A project touched by sorrow, the palatial Miramar estate in Rhode Island was completed in 1915 by notable Titanic survivor Eleanor Elkins Widener. It is a memorial to her husband, who went down with the ill-fated liner along with the couple's eldest son. Inspired by 18th-century French architecture, the Gilded Age mansion has largely remained a private residence throughout its history – but now you can take a look inside.
Click or scroll on to explore Miramar and delve into its tragic but glorious past.
Miramar was most recently purchased by private equity boss Stephen Schwartzman in 2021 for $27 million (£21m), the second-highest sale in Newport history.
The American billionaire is passionate about architecture and culturally significant buildings, so we can assume the neo-classical pile is in good hands. But how did the house come to be in the first place?
Meet the Wideners, Philadelphia tycoon George and wife Eleanor, seen here in 1910. As one of America’s wealthiest couples, it was only natural that they were keen to build a summer residence in fashionable Newport, Rhode Island's vacation playground for America's elite.
In 1911, George commissioned sought-after Gilded Age architect Horace Trumbauer, (also in the picture far right) to design a “summer cottage” on a piece of land he had purchased overlooking Rhode Island Sound at Newport.
George and Eleanor shared a keen interest in French architecture, art, and furniture. In 1912 they decided to take an extended trip to France to source lavish furnishings for the property and headhunt a chef for George's new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Philadelphia.
Trumbauer had already designed two of Newport's most splendid mansions, The Elms and Clarendon Court, the former home of Claus and Martha "Sunny" von Bulow, which sold for a record $30 million (£24m) according to The Newport Daily News.
The architect had been hired in the 1890s by George's streetcar magnate father, Peter A.B.Widener, to design the 110-bedroom Lynnewood Hall, completed in 1900 and is the largest Gilded Age mansion still standing in the Philadelphia area.
In a cruel twist of fate, the Widener patriarch invested in the parent company of White Star Line, the firm that would go on to build the Titanic, on which his son and grandson perished.
The daughter of streetcar magnate William Lukens Elkins, the business partner of her husband’s father, Eleanor Elkins Widener was independently wealthy and said to be one of Philadelphia's most beautiful women.
She grew up at Elstowe Manor on the Elkins Estate, also designed by Horace Trumbauer, close to Lynnewood Hall, the holiday home of her future husband, George Widener. So, it was no surprise when the couple married in a lavish ceremony in 1883.
The plucky heiress dealt with the trials and tribulations of her life with courage and was a big-time philanthropist to boot, giving away millions to good causes.
George and Eleanor set off on a trip around Europe in early spring 1912 with their valet, lady's maid and eldest son Harry. A devoted book-lover, Harry's plan was to travel to London and buy rare first editions to add to his prized collection of tomes.
The couple were eager to be back in time for the wedding of their only daughter, also named Eleanor, for which a lavish affair at Lynnewood Hall had been arranged.
Having been away for two months, first-class cabins C-80/82 were booked on the Titanic's maiden voyage and the group departed Cherbourg on 10 April.
Sadly, we all know what happened at around 2.30 am five days later.
After the Titanic's catastrophic collision with an iceberg, Eleanor and her maid, Amalie Gieger, managed to secure places on lifeboat no 4 and make it to safety, while George and their son Harry, as well as their valet, Edwin Keeping, stayed aboard to help. Both lost their lives.
According to Encyclopedia Titanica, Harry had declined to try for a lifeboat when urged to do so by fellow First Class passenger William Carter, saying he would "...stick to the big ship...and take a chance..." He went down with the ship and was praised for his selfless gentlemanly valour.
Eleanor was said to have collapsed into a coma after she stumbled down the gangplank of the rescue ship Carpathia on her return home. She recovered at Lynnewood Hall, surrounded by family, as reported in newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Heartbroken but resolute, Eleanor vowed to complete the mansion in memory of her husband and also had a historic church rebuilt to remember him.
Let's enter the gates and start the tour...
Inspired by French neo-classical architecture, construction began on the 27-bedroom, 14-bathroom 'petit palais' in 1913, and took two years to complete. Named Miramar, Spanish for 'sea view', on account of the glorious ocean vistas, its exterior was modelled on the facade of the 18th-century L'Hôtel de Cassini in Paris.
To honour her late book-loving son, Eleanor funded the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at Harvard University, his alma mater, and appointed her go-to architect Trumbauer to design the building.
Sprawling over 30,982 square feet (2,878sqm), the amazing American estate was completed in 1915 at a cost of $1.5 million which would be worth $47.6 million (£37.4m) when adjusted for inflation.
