The Breakers in Newport, RI was the summer home of the Vanderbilt family. Built between 1893 and 1895, it is a 5 story, 65,000 square foot, 70 room mansion. It took more than $7 million dollars to build, which today would equal about $150 million!
Because the previous mansion built on the property burned down, Cornelius Vanderbilt wanted the house built as fireproof as possible. Therefore, there are no wooden parts in the structure of the building; it is all steel. The architect was Richard Morgan Hunt; he designed the Breakers in the Beaux-Arts style.
This mansion is considered the ultimate symbol of a period in architecture known as the "Gilded Age." It shows the excessive opulency and extravagance and extreme wealth of the powerful families during that time.
The mansion is now open to the public for tours, except for the third floor where the present family members still reside. Around 300,000 people visit a year, making it the biggest tourist attraction in this area.
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