Property from Astor’s “Beechwood” Estate, Newport, Rhode Island
Beechwood Mansion at 580 Bellevue Avenue (famously known as “Millionaire’s Row”) in Newport, Rhode Island, was the summer “cottage” of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Astor, Jr. Mr. Astor purchased the thirty-nine room ocean-front mansion as an anniversary present for his wife in 1880 for $190,941.50.
From 1881 to 1906, Mrs. Astor (nee Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, 1831-1908), summered at Beechwood, where, as the creator of the first American social register, she reigned as the undisputed queen of society. In the foyer of Beechwood, ladies and gentleman quaked in their finery awaiting a possible audience with the grand Mrs. Astor in her rose-decorated French parlour–suitable for a woman known as “The Mystic Rose.” Designed by Jules Allard & Sons, it was designed and built in Paris, and then brought to Newport by Richard Morris Hunt. Every member of high society prayed for an invitation to one of her glittering gatherings in the mansion’s exquisite ballroom overlooking the ocean. Designed by Hunt and Allard & Sons, the ballroom featured eight hundred mirrors and panes of glass, reflecting the ocean, the decor, and furnishings in all their glory.
When Mrs. Astor died in 1908, Beechwood was left to her son John Jacob Astor. In 1911, the ballroom was the site of his scandalous second marriage to Madeleine Talmage Force. He died in 1912 in the sinking of the Titanic. Upon his death Beechwood passed to his son William Vincent Astor who spent a great deal of time there, and continued the Astor tradition of premier entertaining. The house left Astor hands in 1940, when it was sold to Countess Allene de Kotzebue.
The historically rich items offered here for sale reflect the level of detail and decoration that Mrs. William Astor looked for in decorating her “cottage.” It is easy to imagine the balls and parties held during her stays at Beechwood, and the Jazz Era soirees hosted by her grandson. More recently, Beechwood was available for private events, and many happy weddings and parties have taken place amidst the grandeur of the fine furnishings sold here at auction. This material is a direct link to one of the most famous names in American social history, and a rare opportunity to own a piece that once belonged to a member of American “royalty.”
-courtesy of Skinner Inc.