The Elms Mansion-Best Tour for “Gilded Age” TV Fans

Are you a fan of the American HBO TV series, “The Gilded Age” with superstars Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, and others? Then you won’t want to miss touring The Elms and other Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island where many scenes from the series are filmed. In fact, I’ll let you in on some interesting ties between the Newport historic mansions, the TV show written by Julian Fellowes, and the exclusive tour to see TV’s “Gilded Age” set locations.

NOTE: If you don’t have HBO you can also stream “The Gilded Age” series on AmazonPrime here.

Insider Tip: If you’d like to visit the Newport Mansions, but can’t get there as soon as you’d like you can check out these virtual tours of The Elms, Marble House, Hunter House, and Isaac Bell House.

Each tour of the Newport mansions provides a unique glimpse into life in the late 19th and early 20th century Gilded Age. It was an age when the wealth gap was possibly as severe as it is today and sometimes more glaring. Let’s look at the stories behind just one of these opulent Newport mansion estates. We’ll take a stroll through The Elms. Then take the guided “Servant Life” Tour in my other post to paint a picture of the intersecting, yet contrasting lives of wealthy privileged families and those who served them, just like in the Gilded Age TV show.

Building The Elms

The Elms, Newport RI mansion is an unapologetically lavish 50-room, 31,000+ square foot house. It’s the 3rd largest of the Newport mansions (or “summer cottages” as they were referred to by their wealthy owners). From the street, the Elms mansion appears to be two stories. Hidden behind the parapets that crown the exterior is the 3rd floor for staff housing. A 2-level basement houses the kitchen, boiler room, laundry, and other support services for the house.

Edward and Herminie Berwind designed their home as an enlarged version of the French “Château d’Asnières” and completed it in 1901. They considered buying the inspirational chateau in France in 1898 but decided to buy only its statues and sculptures instead. These were integrated into the estate and gardens of what they called their “cottage” on the beautiful shores of Rhode Island. The 14 acres of manicured gardens were considered some of the most spectacular of the Newport Gilded Age mansions, but the Elms was still considered to be on the “wrong side” of Bellevue Avenue because it lacked an ocean view,

Gilded Age TV Set Locations

In the Gilded Age TV show, the kitchen at The Elms is used as the Russells’ New York City mansion kitchen where the servants work and gossip.

Also at The Elms, Mrs. Berwind’s Bedroom (above) appears as the room of the Russells’ daughter, Gladys. Seven family and guest bedrooms are on the second floor. Nearly every bedroom is attached to a spacious private bathroom.

Fun fact: The Elms mansion was completed in 1901. The Elms “Cottage” comes in roughly at 100,000 square feet with 300 rooms, set on 1000 park-like acres.

Inside the Elms, Newport Mansion

The grand entry and marble double staircase were reserved for the family and guests. Household staff was rarely seen on the main stairs unless they were cleaning it and that would have been done as discreetly as possible and preferably when the family was away. The staff made their way between the four floors by way of a back stairway (that you’ll see in my next post).

As lovers of the Arts, the Berwind’s furnished their home with a golden grand piano, along with their collections of 18th-century French and Venetian paintings, intricate tapestries, Renaissance ceramics, Oriental jades and so much more. Many Newport mansions were dripping with over-the-top decor and furnishings to show off their wealth.

The Berwind Family

The wealth of Edward Berwind (1848-1936) was amassed in the coal industry in the late 1800s and considered “new money”, being snubbed by many among New York’s elite. He was the son of middle-class German immigrants in Philadelphia. His father was an artisan, a guitar-maker, who cultivated Edward’s love of music and the Arts.

Mrs. Berwind – Sarah Vesta “Herminie” Torrey (1856-1922) was born in Tuscany, Italy to American parents. Franklin, her father, was a celebrated sculptor and junior partner in a company recognized as owning the largest marble business in America, importing Cararra marble from Italy. Her love of the Arts was no doubt, inherited from her father and I suspect much of the marble in The Elms came through connections with his company.

Edward and Herminie had no children but welcomed their nieces often and ultimately left the estate to Edward’s unmarried sister, Julia Berwind who kept traditions alive until the 1960s.

Life for the Family “Upstairs”

The Berwinds spent their summers in Newport, much like other wealthy families from New York City. The goal was to see and be seen. Sailing, entertaining, networking, and relaxing were primary activities…as much as anyone can relax in the restrictive attire of the day. The house was completed at the turn of the century and women were expected to wear high collars, long sleeves, corsets, floor-length skirts, and hats. There was an outfit for every occasion and activity – breakfast, lunch, dinner, tennis, boating, tea, bicycling, or touring in their motorcars. With no air conditioning, it’s no wonder they changed clothes 4 or 5 times a day.

