Belcourt of Newport

"Not the museum to prioritise over the other mansions Belcourt was constructed between 1891 and 1894 for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, a prominent American socialite and coachman. Belmont commissioned the renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design the mansion in a style quite similar to the hunting lodge of Versailles built for King Louis XIII of France. Oliver was particularly concerned with creating top of the line accommodations for his collection of horses and automobiles. In 1896, Mr. Belmont gave the house to his second wife as a wedding gift. The new Mrs. Belmont was none other than the former Alva Vanderbilt, a prominent figure in the women’s suffrage movement and designer of the neighboring Newport Mansion “Marble House.” Under her guidance, she rearranged the house in order to entertain properly. The Belmonts began to use Belcourt as a gathering place for the elite of society, hosting lavish parties, balls and other social events, attracting notable figures from the worlds of politics, business, and the arts."