Vanderbilt Family Pens Letter Saying Preservation Society is Exploiting Breakers Mansion

Twenty-one members of the Vanderbilt family recently wrote to the Preservation Society of Newport County and are threatening to withhold donations to the organization until “the current leadership climate is changed.”

The Associated Press reported that the family members believe the management is “exploiting the Gilded Age family mansion” instead of focusing on its commitment to be stewards of the famed Breakers Mansion in Newport for the public good.

The threats, which included the withholding of financial contributions as well as objects from the family to be displayed at the mansion, was signed by 21 members of the family including designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt.

Fueling their concerns is a recent controversy over the Preservation Society’s plans to build a welcome center on the grounds of the mansion, which has has faced opposition from several community groups during a protracted legal battle.

SEE ALSO: Preservation Society Says Vanderbilt Letter “Rife with Inaccuracies”

Though the design and scale of the welcome center project shows an intent to blend with the landscape on the grounds of the 70-room former cottage to the Vanderbilt family, objectors have said that it would violate the integrity of the historic site and opens the door to commercial activity.

The Newport Zoning Board earlier this year approved the plan and a lawyer for the Bellevue-Ochre Point Neighborhood Association, which staunchly opposed the plan, appealed the decision.

The Preservation Society of Newport County applied for a special use permit to construct the $4.2 million visitors center to offer ticketing services and restrooms along with offering light food fare, such as sandwiches and snacks.

The Zoning Board’s vote in January followed months of litigation. The city’s Historic District Commission rejected the plan on the basis it didn’t meet historical standards for the area. The Zoning Board overturned that decision, which was appealed by the neighborhood association to Superior Court. That appeal, along with the dismissal of a separate lawsuit, ended up kicked back to the Zoning Board, which finally rendered a decision after months of hearings and a spirited public debate.

The iconic Vanderbilt family built the Breakers Mansion on Ochre Point Avenue between 1893 and 1895. It is the crown jewel in the collection of properties Preservation Society of Newport County manages and is considered a prime example of Gilded Age architecture.