Touring The Mansions of Newport, Rhode Island: Rosecliff

In my opinion, the Breakers is magnificent, Marble House is stunning, and the Elms is beautiful, but Rosecliff is the loveliest of them all.

Rosecliff is not so ostentatious that you can’t imaging living there. And their ballroom is to die for. However, before I show you the ballroom, let me give you a little background on this Newport mansion.

Rosecliff Origin

In 1899, New York socialite Theresa (Tessie) Fair Oelrichs and her husband, shipping magnate Hermann Oelrichs, commissioned architect Stanford White to build a summer mansion for them on a piece of property they owned called Rosecliff. The mansion would replace an existing home originally owned by the historian and rose-enthusiast, George Bancroft.

Stanford White completed the new mansion – Rosecliff – in 1902. I believe that he modeled it after Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon in Versailles, France. Note that the Newport Preservation Society says Rosecliff was modeled after the Grand Trianon in Versailles. However, I found numerous old newspaper articles saying it was modeled after the Petit Trianon.¹ This makes sense when you compare pictures of the estates. I think the only way to solve this argument will be to go back to the source–Stanford White’s architectural drawings and notes. Sounds like a challenge!

A Circus Party

Two years before it was complete, on July 10, 1900,² the Oelrichs moved into Rosecliff. Tessie was eager to host parties; after-all, Rosecliff had been built for summer entertainment.

One of the earliest parties Tessie hosted, on August 17, 1901, was a lawn-circus party for her ten-year-old son Hermann Jr., his friends, and their parents.³ A 40 by 25 foot red oblong tent was set up on the back lawn near the ocean view. Inside the tent, professional acrobats and tumblers performed in a mini one-ring circus. Outside were five smaller canopy tents hosting side-shows, such as a fortune-telling gypsy, a wheel of fortune, and a shooting gallery. Peddlers offered cheap merchandise for sale, an African-American vocal group sang popular songs, and a circus band played on. Tea and refreshments were served to the adults.

The Bal Blanc

Tessie threw a great many parties. One of her most famous was the “Bal Blanc,” or “White Ball.” Now before you get riled up about the name, a Bal Blanc was a type of ball popular in France (a debutante ball) where all the young ladies were expected to wear white. Americans changed the custom to a ball where all the guests–men and women– dressed in white. This included their hair, either by applying white powder or wearing a white wig.

On August 19, 1904, Tessie held her Bal Blanc in the Rosecliff ballroom with dinner served on the veranda facing the ocean.

Dinner began at 10 pm. Guests had a view of the fountain and lawn leading down to the ocean cliffs. The Chattanooga News (Fri, Sep 2, 1904, pg 6) described the scene: “The fountain, as every one knows, modeled after “The Temple of Love,” was one of the many fascinations. It was outlined by electric lights hidden among masses of white flowers, with the illuminations showing the gold fish and swans. Supper was served on the marble terraces overlooking the moonlit ocean. The white Corinthian pillars of the terraces were encircled by vines and electric lights. An arbor-effect was obtained by an interlaced roof of silver birch, white hydrangeas and all, of course, aglow with myriads of lights. . . The tables, twelve in number, were laden with lilies of the valley.”

Dancing began at midnight and lasted until early morning. Women in white gowns with pompadour white-powdered hair waltzed with men in black-evening dress (most of the men rebelled at wearing white). Even the servants wore white. I’ll refer again to the Chattanooga news for its description: “Mr. Harry Lehr, representing a courtier of the days of Louis XIV, in white satin coat, rhinestone buckles and lace ruffles led with Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, jr. [Tessie’s younger sister], gowned in white crepe de chine, liberally trimmed with pearls, her powdered hair topped with Marie Antoinette wings. The white ball room with its elaborate gold decorations was the ideal setting and as “Rose Cliff” [sic] is a replica of “La Petite Trianon,” a ball of this kind was most appropriate.”

It was estimated that 400 guests attended the Bal Blanc at a cost of $30,000 ($1,060,000 today).

A Photo Tour of Rosecliff

I could go on about the ballroom, such as the fact that it used to have a large pipe organ that cost $100,000 (3.6 million today). Unfortunately, the organ was sold at auction in 1941 for $1700 to an unidentified church.³ª However, the ballroom is not the only beautiful room at Rosecliff, so here is a quick photo tour.

If You Go:

Currently Rosecliff is hosting the Newport Flower Show (June 19 – 24). It will re-open on June 25th.
Normal operating hours are daily from 9 to 5, however, operating hours vary seasonally.
Ticket prices vary depending on how many mansions you choose to visit (you can easily see two in one day).
Please check the Newport Mansions website for more information.
Note: you will want to download the Newport Mansions app for the tour. Remember to bring earbuds! By the way, the app is a great place to learn some of the history of these mansions. I got much of my information from the Newport Mansions app for this blog.

Footnotes

(I couldn’t get them to work past 3, hence the weird numbering)

¹The Chattanooga News, “Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs’ Bal Blanc at Newport,” Fri, Sep 2, 1904, pg 6; and, The NY Times Herald, “Inez Robb Describes Newport’s Surrender of Tessie Oelrichs’ Social Castle,” Aug 17, 1941, pg 63. There were other articles, too numerous to record here.
² The New York Times. “The News of Newport,” Thu, Jun 21, 1900 ·Page 7
³ The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Society at Side Show,” Sunday, August 18, 1901, pg 1
³ª The Buffalo News, “$2,000,000 Estate is Sold for $21,000,” Fri, Jul 18, 1941, pg 13