Back in the day, the limestone manse's 42 windows were shaded with awnings to prevent the precious tapestries from fading. One servant's job was reportedly to sit in the hall and watch the sun like a hawk, lowering and raising awnings as its position moved across the sky so the house wouldn't be constantly dark.
The mansion had all mod cons and even featured a capacious service court and garages housing 16 Rolls-Royce limousines, which are rumoured to have been polished to perfection every day by workmen.
Other amenities included greenhouses, an ice house, a head gardener's cottage and bijou house near the front of the estate.
The magnificent entrance hall was a sight to behold. The interiors of the grand stately home are the handiwork of Parisian firm Carlhian & Cie and many of the furnishings were sourced by legendary art dealer Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen, whose clients included other wealthy American families such as the Astors and Vanderbilts.
This space, like the other rooms, is an extravagant affair, with a swish marble floor, ionic columns in Caen stone and elaborate Beaux-Arts flourishes.
Eleanor met Harvard professor and explorer Alexander H Rice Jr at the dedication of her son's library in June 1915 and is said to have fallen head over heels for the intrepid academic.
Needless to say, the pair became romantically involved, though they kept the true nature of their relationship a secret for some time.
In August, Eleanor threw a spectacular inauguration ball at Miramar for 500 VIP guests. Hailed by newspaper the New York Times as the social event of the summer, the extravaganza featured a luxury banquet in a marquee erected specially for the bash.
Later in the evening, three orchestras played while guests danced in the ballroom and on the terrace, where they marvelled at trees decorated with stunning electrical illuminations, a real novelty at the time, as well as large cages with canaries singing inside.
Eleanor and Alexander went on to marry in October 1915, keeping their romance secret until the last minute.
The most breathtaking space in the property, the vast ballroom or grand salon is based on a stateroom at the Château de Louveciennes just outside Paris.
Its splendour is undeniable, thanks to the crystal chandeliers, Louis XVI gilded boiserie wall panelling, parquet de Versailles floor and ornate fireplaces.
Yet, in the home's heyday, the room would have looked even grander.
Its array of sumptuous furnishings and decorations included five Gobelin tapestries by François Boucher, a Persian carpet that once decorated the Grand Mogul Palace in Delhi and some of the most exquisite Sèvres porcelain ever produced.
The room was the scene of many glittering parties over the years. Eleanor and Alexander were consummate hosts and their annual Tennis Week ball was regarded as one of the hottest events on the social calendar.
The couple also spent a lot of time in New York and commissioned their go-to architect Horace Trumbauer to design a townhouse for them there which was completed in 1923.
One of the highlights of the property, the incredibly decorative dining room is among the finest in the US.
Designed to accommodate up to 50 guests, the space is inspired by the reception rooms in the Palace of Versailles and clad in polychrome marble panels that were fashioned in France in the 18th century.
The imposing marble fireplace and console table, not to mention the gilded relief decoration on the walls, are ravishing enough, but the room's pièce de résistance is the magnificent golden Gobelin tapestry.
Dating from the 18th century, the treasured wool and silk textile depicts two scenes from the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote.
The room also contained works of art from the Morgan Collection, which had previously been displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
When compared to this old photo of the dining room, you can see the space has been beautifully preserved.
Even the chandeliers are still in place, though many of the manse's original furnishings were sold off or bequeathed decades ago.
A roving explorer, Alexander was often away on a jaunt in some far-flung place, and his wife accompanied him on numerous occasions, once on a trip up the Amazon, when the party is said to have "warded off an attack by savages and killed two cannibals in the skirmish," according to Encyclopedia Titanica.
In fact, Eleanor became quite the adventuress, though her gutsiness had already previously been shown to full effect during the Titanic disaster, when she's said to have grabbed the oars of the lifeboat and helped row it to safety.
Shown here shortly after the manse's completion, the reception room was clad in early 17th-century mahogany panels lifted from a stately home in France.
Next up is the kitchen. The galleried space has bespoke wooden cabinetry and a sturdy table that could very well be originals from 1915, plus luxurious, extra-thick marble countertops.
For a time, the kitchen was run by a formidable French chef, who reportedly refused to cook on anything other than wood and is rumoured to have had a bitter and long-running feud with the butler.
The living room features a bas-relief mural depicting what appears to be Diana, the goddess of hunting, and serves as a bar and games room these days.
The space's standout pieces include the crystal chandelier, supersized carved wood bar, billiard table and selection of 18th-century French chairs and sofas.
Housed in a light-filled loggia, the breakfast room offers sublime ocean views through its multiple arched French doors and rocks a domed ceiling for added drama.
