A National Historic Landmark, The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence in turn of the century America. TAlong with other Newport mansions, The Breakers is managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County.
In 1893, Cornelius Vanderbilt II commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a villa to replace an earlier wood-framed house which was destroyed by fire the previous year. Hunt directed an international team of craftsmen and artisans to create a 70 room Italian Renaissance- style palazzo inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Allard and Sons of Paris assisted Hunt with furnishings and fixtures, Austro-American sculptor Karl Bitter designed relief sculpture, and Boston architect Ogden Codman decorated the family quarters.
The Breakers 1895 Stable & Carriage House is located approximately a half-mile west of the house, on Coggeshall Avenue.
Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website