Welcome to On Location, a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you’re seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
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Take a step back in time and immerse yourself in the luxury and grandeur of the historical Gilded Age, the era from approximately 1870-1910, in the Newport Mansions, a collection of national landmark former homes and holiday houses maintained and managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County in Rhode Island. Julian Fellowes drew inspiration from the Newport Mansions when planning his post-Downton Abbey production The Gilded Age for HBO.
The Newport Mansions on The Gilded Age
While Newport is a holiday destination for many of the moneyed families in The Gilded Age, the Newport Mansions also serve as settings for several rooms in the New York homes of the Russells, the Van Rhijns and the Morrises. Although the Newport Mansions include 11 properties (nine houses, a stables/carriage house and one seven-acre topiary garden), four former residences are used extensively for filming The Gilded Age — The Elms, Chateau-sur-Mer, Marble House and The Breakers.
The Elms
The Elms was built in 1901 for The Berwinds. Mr. Edward Julius Berwind made his fortune in the coal industry. On The Gilded Age, the exterior of The Elms acted as the Russells’ Newport “cottage” while interior spaces did double duty as rooms in their New York mansion, including Gladys Russell’s (Taissa Farmiga) bedroom and the staff’s kitchen.
The Chateau-sur-Mer
The oldest of the filmed Newport Mansions, William Shepard Wetmore, ordered the construction of Chateau-sur-Mer. Completed in 1852, it remained the most palatial of Newport residences until the Vanderbilt homes were built in the 1890s. As such, it made historical and tonal sense that its exterior would serve as Mrs. Astor’s (Donna Murphy) Newport cottage, Beechwood. In her position as gatekeeper to society’s “old money” crowd, her entertaining residence should be one that ushered in the Gilded Age of Newport.
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By fun coincidence, the dining room and ballroom of the Chateau-sur-Mer served as the rooms where Mrs. Fish (Ashlie Atkinson) hosted her daughter’s Doll Tea Party, where Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) introduces his sister to Carrie Astor (Amy Forsyth). The girls’ friendship will split the societal influence in the House of Astor between mother and daughter.
Various Chateau-sur-Mer bedrooms featured in The Gilded Age as Patrick Morris’s (Michel Gill) office, his wife Anne Morris’s (Katie Finneran) bedroom, Agnes van Rhijn’s (Christine Baranski) bedroom and both the bedroom and rent boardinghouse room of Oscar can Rhijn (Blake Ritson).
Marble House
The older of the two Vanderbilt mansions in Newport, William K. Vanderbilt, commissioned it as a gift to his wife, Alva, as a summer house in 1892. A leading figure in Newport society, she saw it as her “Temple to the Arts” in America. Although she and William divorced three years after Marble House’s completion, and she moved on to a different Newport address with her next husband, Marble House’s visage and decor set a new standard in the neighborhood.
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On The Gilded Age, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) hosted the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) in Marble House’s Dining Room. Meanwhile, the kitchen appeared as Mrs. Astor’s kitchen in Beechwood. Alva and William’s daughter Consuela, later known as the Duchess of Marlborough, had a monochrome red bedroom that served as George Russell’s (Morgan Spector) private chambers on the show. Bertha’s bedroom, built on a soundstage, is a replica of Alva’s, down to the pink velvet-upholstered bed and silk draperies.
The Breakers
The pinnacle of luxury and opulence, The Breakers is the epitome of Vanderbilt splendor. Built in 1895 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, William K. Vanderbilt’s big brother, to replace an older wooden building that had burned down on the site, it was designed to incorporate the cutting-edge technology of the time — fully wired for electricity and gas for lighting.
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The Breakers Music Room served as the Russells’ New York City home ballroom, where Bertha hosted Gladys’s debutante ball, her first triumph in society, as seen in the lead and feature images. Meanwhile, George worked out lucrative business deals over billiards in The Breakers’ massive billiards room.
On Location IRL
The Newport Mansion properties are open to visitors and individually ticketed, as one can imagine that exploring even one “house” could take up an entire day. The Breakers alone has 70 rooms, with 48 bedrooms for family and staff. There are ticket package options as well as guided tours. Unfortunately, the “Inside The Gilded Age Tour” is currently not running, but one would guess that it may return with the Season 3 premiere. Most of the properties are open at specific times of year. It’s advisable to check ahead to see what is and isn’t open ahead of your visit.
In terms of refreshment options, there is The Breakers Café in the welcome center on the mansion’s grounds as well as self-serve snacks at The Chinese Tea House Café on the grounds of Marble House. The Chinese Tea House Café is only open seasonally, reopening in April. When open, it also offers a brunch and afternoon tea service in partnership with Stoneacre Restaurants, which can be reserved 60 days in advance. For budget-minded visitors, the Preservation Society of Newport County encourages ticket-holders and members to bring picnics and set up for a meal anywhere on the open properties during tour hours.
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For those with deeper pockets, you can book Marble House and The Elms for weddings and special events. Fans of the mansions can shop for souvenirs at the Newport Style site. They do not carry branded show gear, though, and unfortunately, HBO’s official The Gilded Age merch site is a little sparse at the moment.
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Gilded Age are streaming on HBO. Season 3 is expected sometime in 2025.
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