How The Gilded Age Baron Class Relaxed On Rhode Island: How Much House

RHODE ISLAND — Some of America’s most magnificent mansions and rowhouses were built during the so-called Gilded Age, a period from the late 1800s to the 1920s when a suddenly wealthy baron class flouted their fortunes in opulent and sometimes ostentatious architectural details.

“Gilded Age,” as coined by American author Mark Twain, was a pejorative to describe what he believed was an era of materialism and corruption among industrialists and politicians who transformed the steel, banking, oil, railroad and shipping industries into powerful corporations.

Family surnames that are synonymous with the Gilded Age include Astor, Vanderbilt, Morgan, Ford, Carnegie and Rockefeller.

Though the term is still used today to describe periods of economic inequity and the influence of money in politics, the architectural vestiges of that are works of art in themselves.

In this installment of How Much House, we look at three Gilded Age properties in Maryland, New York City and Rhode Island.

Rhode Island | $3,625,000

8 Renfrew Park, Middletown
Listed by: The Hadfield Group | Hogan Associates, Christie’s International Real Estate
Square feet: 3,843
Acreage: 0.27 acre
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 4 (3 full)
Year built: 1890

Rhode Island was a summertime mecca for the titans of business and industry who built their fortunes during the Gilded Age. Many of these summer cottages were spectacular extensions of their mansions and rowhouses.

Others, like this cottage commissioned in 1890 by H. Langford Warren, a Boston architect and the first dean at Harvard’s School of Architecture, are less ostentatious.

With expansive views of Easton Beach and the Cliff Walk, this home is set among 12 built on the private 4-acre park designed by the legendary landscape architect Frederic Law Olmstead. The property owners in the neighborhood collectively own the park space in the center of the development.

The cottage has gone through extensive renovations over the last decade but still exudes original charm with details such as original fireplaces with rich hardwood mantels, handsome staircases and custom built-ins. A new primary suite has been added, along with a garage.

A rare combination of historic charm and modern amenities, the cottage embodies the beach lifestyle with a wrap-around porch, saltwater pool, grilling bar, oversized entertainment deck with a wet bar and access path to the beach. It’s close to Newport, a playground for the rich during the Gilded Age. Peek inside for more photos.

New York City | $15,995,000

842 Carroll St., Park Slope
Listed by: Luciane R. Serifovic | Luxian International Realty
Square feet: 7,700
Acreage: 0.06 acre
Bedrooms: 12
Bathrooms: 9 (6 full)
Year built: 1887

Impeccably crafted structural steel and stunning copper cladding attest to the highest quality of construction as this building took shape from the imagination of one of the giants among Gilded Age architects, Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert. The Roman stone and granite townhouse is situated on a 75-foot lot that includes 1,275 square feet of outdoor solace.

The garden floor features a renovated two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest suite with a fireplace and triple sliding doors that lead to a two-tiered private back yard.

The parlor floor opens with a 15-foot-by-24-foot gallery entrance with a massive mahogany fireplace, a grand staircase and a hidden powder room. Both the living and dining rooms have soaring 11-foot ceilings and are flooded with light from a south-facing bay window and oversized windows on the north and south. Original fireplaces and oak wood-paneled walls in each room are centerpieces. Brazilian mahogany herringbone floors in the living room add to the grandeur.

The modern kitchen has a beautiful south seating area surrounded by windows with inviting views of townhomes, trees and the garden below. The clouds extend into the room with a captivating ceiling painting by renowned artist Richard Cortez, setting the stage for a home that is not just lived in but experienced.

On the third floor, the rich mahogany, cherry and oak materials are on display in four bedrooms, three fireplaces and two bathrooms. A Brazilian hardwood and copper-clad exterior deck faces south from the ensuite primary bedroom with a windowed dressing room and an enormous bathroom.

Two more sun-filled bedrooms, each with its own fireplace, are found on the fourth floor.

The fifth floor crowns this architectural marvel with a two-bedroom loft apartment that boasts original beams, 12-foot ceilings, a fireplace, a full kitchen, a large balcony and a skylight. Peek inside for more photos.

Maryland | $340,000

2040 Park Ave., Baltimore
Listed by: Craig Marcum | Long & Foster Real Estate
Square feet: Unavailable
Acreage: 0.05 acre
Bedrooms: 8
Bathrooms: 5 (all full)
Year built: 1880

This Gilded Age rowhouse on Reservoir Hill on the market for the first time since the 1940s needs some work but has good bones. Among the features are six fireplaces with intricate and well-preserved mantels and surrounding fixtures.

The first floor has a classic living room with massive pocket doors and a gorgeous fireplace and period sitting room with its own grand fireplace. The dining room, which also has an ornate fireplace. Also on the first floor are the kitchen, a full bath, and an office with a door to the back yard.

The ornate period staircase winds to the third floor, which is topped by a beautiful skylight.

Two second-floor bedrooms also have fabulous fireplaces. The second and third floors also have full baths and kitchens, and the third floor could easily be transformed into a guest or in-law suite.

The basement has an entertainment room, a cedar closet, and another full bath, a workshop and a laundry room.

This home comes with a view — a garden-style center island and fountain, and a small park with picnic tables behind the home. Peek inside for more photos.

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