Rosecliff

Rosecliff is one of the fabled Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum.

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It was built by Theresa Fair Oelrichs, a silver heiress from Nevada, and wife of Hermann Oelrichs, American agent for Norddeutscher Lloyd. She bought the property in 1891 from the estate of George Bancroft, and commissioned the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White to design a summer home suitable for entertaining on a grand scale. The principal architect, Stanford White, modeled the mansion after the Grand Trianon of Versailles, but smaller and reduced to a basic "H" shape, while keeping the basic neoclassical appearance.

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Construction started in 1898, and the eager Mrs. Oelrichs moved in July 1900, sending the workmen out in order to give a first party in August; ferns and floral arrangements concealed the unfinished areas. The house was not completed until 1902.

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Rosecliff stayed in the Oelrichs family until 1941, then went through several changes of ownership before being donated to the Preservation Society of Newport County, who opened it to the public for tours.

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The ballroom was used to film scenes for the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, The Betsy, High Society, True Lies, and Amistad.

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Gilded Age: The Gilded Age was the era of economic development and intense wealth generation in the United States from approximately 1876 to 1914. The expansion of commerce and heavy industry, mercantilist economic policies, and federal railway subsidies created a number of immensely wealthy businessmen, many o...

Mansion: A mansion is a large and stately dwelling house. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus the past participle of manere "to dwell". The English word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no long...

Newport, Rhode Island: Newport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island....