The Elms

Elite '08

61

84

Jeff D.

East Watertown, MA

Houses like this make you realize that when you are fabulously wealthy and the term "income tax" hasn't even been coined yet, you can do an awful lot with that money.  Like build The Elms, a mansion that got used at best 10 weeks out of the year.  

In modern dollars it would cost $22 million to build a similar house (let alone by the land in Newport on which to build it) and the interior artwork would cost you many times that, I'm certain.  

The audio tour was great and gives you tons of details about the artwork, building materials, furnishings and the grounds.  You also learn a lot about what life was like in the Gilded Age and the proper etiquette for dinner parties (first course, talk to the person on your left, second course to your right, etc) that my wife really enjoyed.  

The Elms and its grounds have been magnificently preserved and are a must-see if you visit Newport.

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8

219

Crabby B.

Waban, MA

The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the Pennsylvania coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d'Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost reported at approximately $1.4 million. The interiors and furnishings were designed by Allard and Sons of Paris and were the setting for the Berwinds' collection of Renaissance ceramics, 18th century French and Venetian paintings, and Oriental jades. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds were developed between 1907 and 1914. They include terraces displaying marble and bronze sculpture, a park of fine specimen trees and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden and carriage house and garage. These gardens were recently restored.

This joint is totally worth the price of admission.  I loved it!  The headset tours are very interesting and have lots of great details about the house, family and the times.  The Carriage House has luncheon and snacks.  The whole place is over the top and lots of fun!

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