Miramar (mansion)
Miramar | |
---|---|
Postcard image of Miramar circa 1915 | |
General information | |
Type | Private residence |
Architectural style | French neoclassical |
Location | Aquidneck Island, Newport, Rhode Island, USA |
Address | 646 Bellevue Avenue |
Coordinates | 41°27′30″N 71°18′17″W / 41.458285°N 71.304767°W / 41.458285; -71.304767Coordinates: 41°27′30″N 71°18′17″W / 41.458285°N 71.304767°W / 41.458285; -71.304767 |
Construction started | 1911 |
Completed | 1915 |
Inaugurated | August 20, 1915 |
Client | George & Eleanor Elkins Widener |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 3 |
Floor area | 30,000 ft² ( 2.787 m²) |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Horace Trumbauer |
Other designers | Jacques Gréber (gardens) |
Miramar is a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) French neoclassical-style mansion on 7.8 acres (32,000 m2) bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island at Newport, Rhode Island. Overlooking Rhode Island Sound, it was intended as a summer home for the George D. Widener family of Philadelphia.
Contents
1 History
2 Owners
3 References
4 External links
History
It was designed by Horace Trumbauer, who had earlier designed the nearby Edward Julius Berwind property, The Elms; the gardens were created by Jacques Gréber.
The building and landscaping were still in the design stage when George Widener and his son Harry lost their lives aboard the RMS Titanic.[1] His widow, Eleanor Elkins Widener, who was rescued in a lifeboat from the Titanic, completed the project and construction was undertaken during 1913 and 1914 and opened to friends with a large reception on August 20, 1915.[2]
The 27-bedroom, 14-bath mansion has a 27' × 63' Grand Salon/ballroom on the first floor which opens onto a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) oceanfront terrace. Among its other features, the mansion has a 10,000-bottle wine cellar with a 20-ft (6 m) stone basin for icing up to 200 bottles of champagne at once.[3]
The property features includes a 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) carriage house and gardens with a bronze fountain designed by French sculptor Henri-Léon Gréber, father of the landscape designer.
Owners
In 1956, Miramar was sold by the estate of Eleanor Widener's second husband, Alexander H. Rice Jr's estate for $118,000,[4][5] and in 2006 it was sold again, for $17.5 million.[6]
References
^ Boston Globe - October 1, 2006
^ New York Times - August 21, 1915 article titled "Mrs. G. D. Widener Opens New Villa"
^ Bloomberg News - November 10, 2006
^ Times, Special To The New York (24 July 1956). "ALEXANDER RICE, EXPLORER, WAS 80; Physician and Author Dies-- Made Trips on the Amazon and Taught Navigation From Newport to Jungle". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Gray, Christopher (13 September 2012). "Streetscapes — Whatever Happened to the Fourth Footman?". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
^ Fabrikant, Geraldine (7 August 2009). "More Sellers of Luxury Homes Turn to Auctions". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
External links
- Details and photos of Miramar
- The home sits at 646 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
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