Statement of Significance (as of designation - February 17, 2006):
Marble House was designed and built between 1888 and 1892 under the direction of a premiere American architect, Richard Morris Hunt, for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, as a temple to the arts for the Vanderbilt family’s private use. Inspired by the Petit Trianon (1760-1764) a garden retreat on the grounds of Versailles, the house’s French inspired interiors were designed by Jules Allard and Sons, of Paris. A virtual showcase of various French styles and built with seemingly endless financial resources, the house was unparalleled in design and opulence in its day. The economic influence of the Vanderbilts and their financial and cultural power in America were expressed in the family houses and their patronage of American architecture. As one of the earliest of the Beaux Arts houses to appear in America, it would influence the design of architecture thereafter. Today, Marble House is a testament to the architectural genius of Richard Morris Hunt and the spirit of America’s "Gilded Age."