A time of immense economic flux, extraordinary wealth and dramatic social inequality, the Gilded Age was a grandiose era in the late 19th century when America's richest thrived in the wake of the Civil War. To show off their fortunes, the movers and shakers of the time built ostentatious homes adorned with exquisite materials, gold-plated furnishings and elaborate, landscaped grounds. Stunning time-capsules of yesteryear, we've rounded the most beautiful Gilded Age homes for sale in the US right now. Click or scroll on for more.
Considering its size, grandeur and incredible interior, this historic mansion is quite the find. Listed with Coldwell Banker for $2 million (£1.5m), the property can be found in Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota, and boasts a glorious one-and-a-half-acre garden, complete with picturesque water features, lush lawns, mature trees and vine-covered terraces.
The Crocus Hill landmark dates back to 1886 and certainly isn't short of kerb appeal. From its red brickwork to its emerald green accents, asymmetric chimneys and imposing porte-cochère entrance, the incredible home was built to impress. Sprawling 9,400 square feet, the interior is overflowing with original features, eye-catching details and one-of-a-kind additions – not to mention the odd surprise or two...
Spread across four floors, the property boasts numerous living rooms and dining spaces that show it was designed for entertaining. There are seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as several dressing rooms, studies and sunrooms. The main formal lounge is perhaps the finest room in the house. Finished with a gorgeous carved timber fireplace, dazzling leaded windows and a working pipe organ, it isn't difficult to picture the space filled with party-goers in their finest attire.
Everywhere you look, you'll find something unique and surprising. The top floor, for example, is home to a stunning master suite, decorated with statement wallpaper, a bold carpet and decorative windows that provide views all the way to the Mississippi River valley. Other architectural plus points include the home's decorative staircases, original cast-iron radiators, elegant pocket doors, high ceilings, chic chandeliers and countless exterior balconies.
Over on Manhattan's illustrious Park Avenue, you'll find a property that's considered one of New York City's oldest homes. The pre-war co-op building was designed by famous architect Stanford White back in 1890. The property was once a single mansion, but it was eventually transformed into a 17-unit apartment block filled with period features and one-of-a-kind architectural treasures.
One of the building's residences is this mind-blowing apartment. Though we don't have its exact measurements, the property is spacious and inviting, thanks to walls of oversized windows, many of which are decorated with delicate stained glass. The main double-height living room has to be the home's finest space, with its original panelling, gorgeous coffered ceiling, regal fireplace and sweeping staircase, which leads to a mezzanine library. There’s even a built-in bar – the ultimate Gilded Age touch.
Renowned interior designer Matthew White curated every inch of the apartment, restoring its irreplaceable Gilded Age details and complementing them with high-quality touches. The three-storey house also boasts a large dressing room and walk-in closet, a grand entry foyer, a formal dining room and a newly renovated kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances and a custom wine closet. A hidden door in the hallway also leads to a guest powder room.
The lounge's mezzanine offers a second staircase that leads to the property’s two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The master suite has been sympathetically renovated, blending historic touches and modern elements together with dazzling results. We adore the 12-foot ceiling, triple-bay window, bold wallpaper, vibrant four-poster bed and quaint antique furnishings. If you've fallen head over heels, then John Barbato of Compass has all the information you need.
This imposing historic townhouse can be found moments from the shoreline of Lake Michigan in the heart of Chicago, Illinois. Constructed in 1892, the 9,381-square-foot residence features a striking brick façade and an interior that appears untouched since its heyday.
Available via Compass for $5.3 million (£3.8m), the elegant three-storey home welcomes guests with a striking hallway, complete with limestone walls, marble floors and a sweeping staircase carved from walnut. The space leads on to a formal living room and a banquet-sized dining room capable of accommodating dozens of guests.
Despite its age, the house retains much of its original architectural charm. From exquisitely detailed Gothic fireplaces crafted from cast limestone to walnut panelling, cast bronze sconces and leaded windows, there’s something beautiful to see everywhere you look. This Great Room might be the home’s most impressive asset, thanks mainly to its stunning statement ceiling.
Elsewhere, you'll find seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, as well as this dazzling formal dining room and a gourmet kitchen, flooded with sunlight from an oversized copper skylight. Though it's been updated for modern living, with chef-grade appliances, a breakfast nook, cocktail bar and plenty of countertop space, the room is still in keeping with the home's heritage. French doors lead out to the private rear garden, finished with a garage and a one-bedroom coach house – the ideal in-law suite or home office.
On the market for just under $6.3 million (£4.6m), this regal townhouse is a special piece of real estate. Dating back to 1894, the Renaissance Revival-style home is positioned on New York City's Upper West Side, moments from the Hudson River, the American Museum of Natural History and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The historic property benefits from 4,702 square feet of inside space, spread across five impressive floors. Described by the listing agent, Compass, as a “landmarked Beaux-Arts beauty”, it was designed by architects Horgan and Slattery and influenced by the grand Venetian residences of the Renaissance period. Inside, many of the rooms appear untouched, as if the original owners had just stepped out.
