Mary Whitehouse ( grandmother of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse ) wearing the Tiffany Diamond at the 1957 Tiffany Ball at Marble House .
Willie K . Vanderbilt II in the Renault “ Vanderbilt Racer ,” c . 1907 .
NIGHT on the TOWN
MARBLE HOUSE HAS BEEN HOME TO COUNTLESS SOIREES in its 130-year-history , but perhaps the most glamorous took place well after the home ’ s Gilded Age peak . In 1957 , the Preservation Society of Newport County threw the Tiffany Ball at Marble House ( still privately owned at the time ) to raise funds for its fledgling preservation efforts . More than 1,000 people attended , including a Vanderbilt countess and then-Senator John F . and Jackie Kennedy . A rare yellow diamond on loan from Tiffany & Co . was the undisputed highlight of the evening . The jewel , weighing in at 128 carats , was worn by Mary Whitehouse , honorary chairwoman of the ball and grandmother to current United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse . “ The Tiffany Diamond has only been worn in the history of Tiffany by three other people — one being Lady Gaga , another being Audrey Hepburn , and the third being Beyoncé ,” says Preservation Society Executive Director Trudy Coxe . The event netted $ 30,000 , and the diamond ’ s fame lived on long after the guests went home : Today , its worth is estimated at $ 30 million . — L . C .
MODERN TRANSPORT
BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY , THE GENTEEL SPORT of coaching had begun to lose its luster as enthusiasts turned to the newer , zippier automobile . Willie K . Vanderbilt II , son of William and Alva Vanderbilt , was an early proponent of auto racing and could often be found speeding around the dirt tracks of Newport and Long Island . In 1904 , he founded the Vanderbilt Cup , the country ’ s first international auto race . “ It ’ s well-documented they were racing on Bellevue Avenue , on Second Beach , on Ocean Drive , and it quickly became a thing where as they organized races , they started using the Aquidneck Horse Track ,” says David de Muzio , executive director at the Audrain Auto Museum . Three years later , Willie approached the French car company Renault about building the “ Vanderbilt Racer ,” promising to find buyers for at least ten of the vehicles or pick up the $ 150,000 cost ( close to $ 5 million today ) himself . “ It ’ s a really important car in the history of early automotive racing and the history of automobiles in Newport ,” says de Muzio , who notes the car could reach 80 mph . Today , only a handful remain , including one in the Audrain Auto Museum ’ s collection . “ I ’ ve driven it at forty miles per hour , and it ’ s scary as hell ,” he says . “ At eighty miles per hour , it ’ s not for the faint of heart by any means . It really is an exhilarating experience .” — L . C .
“ It ’ s well-documented they were racing on Bellevue Avenue , on Second Beach , on Ocean Drive , and it quickly became a thing where as they organized races , they started using the Aquidneck Horse Track .”
— DAVID DE MUZIO
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2023 63