The gold and white spider-webbed marble flooring perfectly complements the space, as do the pilaster and festoon wall decorations and circular chandelier.
This is how the room looked when Eleanor and Alexander were in residence. Note the fine Persian carpet that covers the floor.
While the original features have survived intact, including the chandelier, the furniture from way back when has gone, apart from the round table in the centre.
Moving upstairs, you won't fail to be bowled over by the sweeping staircase and elegant wrought-iron handrail, which is accented with gilded details.
Eleanor had a strong appreciation for the finer things in life to the very end, and she died in 1937 doing one of the things she loved best: shopping. The Gilded Age heiress had a fatal heart attack aged 69 while browsing in a Parisian department store.
Now we come to the master suite. Eleanor left the incredible mansion and a fortune of $230 million (£181m) in today's money to a trust for the benefit of her husband and surviving son and daughter, who were to inherit it on Alexander's death.
The moneyed widower continued to enjoy the high life in the manse his late wife had built.
According to the census from 1940, the professor was living like a king in the New York residence he'd shared with Eleanor and was waited on hand and foot by 19 servants, according to newspaper The New York Times, who would almost certainly have travelled with him to Miramar for the summer season.
Alexander also retained a staff of 17 gardeners to look after the grounds.
Here's another of the gorgeous bedrooms. The professor eventually remarried and continued to summer at Miramar, where he died in 1956 as reported by The New York Times. As outlined in Eleanor's will, the mansion passed to her surviving children.
They opted against taking it on and ended up donating the property to the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, which converted it into a retreat and conference centre.
In 1964, the diocese sold the property to Roy and Ruth Penner, who established the private Miramar School for Girls, which saw privileged boarders occupy the mansion's luxe bedrooms.
The school shut down in 1969 and the mansion was sold to a company called C J Stevens Corp in 1969.
The next bedroom we come to has wonderful double-aspect windows and curved corner doors.
Records in local newspaper The Newport Daily News say C J Stevens Corp sold the estate to the Miramar Realty Corp in 1970 and the following year it was snapped up for $118,000 (£93k) by real estate developer Andrew Panteleakis.
That's the equivalent of just $915,000 (£720k) today, so Panteleakis evidently bagged himself the bargain of the century.
Now for a look at the grounds, which include this handsome carriage house and tennis court.
Panteleakis used Miramar as a private residence and HQ for his business until 2006, when he sold it to former Goldman Sachs partner David B Ford for $17.1 million (£13.5m).
While some way short of the initial $25 million (£19.5m) asking price, at the time the transaction broke the record for the most expensive family home sold in Rhode Island according to US magazine Town & Country.
Ford ploughed big bucks into restoring the property and recreating the original aesthetic as much as possible, calling on the services of architectural historian John Tschirch and other preservation experts to oversee the process.
As well as renovating the manse, Ford worked to restore the Miramar Arboretum, which encompasses the estate's full 7.8 acres (3.1ha) of grounds.
The formal planted French rose gardens were designed by renowned landscape designer Jacques Gréber and maintained by a team of 17 gardeners are yet to be recreated.
Nevertheless, Ford's sympathetic restoration is top-notch and it's no wonder Miramar sold in September 2021 for the bumper price of $27 million (£21m), making the ex-banker, who died in 2020, a tidy profit.
New owners Stephen and Christine Schwarzman (pictured) certainly seem to be putting down roots. The founder and CEO of private equity firm Blackstone is the 34th richest person in the world. They are doing an extensive historic renovation of the house; replacing limestone facades and windows and transforming the old carriage house into a pool house and recreational area.
Plus, the couple has already endeared themselves to local residents by funding repairs to a section of Newport’s scenic Cliff Walk, which runs behind Miramar, ready for the 2024 summer season.
It's rumoured they bought the adjacent Ocean View mansion around the same time they purchased Miramar, for the bargain price of $16 million (£12.5m). Perhaps they plan to convert it into a guest house so that they can keep Miramar to themselves.
Ocean View, seen on the left, makes them neighbours of Fellow billionaire Larry Ellison, the fifth-richest person in the world. He bought Beechwood, a Gilded Age mansion on Bellevue Avenue in 2010. The Oracle co-founder owns four properties in the area, including Seacliff, an estate adjacent to Beechwood.
Celebrities are moving in too, with Jay Leno buying Seafair in 2017, and 'Judge Judy' Sheindlin purchasing Newport mansion 'The Bird House' in 2019 for $9 million (£7.5m). Could this be the dawn of a new Gilded Age?
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