The front door leads into a welcoming foyer, finished with a beamed ceiling, rich wood-panelled walls and a full-height fireplace. A staircase leads up to the second floor, where a formal living space, dining room and parlour can be found. The next level is home to six bedrooms and four bathrooms. The home's vintage kitchen, which is one of two, is a stunning time-warp with its soaring ceiling, custom cabinetry and mustard tiles.
Of course, each room is decked out with the finest furnishings, architectural touches and Gilded Age fixtures, including quarter-sawn oak wainscotting, pocket doors, decorative fireplaces, stained-glass skylights and 11-foot ceilings. The third floor is home to the primary bedroom suite, which comes complete with a marble bathroom and dressing room. There’s also a library, a courtyard garden and a home office with direct access to a roof terrace.
Listed with Vanderbilt International Properties for an eye-watering $8 million (£5.8m), this Italianate villa was finished in 1849 and named Merillton. Nestled on over two acres of verdant park-like grounds in Newport, Rhode Island, the private estate is shrouded in woodlands.
The magnificent mansion spans 7,596 square feet and features glamourous living spaces, decked out with the finest fittings and fixtures that money could buy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While the palatial property was sensitively renovated in 2013, thankfully it retains much of its original charm, from striking chandeliers to towering arched windows, marble fireplaces and gilded accents.
The eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom home has space for both relaxing, entertaining and working. Across its three levels, each connected by an elevator, you’ll find dazzling reception rooms, a chef's kitchen, a billiards room, a formal dining room and a movie theatre. Key architectural touches include the home's carved wooden window shutters, brick fireplaces, Art Deco-inspired light fixtures, dramatic wall coverings and hardwood floors.
Fit for a Hollywood star, the master suite occupies the second floor and benefits from its own ensuite, study and sitting room. Outside, you’ll find gorgeous, landscaped gardens, dotted with specimen trees and private woodland walks. There’s also an infinity swimming pool and a three-bedroom cottage, complete with a library and kitchen – the perfect spot for visiting guests.
Sprawling, palatial and gloriously styled, this time-capsule mansion is a one-of-a-kind property. Located in the heart of the Gold Coast neighbourhood of Chicago, Illinois, it's just one block away from Chicago History Museum and Lincoln Park, plus it happens to be a five-minute walk from the dreamy waterfront of iconic Lake Michigan.
Built in 1898, the residence features an imposing exterior and an interior that looks like it's been plucked from a bygone era. The home’s current owners spared no expense, taking on an extensive whole-house renovation that paid careful attention to the home's heritage. The rooms benefit from original coffered ceilings, checkerboard floors, panelled walls, ornate fireplaces with antique French mantels, elaborate chandeliers, antique sconces and gold-plated hardware.
Listed with Sotheby's International Realty for a cool $9.4 million (£6.9m), the floor plan includes a grand foyer, a family room with original curved windows, a billiard room with panelling salvaged from a Swiss hunting lodge, a library, a living room with an adjacent office, a dining room, a butler's pantry and an elevator. The home's luxurious kitchen is equipped with an island crafted from chestnut, a 400-year-old reclaimed stone floor and a wood-burning fireplace from Provence.
There are also six bedrooms and five full bathrooms across the home's 9,680-square-foot floorplan. The VIP master bedroom boasts an antique fireplace, a grand four-poster bed and an ensuite with a silver-plated antique chandelier. Elsewhere you’ll find a beautiful craft room with statement wallpaper, a private balcony and custom built-in cabinetry for all your art supplies. Meanwhile outside, there's a tranquil courtyard – the perfect spot for enjoying a morning coffee.
This awe-inspired property exemplifies the grandeur of the Gilded Age perhaps better than any other. After all, it was built for one of America's wealthiest families, the Vanderbilts, back in 1886. Cornelius Vanderbilt, an American businessman and slave owner, made his fortune in railroads and shipping. This incredible house was designed for Cornelius' granddaughter, Emily Thorn Vanderbilt, and her husband, William Douglas Sloane, as a summer residence.
Of course, no ordinary holiday home would do for Emily and William, and it's clear that no expense was spared during the making of this remarkable, 55,000-square-foot mansion. It sits on 89 acres of land in the Berkshires in Massachusetts and was designed by iconic architectural firm, Peabody and Sterns, the team behind notable buildings including Matthews Hall at Harvard University and Boston's Exchange Building.
The couple expanded the home multiple times over the years, and today, it boasts 65 rooms, 18 of which are bedrooms and 23 of which are bathrooms. Of course, there are plenty of lavish living spaces for hosting soirées and formal dinner parties, including gorgeous lounges and timber-clad libraries. Stunning period details include the home's parquet floors, coffered ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces, elegant drapery and ornate plasterwork.
