With the wedding of Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney last weekend at Belcourt in Newport and the buzz around it, it seems like a perfect time to circle back to the first high profile couple connected to the manse - millionaire socialite (and later suffragette) Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and her second husband, Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont.

And another gorgeous destination in the vicinity of Belcourt (I mean, everyone’s going to be taking the tour there NOW) that’s connected to Alva specifically, that you’ll want to check out this fall.

Okay, let’s get into the gossip-y drama for a hot minute: Alva’s first husband, W.K. Vanderbilt, a grandson of the railroad tycoon Cornelius, had Marble House - the manse just across the street from Belcourt - built for her as a birthday present for her 39th. She ultimately divorced him after he was less than faithful, married his friend Oliver Belmont (she had been quoted as saying that you marry the first time for money and the second for love - although Belmont was certainly no slouch in the wealth department), and relocated to the opposite side of the street to Belcourt.

After her second husband died, however, she went back to MH (she’d kept the property as part of the divorce settlement from W.K.) and in 1912, started work on the exquisite Tea House on the back lawn that you see in the photo below. At that point, she was famously involved in a big way in the Women’s Suffrage movement (if you’ve toured the main house, no doubt you’ve caught a glimpse of the distinctive Votes For Women cups and saucers behind glass in one of the kitchen cabinets) in this country and intended to use the space to host meetings related to the cause.

She brought in her go-to architects Hunt & Hunt from New York City (whose design for the structure was inspired by 12th century Sung Dynasty temples), not to mention builders directly from China. And we thought Kris and Kylie Jenner’s closets full of dozens of Birkin bags in AD magazine earlier this year were a big deal. Speaking of Kris, who knew she and JLaw were such best buds?

Psst ~ Architect Richard Morris Hunt not only designed the Tea and Marble Houses, but he was also responsible for history-making structures in NYC such as the Statute Of Liberty’s pedestal and MOMA’s facade as well as the Met’s Great Hall circa 1902.

Flash forward to 1977 when the Tea House was moved back 75 feet from the edge of the property for safety reasons, and then to 2016 when it underwent a renovation. These days it’s not so much a tea room in the classic sense as it is the most beautiful snack bar you’ll probably come across in the continental United States.

Still though, it is NOT to be missed next time you’re in the area and it’s accessible as part of the entry fee to Marble House. Grab a water, coffee, tea, or cookie and definitely snap some photos of the interior and exterior. Not gonna lie - I am more than a little surprised that I haven’t seen more people checking in from there over the years, it’s stunning!

Also, one of the funniest things I read online whilst researching this post was courtesy of someone who had visited Marble House over the last few years and mentioned the resemblance between the family photos on display throughout and news guy Anderson Cooper - who is in fact a descendant by way of his iconic (now deceased) mom Gloria Vanderbilt who was a great-great-granddaughter of Cornelius.

Photo Credits: All photos of the Tea House are by PattyJ.com

This post has been updated and revised from one that has appeared previously on the blog.

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