Fireplaces Mantles & Mansions... A Return To Classic Grandeur!
The grand fireplaces mantles featured here showcase a collection of elegant hearth designs in two of the most opulent Classical Revival mansions built in America since the
Gilded Age
. . . . .
. . . . . Inspired by classic
Beaux-Arts
styling -- a late form of Neoclassicism that combined Greek and Roman models with Renaissance forms -- they are both monumental and grand!
PART I OF II
Popular for government buildings and other public institutions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Beaux-Arts architecture was also a favorite among the wealthy for their own private residences. Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895), the first American architect to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, was one of the most prominent practition- ers of the style in the United States. His client list included a veritable "Who's Who?" of leading capitalists and industrialists of the day.
Among his elite clients were the wealthy Vanderbilts -- the most prolific mansion builders in America during that era. The aptly named Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island, pictured at left, was one of numerous commissions designed by Richard Hunt for members of the Vander- bilt family. Completed in 1892 for William Kissam Vanderbilt and his wife, Alva, it reputedly cost $11 million -- $7 million of which was spent on marble, alone!
Marble House
In addition to the
marble
exterior, a view of the dining room (below) hints at the extent to which this beautiful material was used throughout the interior. Clad in marble from floor to ceiling, the dining room features an elegant French style marble fireplace mantle with elaborate
ormolu
mountings.
Who said "They just don't build them like they used to anymore?"
Most of us have heard the foregoing cliche on numerous occasions. And all too often, unfortunately, there is a significant element of truth to it. The ex- amples that follow, however, do not even remotely fall under that umbrella!
The stunning Atlanta area residence pictured below (with close-up of entry at top of page) echos the work of Richard Morris Hunt and one of his con- temporaries -- the well-known and highly prolific architecural firm of McKim, Meade and White. Created by Harrison Design Associates of Atlanta, it is a present-day incarnation of those created for the Vanderbilts in the late 19th century.
As in the mansion-building era of the Vanderbilts, this Beaux-Arts master- piece is crafted from the highest quality materials and flawlessly executed with meticulous attention to each and every detail. And, as was customary during the Gilded Age, many of the home’s furnishings and interior architec- tural features were acquired during extensive travels abroad.
Pictured directly below are two of several fireplace mantel designs in the home. Below, left, is a relatively simple stone fireplace mantle. Nestled in a soaring wall niche, it creates a cozy inglenook with built-in seating on either side of the firebox opening.
Conversely, the towering chimneypiece or fireplace surround pictured below, right, features intricate stone carving on both the mantel and overmantel. Flanking this elaborate mantelpiece are stone archways leading to an adja- cent room.
The striking marble fireplace surround that follows is flanked by a stately pair of fluted
Corinthian
columns with gilded capitals on either side. Centered be- tween the pairs of columns, which rest on paneled pedestals, is a soaring overmantel mirror with a beautifully paneled frame. The classic symmetry and detailing of this formal composition is echoed throughout the room.
Pictured below are two images of the richly paneled library in this magnificent home. The beautiful spiral staircase shown below, left, is modeled after the stairway in the library at Biltmore House, another one of the legendary homes designed by Richard Morris Hunt for a member of the Vanderbilt family in the late 19th century. Though not modeled after the chimneypiece in the library of Biltmore House, the hand carved wood fireplace surround pictured below, right, is equally magnificent. With a beautifully contrasting backdrop of Italian marble, the two story design is framed by fluted pilasters with
Ionic
capitals. Rising above the capitals is a splendid arch that echos the smaller arch in the richly carved wood overmantel beneath it.
For More Photos Of Biltmore House & Its Stunning Fireplaces Mantles, Please
Click Here
. . . . . And
Here!
Not to be outdone, the fireplaces mantles in the rear loggia, or outdoor room, pictured below, are as stunning as the fireplaces mantles on the interior. Re- naissance-inspired, these massive carved stone fireplace surrounds overlook a magnificent pool modeled, in part, after the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle, designed by architect Julia Morgan (1872-1957) in San Simeon, California.
