later held the title of 9th Duchess of Marlborough; William K. Jr., who helped lead the way in establishing American auto racing as a sport; and Harold, among the era's most skilled yachtsmen, who successfully defended the [America's Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/americas-cup) on three occasions.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
The Vanderbilts divorced in 1895, and Alva married Oliver H.P. Belmont, moving down the street to Belcourt.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
## Alva Belmont and the suffrage movement
After [Oliver Belmont](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-belmont)'s death in 1908, Alva reopened Marble House and threw herself into the movement to secure voting rights for women.[8](https://casn.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/resource_files/three_newport_mansions_marble_house.pdf) • [9](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/17/lifestyle/alva-smith-vanderbilt-belmont-true-grit-gilded-age/) In 1909 she opened the house to the public for a suffrage fundraiser, and the property served as the site of national woman suffrage conferences in 1909 and 1914.[8](https://casn.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/resource_files/three_newport_mansions_marble_house.pdf) • [4](https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/marble-house/) She sponsored suffrage lectures and used her social position and the public interest in Marble House to host fundraising events and build support for the cause.[9](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/17/lifestyle/alva-smith-vanderbilt-belmont-true-grit-gilded-age/) • [4](https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/marble-house/)
## The Chinese Tea House
The Chinese Tea House stands on the seaside cliffs of the property overlooking the [Atlantic Ocean](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-ocean). Newport Mansions dates its construction to 1914, built for Alva (Vanderbilt) Belmont as an ornament for the property and a place to hold social events, including rallies for women's right to vote; a later account states she commissioned it in 1912.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) • [10](https://www.rimonthly.com/the-suffragette-of-bellevue/) It was designed by Richard and Joseph Hunt, sons of Richard Morris Hunt, who traveled to China to research the design and incorporated elements from multiple sources and periods within Western-style post-and-beam framed construction.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) For many years historians treated the structure as an architectural whim, but research by the Preservation Society of Newport County indicates it likely had a closer connection with Alva's suffrage activities than first thought.[10](https://www.rimonthly.com/the-suffragette-of-bellevue/) In 1982 the tea house was moved back from the edge of the eroding cliffs and underwent a major restoration; today it offers catered afternoon tea and dining through much of the year.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
## Preservation
Alva sold Marble House to Frederick H. Prince in 1932.[1](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/) On February 24, 2006, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton announced the designation of Marble House, together with Chateau-sur-Mer, as National Historic Landmarks, citing the preservation of turn-of-the-century architecture and design.[3](https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/06_News_Releases/060224.htm) The National Register record lists architecture and social history as its areas of significance, with significant years 1888 and 1892.[2](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025)
## References
1. [History of Marble House, The Preservation Society of Newport County](https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/marble-house/history/)
2. [Marble House, National Register Information System ID 71000025, National Park Service](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/71000025)
3. [Secretary Norton Designates Two Rhode Island Sites as National Historic Landmarks, U.S. Department of the Interior (February 24, 2006)](https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/06_News_Releases/060224.htm)
4. [Marble House historic marker, William G. Pomeroy Foundation](https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/marble-house/)
5. [Women as Architecture Patrons in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island, SAH Archipedia](https://sah-archipedia.org/essays/RI-01-ART01)
6. [Alva S. and William K. Vanderbilt House (Marble House), SAH Archipedia](https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/RI-01-NE162)
7. [National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Marble House, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission](https://preservation.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur406/files/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/newport/newp_bellevue-avenue_marble-house.pdf)
8. [Marble House, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley](https://casn.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/resource_files/three_newport_mansions_marble_house.pdf)
9. [Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont: true grit in the Gilded Age, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/17/lifestyle/alva-smith-vanderbilt-belmont-true-grit-gilded-age/)
10. [The Suffragette of Bellevue, Rhode Island Monthly](https://www.rimonthly.com/the-suffragette-of-bellevue/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Architecture, buildings, and civil works › Buildings and architectural ensembles › Country houses, mansions, and manor houses*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license