Look Inside Newport’s Miramar Estate, Private Mansion Turned Museum

The Miramar estate in Newport, Rhode Island is one of the stunning Gilded Age mansions you’ll find along Bellevue Avenue. Since its construction, it has been a private residence, but the owner has decided to make it a private museum.

For the first time since 1915, the Miramar estate will be accessible to the public.

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The History of the Miramar Estate

The construction of the Miramar Estate comes with a heartbreaking story. The home was completed in 1914 for George Duncan Widener Sr. and Eleanor Widener, but George lost his life on the Titanic before the estate’s completion.

The Wideners were one of America’s wealthiest couples. George bought 7.8 acres and commissioned the family architect, Horace Trumbauer, to build their summer residence.

“Eleanor named the house ‘Miramar’ which is Spanish for ‘look to the sea’ in reference to its view over Rhode Island Sound,” said Mark Meredith of House Histree.

Inspired by L’Hotel Cassini in Paris, Miramar was constructed to be a statement of Parisian elegance.

The mansion contained 27 bedrooms, and 14 bathrooms, and was designed to entertain up to 700 people at a time.

When Eleanor remarried in 1915 to Alexander Hamilton Rice Jr., the estate became known for its lavish parties and was the highlight of the social season during the Gilded Age.

READ MORE: The Oldest Restaurant in America Is Found in Newport

Miramar Purchased by Stephen Schwarzman

Blackstone Chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman purchased the estate for an impressive $27 million in 2021. Now, he’s putting plans in place to make the estate a private museum after his and his wife’s deaths.

According to Newport Daily News, the Schwarzmans have spent the last three years restoring the property to its original glory.

“They stripped the seven layers of paint added to the walls over the years, revealing the original interior wall colors and gilded molding, and reinstalled the 18^th-century French wood paneling that originally lined the living room,” said the outlet.

After their deaths, the Schwarzmans will likely bestow ownership to their philanthropic foundation.

Legalities still need to be worked out before the private estate becomes a museum, but keep scrolling to see what to expect when Miramar opens its gates to the public for the very first time.