Beechwood (Astor mansion)
| Beechwood | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°27′48″N 71°18′18″W / 41.4634°N 71.3051°WCoordinates: 41°27′48″N 71°18′18″W / 41.4634°N 71.3051°W |
| Construction started | 1851 |
| Cost | $2,000,000 (renovations) |
| Client |
Daniel Parrish (original owner) |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 16,400 ft² (1,500 m²) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect |
Downing and Vaux (construction) |
Daniel Parrish (original owner)
Downing and Vaux (construction)
Richard Morris Hunt (renovations)
Beechwood is a Gilded Age estate located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.
Built in 1851 for New York merchant Daniel Parrish by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux, it later became the summer estate of the Astor family. Before moving in, Mrs. Astor hired architect Richard Morris Hunt to do many renovations including the addition of a ballroom to fit the famous "Four Hundred". Beechwood became the show place for many of Mrs. Astor's dinner parties. Beechwood also boasts a library, dining room and a music room with wallpaper imported from Paris. When Mrs. Astor died she left it to her son John Jacob Astor IV, who married his second wife Madeleine in its ballroom. After John's death on the Titanic in 1912, it passed to his widow Madeleine, who turned the entire third floor into her own personal walk-in closet. After she died it was turned into Newport's only living history museum and featured actors portraying the daily lives of those who inhabited, ran, and cared for the estate. While run as a tourist attraction, the estate was marketed as Astors' Beechwood Mansion.
During off-season months (February to May), servants of the Astor family provided tours of the estate as if they were still living in 1891. Visitors were considered to be "applicants" for a summer job on Mrs. Astor's staff, and "applied" for any job they wished. Positions included: gardener, footman, butler, chef, housemaid, and many others. During the summer months while the Astor family was living in the mansion, Astor family members gave tours to guests. Everyone living and working in the mansion acted as though it was 1891 and acted in character throughout the tour.
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Wikipedia