This image truly highlights the scale and splendour of the property. The Vanderbilts hired famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to work his magic on the surrounding acreage. Olmsted is considered to be the father of landscape architecture and not only created the grounds of the Biltmore estate, but the iconic landscape of Central Park, too. Currently for sale for $12.5 million (£9.2m), this stately home has to be one of the grandest in the world.
Seaview Terrace is located in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, occupying a near eight-acre plot that overlooks Sheep Point Cove and the North Atlantic Ocean. Also known as the Carey Mansion, the waterfront property is Newport's fifth-largest estate, after the likes of The Breakers and Belcourt Castle. With a long and fascinating history, the storied property was originally constructed in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. around the turn of the 20th century for wealthy whisky distiller, Edson Bradley.
Designed by Howard Greenley, the house covered more than half a city block. It was filled with opulent home features, such as an art gallery, a private chapel for 150 congregants, a 500-seat theatre and an ornate ballroom. In 1923, Bradley decided to move the mansion to Newport. The complex process took two years and gained the property a place in Ripley’s Believe It or Not newspaper column.
Bradley then bought an Elizabethan-Revival mansion next door and merged the two homes to form Seaview Terrace. Today, the estate is the largest privately-owned home in Newport, straddling two addresses in the area's most exclusive zip code. The colossal property now spans 43,772 square feet and boasts 29 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, a unique whispering gallery and a two-storey entrance hall, kitted out with Medieval-inspired fixtures.
Today, many of the stately home’s original features remain intact. The building’s most prized detail is perhaps an early Renaissance stained-glass window that was originally designed for the Milan Cathedral in Italy. Other architectural gems include the home's furnishings and interior fixtures that were imported from France, its elaborate stone staircases and the highly decorative, hand-carved ceilings. Seaview Terrace is currently for sale for a cool $29.9 million (£22m).
This elegant home is one of the last remaining Gilded Age mansions in Manhattan, New York City. So, of course, such a rare and wonderful property demands an asking price to match. Available via Brown Harris Stevens for a whopping $44 million (£32.3m), the regal residence can be found on Fifth Avenue, on the city's sought-after Upper East Side. Built between 1900 and 1901, the townhouse has been described by the listing agents as "the Holy Grail" of properties, and we can't help but agree.
Head up the home's dominating front steps and, through its oversized front door, and you'll find yourself in a time-warp interior that's almost too good to be true. Sprawling and palatial in equal parts, the living spaces span some 14,000 square feet, across five magnificent floors. The property was designed by architects James R. Turner and William G. Killian as "something superior in all details", according to the listing. It also happens to be the largest Beaux-Arts-style home still intact in the city.
The American Irish Historical Society acquired the mansion in 1939 and has owned it ever since. The society used the mansion to house a library of 10,000 volumes, as well as vinyl records, and letters from the likes of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 2006, the society hired renowned architect Joseph Pell Lombardi to restore the property, honoring its timeless classical design. From chandeliers to antique furnishings and artworks, there's so much to love about this well-preserved home.
Show-stopping spaces include the property's wood-clad music room, formal dining room with an elaborate skylight, and striking library. Other highlights include private outdoor spaces, gardens and terraces. Yet that's not all. The city pad also happens to be mere steps from Central Park and The Metropolitan Museum of Art – and by steps, we mean a one-minute walk! How's that for convenient?
With its $100 million (£73.4m) price tag, this private island estate in Darien, Connecticut, is among America's most expensive real estate listings. Great Island stretches some 60 acres and offers over a mile of shoreline on the Long Island Sound, making it the largest private island ever to be offered for sale on the East Coast.
For your money, you'll gain plenty of outside (and inside) space. As well as a guest house, a caretaker’s cottage, a 19th-century farmhouse and a charming seaside cottage, the private island is also home to a 13,000-square-foot Gilded Age manor, which dates back to 1905. The sprawling residence, shown here from above, is dazzlingly large and occupies a stunning plot overlooking the water.
Reminiscent of a romantic Italian villa, the property benefits from beautifully detailed architecture, exemplifying the fine craftsmanship of the era. Sadly, the home's top-secret interior is being kept strictly under wraps, but the outside allows us to imagine the gorgeous formal living rooms that await inside. Across the estate you'll find a total of 10 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, offering the perfect self-sufficient island hideout for a large family.
Other plus points include the island’s white sandy beach, deep-water dock and world-class equestrian facilities, which were designed by renowned architect Rafael Guastavino, who worked on the likes of Grand Central Station in New York. There's an 18-stall granite stable, indoor and outdoor riding rings, a polo field and numerous paddocks and riding trails, plus this impressive historic tack room.
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