40 US Historical Homes That Are Worth the Visit

3.The Breakers

The largest privately-owned home in the United States was not enough property for the Vanderbilt family, one of the wealthiest families in the Gilded Age of unchecked American prosperity. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, another prominent scion of the family, had The Breakers, a Newport, Rhode Island summer home, built between 1893 and 1895. They listed it on the National Historic Landmark registry. While not occupied year-round, this Neo Italian Renaissance-inspired residence covers nearly an acre of the 14-acre estate. Erected on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it was the only view unobstructed by the 12-foot high limestone and iron fence that borders the estate’s perimeter.

Like The Biltmore, famed architect Richard Morris Hunt gets the credit for designing The Breakers. Like opulence and Neo Italian Renaissance aesthetic, they constructed this property with over 120,000 square feet of livable space. The four-floor residence accommodates 70 rooms. Unusual for the time, the first-floor kitchen was situated away from the main floor not to burden dining guests with cooking odors and keep them safe from the possibility of fire. Among one of the many luxurious features of the home, finely appointed by the celebrated Parisian design house of Jules Allard and Sons, is the 2440 square foot dining room. Featuring 12 free-standing alabaster columns supporting a gilt cornice, an adorned ceiling painting of the Goddess Aurora, and two Baccarat crystal chandeliers illuminating the room using either gas or electricity. Up next, Pennsylvania’s own Lynnewood Hall.