The Breakers is by far the most popular of the mansions, but is arguably the most beautiful. It is the most visited attraction in Rhode Island, and roughly 450,000 visitors walk it’s ballroom annually. The Breakers has 70 rooms, a gross area of 125,339 square feet, and 62,482 square feet of livable space on five floors. We visited the Breakers during the holiday season, so many of the pictures are going to include various holiday decorations.
History, Architecture and Fire
The Breakers was owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, who purchased the grounds in 1885 for $450,000 (which is roughly 12.8 million today). The property originally belonged to Pierre Lorillard IV. Unfortunately, the newly purchased home burned down in 1892, causing Vanderbilt to hire architect Richard Morris Hunt to rebuild it. Because the property had burned down, Vanderbilt insisted that it be rebuilt as fireproof as possible. The building was constructed with steel trusses instead of wood, and the boiler was installed under the front lawn away from the home.
The Vanderbilt family was one of the richest in America, and flaunted that wealth in the construction of the Breakers. Marble was imported from all over the world and the architecture was influenced heavily by French, Italian and ancient Roman structures.
Throughout the house are secret doors and passageways that the servants would use to move around the house. The servants could travel between bedrooms, bathrooms and linen closets, without ever being seen by the family or their guests. The tour through the Breakers involves passing through some of these passageways, allowing visitors a glimpse into servant life.
The Grandest Rooms
The great hall is the tallest room in the home. It served as the ballroom and entertaining area, and is central in the home. At 50 feet tall, 50 feet wide and 50 feet deep, this room is something to see. Limestone figures representing the progress of humanity in arts, science and industry adorn the entrances into the great hall.
The view upon entering the house 
The view from beside the grand staircase 
The view from the balcony
The most opulent room in the home is the dining room. At 2,400 square feet, the dining room is large enough to seat 34 people around the large oak table. 12 alabaster columns encircle the room. Two enormous Baccarat crystal chandeliers light the room using either electricity or gas (electricity was fairly new, and often failed. Gas served as a backup).
The Good, The Bad, The Beautiful
The Good
All of the mansion visitors are given a handheld device and headphones for an audio tour. This happens in all of the mansions, but it was most beneficial in the Breakers. With hundreds of people in an enclosed space like that, it would not take much for the noise to be unbearable, or at the very least unenjoyable. The headsets allowed everybody to admire the Breakers in relative peace and quiet.
P.S. We suggest that when you visit you listen to the additional audio tour information in the rooms. It is worth the time to learn about some stories of the people who lived there, as well as the history behind certain pieces and rooms.
The Bad
The Breakers is worth a visit. The line to enter the Breakers was long, and it took roughly 20 minutes to get in. Once inside, you are surrounded by beautiful art and architecture, but you are also surrounded by hundreds of people. Between accidental elbows and children, it is hard to stay out of the way of others. In order to avoid these large crowds, we suggest that you visit the mansions earlier in the day. If you do not mind seeing the grandest mansion prior to seeing the others, visit the Breakers in the morning. We did not get to the Breakers until the mid afternoon.
The Beautiful
Aside from the amazing gold plated rooms and grandeur that is characteristic of the gilded age, the Breakers went out of the way to merge the art of the old with the technology of the present. From Roman gods to locomotive engines, the way that the various sculptors, artists and architects combined these things was impressive. The images below depict two cherubs along with a locomotive engine in the background, representative of the fortune that the Vanderbilt family made in the railroad industry.
