The Breakers, the largest of the Newport mansions was built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, president of the New York Central Railroad. Architect Richard Morris Hunt modeled the four-story, 70-room residence after the palaces of the Italian Renaissance. Its interiors include rich marbles and gilded rooms, with open-air terraces looking out at magnificent ocean views. A few of the marvels within are a blue marble fireplace, rose alabaster pillars in the dining room, and a porch with a mosaic ceiling that took Italian artisans six months, lying on their backs, to install.
