The recently found ground floor plan of 'Beaulieu' cottage
in Newport, RI. 'Beaulieu' was originally the estate of
William Waldorf Astor. After the infamous feud with his
New York Society queen aunt Caroline Astor ~ who
spent her summers in nearby 'Beechwood' ~ he sold the estate.
The property ended up being rented by Cornelius and Grace
Vanderbilt. 'Beaulieu' was Mr Vanderbilt's favorite home, where he spent his time away from his yacht. The Vanderbilts purchased the home outright and Grace summered there every season. After Mrs Vanderbilt's death in 1954, he son sold the estate.
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| Mrs Grace Vanderbilt ~ The Queenly Kingfisher |
The estate then fell into complete and awful despair. The estate was rotting all over and was completely unrecognized. Then one day Wiley T Buchanan, Chief of Protocol for President Eisenhower, and his wife Ruth were walking along the Cliff Walk with a friend who lived at 'Clarendon Court' and they came upon the ruined beauty. Buchanan, after touring the house the next day, told his wife "We must buy this house". They purchased the home and resorted the beauty; Summering at the estate every season. Today, Mrs Buchanan ~ now remarried ~ Ruth Buchanan Wheeler ~ still lives at the estate.
