How Newport's mansions, and more, have been reimagined for 'The Gilded Age' Season 2
SPOILER ALERT: This story does not divulge any plot developments in Season 2 of "The Gilded Age." Plot developments in Season 1 are discussed.
Filming in Newport for Season 2 of the HBO series "The Gilded Age" wrapped in October, and fans are eagerly awaiting an announcement of when it will air, but word is getting out about some of the locations that were used for the show this season.
The show, created by Julian Fellowes of "Downton Abbey" fame, doesn't just put a spotlight on Newport's beautiful backdrops, but it comes together with the help of hundreds of locals, from extras to electricians, carpenters to caterers. The show helped create 1,200 local jobs and worked with 500 local businesses.
Here's what we know so far, broken down by places that will be new to Season 2 and returning sets from Season 1, as well as a reminder of what locations can be seen in a Season 1 rewatch. We'll also tell you how to visit many of these places to see how they look in real life vs. the HBO series.
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New filming locations for 'The Gilded Age' Season 2 (and what won't come back)
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
Known historically as the Newport Casino, the Hall of Fame lent its horseshoe court for what might be called a cameo in Season 1. But the court looks to play a more substantial role in Season 2, as the setting for a social engagement and, of course, for tennis.
The kitchen in this Newport mansion prominently plays the kitchen for the New York City home of George and Bertha Russell, and more of the house will get a turn in Season 2. While watching, look out for the hallway and ballroom on the first floor, where George makes an appearance; a third-floor room in the former servants' quarters, which was remade into the office of butler Church; and the mansion's spacious backyard.
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Some familiar locations will be returning from Season 1, including the basement kitchen, as the Russells' kitchen; a second-floor hallway, as the same in the Russells' New York mansion; and the second-floor bedroom of Herminie Berwind, as the bedroom of Russell daughter Gladys.
The word is that The Breakers, which hosted one of the signature scenes in Season 1 — the debutante ball — won't appear in Season 2. (Unless maybe it's used in a flashback.)
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Chateau-sur-Mer, the oldest of the stone Newport mansions used in the series, did some heavy lifting in Season 1, playing at least four different buildings both in New York and Newport. It will have some new scenes in Season 2, shot in the Marble Hall and in the Green Room. No word though, on what roles these rooms will be playing.
Besides being the place where Fellowes is said to have, over dinner, committed to using Newport locations for filming, Marble House also hosted scenes in Season 1 and will be back in Season 2.
Keen-eyed viewers will see the house's giant dining room, though it's anyone's guess what type of event will take place there.
What Newport locations were in 'The Gilded Age' Season 1?
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
A small social gathering was set on the Executive Porch, overlooking the horseshoe court, while tennis was being played in the background.
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The Elms
Besides the kitchen, which stars in several scenes, the second-floor bedroom of Herminie Berwind was used again as Gladys Russell's bedroom. Plus, a second-floor hallway was used.
The Breakers
The billiard room was used as George Russell's billiard room. The Baumgarten Co. pool table was actually used in the scene, though the felt surface was temporarily covered by a new one. A marble bust of Cornelius Vanderbilt II in this room can be seen in the series.
The music room and part of the adjoining morning room doubled as the ballroom in the Russells' New York mansion. The spectacular scene of Gladys' debut ball, plus an earlier scene when Bertha was trying to host a society fundraising bazaar, were filmed there.
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Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer, the historical home of William Shepard Wetmore, father of 19th-century Rhode Island Gov. George Peabody Wetmore, played many roles in Season 1, including:
The exterior and front entrance doubled for Beechwood, the real-life summer home of Caroline Astor, who is also a character in the show. Beechwood was unavailable for filming as it undergoes renovations for new owner Larry Ellison, founder of software company Oracle, who bought it in 2010.
It is seen in Season 1 when Bertha Russell goes on a clandestine visit to Mrs. Astor's home, only to be hurried out a back door when Mrs. Astor suddenly arrives home early.
A rear entrance and the yard around it were Bertha's escape route, involving an encounter with chicken-plucking servants.
Several rooms on the first floor played socialite Mamie Fish's home when she hosted a doll's tea party, where heiresses Gladys Russell and Carrie Astor, Mrs. Astor's daughter, met, creating an eventual opening for the Russell family to join the Astors' social set.
The mansion was also used for a scene involving the delivery of a telegram, which was filmed in the foyer.
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Upstairs, the Butternut Suite played the rooming house flat of Oscar Van Rhijn, where the scion of the Van Rhijn family hid liaisons with his boyfriend.
The bedroom of Annie Wetmore, daughter of William Shepard Wetmore, is used as the bedroom of Agnes Van Rhijn, the matriarch of the "old money" New York family who lives across the street from the Russells and is in competition with them.
The bedroom of George Peabody Wetmore is used as the office where New York Alderman Patrick Morris shoots himself after George Russell financially ruins him.
And the bedroom of Anne Morris, his wife, was filmed in the bedroom of Edith Wetmore, George's wife.
Marble House
The bedroom of Consuelo Vanderbilt doubles as the bedroom of George Russell. (Wealthy couples in the Gilded Age slept in separate rooms.) The room is the setting where his wife's ladies maid, Turner, slips into bed and tries to seduce George.
The back stairway and basement kitchen are stitched together with footage from other places to be part of Bertha Russell's escape route from the fictional version of Beechwood.
How to visit the sites
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
The grounds of the hall of fame are open to the public, free, seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See www.tennisfame.com/visit/hours-and-admission for information.
The Elms, The Breakers and Marble House
The Elms, The Breakers and Marble House are open for paid tours seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See www.newportmansions.org/plan-a-visit/operating-schedule-2023 for information.
Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer is closed until July 31, when it will open the same hours as the other mansions.
See www.newportmansions.org/plan-a-visit/operating-schedule-2023 for information.
"The Gilded Age" Tour: The Elms, The Breakers, Marble House and Chateau-sur-Mer
All four houses, including Chateau-sur-Mer, are currently part of a paid tour that highlights the buildings' use in the TV series.
See www.newportmansions.org/events/inside-the-gilded-age-tour for information.
Other filming locations in Season 1
Newport's first appearance in "The Gilded Age" is the sweeping oceanfront scene filmed at The Ledges, a private property built in the 1860s.
The series also used School Street to portray Dansville, New York, in what's been called the Red Cross scene, and the area around Trinity Church was used in a funeral scene.
The series opens in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where Newport's Hunter House played the office of lawyer Tom Raikes.
Two mansions also were used in Season 1: Rosecliff and Indian Spring, a private residence at 325 Ocean Ave.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'The Gilded Age' reimagines Newport's mansions. Here's what you'll see.
