The Preservation Society of Newport County celebrated its 60th Anniversary August 13 with a Chinese-themed "Dynasties and Dragons" fundraising ball at Marble House, attended by nearly 600 people. The event was inspired by a gala ball hosted by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont in 1914 to celebrate the opening of her newly-built Chinese Tea House.

Recreating the Gilded Age galas, guests dressed in black-tie or Chinese attire enjoyed cocktails on the terrace of Marble House, built in 1892 as a summer cottage for Alva and her husband William K. Vanderbilt. Following the cocktail reception, guests filed down the stairs, past two stone Chinese warriors guarding the entrance to the dinner tent, elaborately decorated by event designer Cynthia Gibson.

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The tent was hung with hundreds of red and gold Chinese lanterns, and a massive red and gold dragon was suspended from the center of the tent. Five small pagoda-style tents within the main tent were decorated in different "dynasty" styles and colors: blue, white and yellow for the Ming Dynasty; terra-cotta, cobalt blue, Chinese mustard yellow and emerald green for the Tang Dynasty; celadon green, darker celadon and gold for the Song Dynasty; gold with accents of black lacquer for the Wei Dynasty; and red, bright yellow, green, black, purple and gold for the Qing Dynasty. Visible beyond the tent was Alva's Chinese Tea House, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

The menu, prepared and served by Fine Catering by Russell Morin, consisted of grilled pineapple and crispy duck breast served with mizuna and mandarin vinaigrette and a trio of dipping sauces; Szechuan peppercorn crusted filet of beef tenderloin with three-vinegar syrup on a Shiitake scallion rice pancake; and tamarind honey-glazed snapper with baby bok choy, sautéed snow peas and yellow squash moons with ginger butter. Dessert consisted of a chocolate lotus bowl, and exotic fruit salad with Canton ginger honey syrup with chocolate-dipped crystallized ginger. The evening's wines were 2003 Pine Ridge Dijon Clones Chardonnay, 2003 Archery Summit Premier Cuvée Pinot Noir, and Taittinger Brut La Française.

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Dancing to the music of the Bob Hardwick Orchestra followed dinner.

Marble House was completed in 1892 by architect Richard Morris Hunt as a summer cottage for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. Alva Vanderbilt retained ownership of the 52-room "cottage" after divorcing her husband and marrying a neighbor, Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. In 1912, Mrs. Belmont commissioned the construction of a Chinese Tea House at the back of the Marble House property, overlooking the Cliff Walk and the ocean.

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She celebrated its opening on July 25, 1914 in conjunction with a lavish Chinese costume ball at Marble House. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Alva closed Marble House and the Tea House and never reopened them.

The Preservation Society acquired the properties in 1963 through the generosity of Harold S. Vanderbilt, Alva's youngest son.

The Tea House was moved back from its original location directly above the Cliff Walk in 1977 because of erosion. Years of weather, neglect and vandalism had taken their toll on the building. In 1981, the Preservation Society undertook an extensive restoration, using the original architects' drawings and contemporary photographs. The restoration was completed in 1982.

Marble House and its Tea House are among 11 historic properties now maintained as historic house museums open to the public by the Preservation Society of Newport County.

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Of course a 60th anniversary ball doesn't happen every weekend in Newport. For a taste of how the Vanderbilts lived, the Preservation Society offers a refreshing Lunch and Garden Tour of The Elms, an expansion of the popular Elms After Hours Tour. This mid-day tour of the elegant, restored gardens and grounds of The Elms includes the visitor's choice of a catered box lunch and soft drinks, served on the terrace of the Carriage House overlooking the sunken garden. Reservations are required, and can be made online, at www.NewportMansions.org, or at any Preservation Society property.

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