Breakers

The Breakers built in the Italian Renaissance style and completed in 1895. It was the summer home of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II, designed by architect, Richard Morris Hunt. Cornelius Vanderbilt II (November 27 1843 - September 12 1899) was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. He was the favorite grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who left him $5 million, and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, who left him close to $70 million. He married Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1852-1934). The couple built a 137-room mansion on Fifth Avenue and The Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. In his turn he succeeded them as head of the New York Central and related railroad lines. On his death, family leadership passed to his brother, William Kissam Vanderbilt. In 1948 Countess Gladys Szechenyi (1886-1965), the youngest daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, leased the high maintenance property to the non-profit "Preservation Society of Newport County" for $1 a year. After negotiations with other Vanderbilt family members, the society bought "The Breakers" outright in 1973. “The Breakers”, still stands as a memory of the lifestyle of Cornelius Vanderbilt II.