Beechwood (mansion)
| Beechwood | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°27′39″N 71°18′16″W / 41.4609°N 71.3045°WCoordinates: 41°27′39″N 71°18′16″W / 41.4609°N 71.3045°W |
| Construction started | 1851 |
| Cost | $2,000,000 (renovations) |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 16,400 ft² (1,500 m²) |
| Design and construction | |
| Client |
Daniel Parrish (original owner) |
| Architect |
Downing and Vaux (construction) |
Beechwood is a Gilded Age estate located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.
[edit] History
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 "The 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 wall paper imported from Paris. Once 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[1] 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 provide tours of the estate as if they are still living in 1891. Visitors are considered to be "applicants" for a summer job on Mrs. Astor's staff, and may "apply" for any job they wish. Positions include: gardener, footman, butler, chef, housemaid, and many others. During the summer months while the Astor family is living in the mansion, Astor family members give tours to guests as though they are members of the family's social circle, "The 400". Everyone living and working in the mansion act as though it is 1891 and act in character throughout the tour.[2]
The tour includes two sides of the house: first, the family's side where the Astor's lived, and second, the servants side, which included kitchens and servants quarters, as well as an area for the children to live. Children of the family lived with the servants until the age of 17, when they were considered adults and fully prepared for social functions. Children of the family were quickly wed at the age of 18, or as soon as possible after reaching 18.
In January 2010 the Beechwood Theatre Company was disbanded and the property was sold for 10.5 million to an anonymous buyer.[3] Virtually no employees were informed of who this anonymous buyer was, leaving the actors of the former theatre company unemployed and other long-time employees in limbo. Oracle Corporation founder Larry Ellison, a yachtsman described as the fourth richest man in the world, has apparently purchased the fabled mansion. Ellison, who was in Newport during the summer of 2009 for training with his BMW/Oracle Racing, is linked to a deed filed at City Hall that documents the $10.5 million sale of the 39-room estate.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Of all of Newport's mansions, Astors' Beechwood is the only living history museum."
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Astors Beechwood mansion in Newport may be sold for $10.5 million". 2010-01-01. http://www.projo.com/news/content/ASTORS_BEECHWOOD_01-01-10_6CGT68D_v24.346000a.html. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ "Deed links Oracle founder to Astors' Beechwood sale". The Providence Journal. 2010-01-07. http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/01/deed-links-oracle-founder-to-a.html. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
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