When The Elms opened in the summer of 1901, the Berwinds threw a housewarming party to celebrate and show off their accomplishments to their Newport neighbors, including the Vanderbilts, and Astors. Four hundred high society guests were treated to over-the-top decor – fresh roses covered every corner of the interior, live music played inside and out, and lavish cuisine was served. Precocious monkeys amused the guests in the garden. Many of them were found swinging around the town of Newport for several days afterward.

Modern Conveniences at the Elms

The Berwinds called any of their 16 inside staff through an annunciator like the one you see below. This is in one of the family bathrooms and has buttons for several of the servant areas, as well as the ability to have a conversation with the staff. This saved time and steps. Wealthy families primarily used phones to call staff within the household. It would have been considered poor taste to call a friend on the telephone. Strange, right?

Some of the Newport mansions built before 1900 were illuminated with gas lights, or electricity with gas as a backup since the new form of power was unreliable. The Elms was so modern and technologically advanced that it was wired for electricity from the beginning. To some, it appeared to work “as if by magic”. Large windows and skylights were also incorporated in the design to bring in more light since light bulbs weren’t as powerful as what we use today,

The Elms, Palm Court Conservatory is filled with floor-to-ceiling marble. Tall glass doors can be opened to create cross-ventilation. The cool marble and coastal breezes made this a favorite room for lounging on the hottest days of summer.

The Ultimate “Gilded Age” Connection

Did you know that Julian Fellowes from Downton Abbey fame, has launched an Emmy-winning American TV series about The Gilded Age on HBO or Amazon Prime? In fact, many of the scenes are filmed at The Elms and other Newport Mansions.

The “Gilded Age” TV show begins in New York City in the 1880s and continues through the turn of the century. Since some of its characters belong to the Gilded Age elite, they will be summering in Newport mansions like The Elms. Mr. Fellowes continues exploring the complex relationships between upstairs and downstairs, as well as the income disparities that were prevalent during that time.

Inside “The Gilded Age” Tour

Are you a fan of “The Gilded Age” TV series? If so, you’ll love this guide-led tour of locations in the Newport Mansions where the Emmy-winning series was filmed. You’ll see some of the gorgeous rooms that are used in the show, and learn about real people who lived in the mansions and inspired many of the characters in the show. You’ll also get insider info on the ins and outs of creating a TV show on location.

Plan on an extensive 3 1/2 hour tour of 4 different Newport mansions including The Elms, Marble House, Chateau-sur-Mer, and The Breakers 

Tour Max is 12 people but if there are fewer than 6 people reserved 24 hours before the tour, the tour may be cancelled and you’ll be notified and refunded.

The tour also includes refreshments on the porch at Chateau-sur-Mer and a 10% discount at the Newport Mansions Stores at The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms, Rosecliff, or Bannister’s Wharf. You’ll also get guest passes to visit two of the Newport mansions at another time.

Price as of Sep 2024 – Adult ages 13-up only $250.00/pp

Check out more about the new “Gilded Age Tour” at the Newport Mansions.

You can get a glimpse into the lives of the 40 staff members in The Elms household in this next post. I look at a bit of contrast between American and British servants too.

Newport Mansions Other Tour Basics

The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation. This dedicated group oversees eleven different properties built between 1748 (Hunter House) and 1902 (Rosecliff), with most of the homes being from the mid-to-late 1800s.

Some of the homes are closed in the winter. The ones that are open are decorated for Christmas beginning late November through January 1st. There’s a variety of ticket packages that allow you to choose the number of mansions you’d like to visit. You can also add specialty tours. You’ll find food service options at a few of the homes as well. Find everything you need to know on the Newport Mansions Preservation Society website here.

You can also visit the Newport Mansions website to learn about the many special events they plan and host here.

Volunteer With the Preservation Society

Do you live in or near Newport, Rhode Island? If so, consider volunteering at the Mansions, for special events or in other support roles. The Preservation Society enlists volunteers for many activities. Tasks like holiday decorating, gardening, mansion staff, special event photographers, plus administrative and I.T. support. Find out more here.

Where to Stay near The Elms

We visited the gorgeous, quaint and historic Vanderbilt Hotel [image below] on our Foodie Walking Tour in Newport, which I’ll write about later. This would be the perfect home base for your Newport, Rhode Island visit.

You can find out more about the Vanderbilt and other wonderful B & Bs and Boutique hotels in the Newport, Rhode Island area by searching below.