In HBO’s Emmy-winning series The Gilded Age, the grand homes of America’s industrial titans — with their sweeping staircases, ornate ballrooms and lavish drawing rooms — are so central to the story, they often feel like characters themselves.
Filmed at Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, Rhode Island: Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) speaks with Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) in her bedroom.
The real Gilded Age, roughly spanning the 1870s through 1900 in the U.S., brought extraordinary industrial growth and wealth creation — but also deep economic inequality. Its fortunes yielded some of the country’s most extravagant homes.
For Season 4 of The Gilded Age, premiering November 1 on HBO and HBO Max, the production once again returned to Newport, Rhode Island, home to one of the country’s largest concentrations of these historic Gilded Age mansions.
“We couldn’t do this show without Newport,” the show’s executive producer, David Crockett, told Variety.
Filmed at Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island: Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) hosts a dinner for the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb).
The Elms, Marble House, Château-sur-Mer, and The Breakers have helped recreate both Newport’s summer “cottages” and the grand Manhattan residences that anchor the series.
“Our partnership with Rhode Island and its historic institutions has grown over the course of the series,” according to Sally Harvey, SVP of Production at HBO. “These extraordinary properties give The Gilded Age an authenticity we couldn’t recreate elsewhere, while the series has helped introduce audiences around the world to Newport and its architectural history.”
Steven Feinberg, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office, says the partnership has been mutually beneficial.
“The global spotlight has fueled a set-jetting interest in Newport and Rhode Island,” Feinberg says.
Filmed at Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, Rhode Island: Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) sits in his bedroom.
Supporting Cities
To meet this interest, the Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns and maintains the four mansions mentioned above, has created Gilded Age-focused tours and programs — including an online deep dive into the series — that connect fans with the real history behind the drama. Its three-hour ‘Inside The Gilded Age’ experience is sold out every summer.
“The show has not only drawn new visitors to the mansions and increased interest in the historical Gilded Age, it also has been a rewarding partnership with HBO, supporting our efforts to preserve these historic house properties,” Preservation Society CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe told local press.
Filmed in The Breakers music room in Newport, Rhode Island: Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) stands in the Russell family's ballroom.
Series creator Julian Fellowes, actors Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Denée Benton, consulting producer Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar and production designer Bob Shaw have all participated in educational fundraisers and galas supporting the Preservation Society’s restoration efforts.
Supporting People
The show doesn’t only support the state’s Gilded Age properties; it also supports its people — through local employment, educational opportunities, skills training, and community engagement that extends beyond production. Thousands attended a Season 3 finale screening at The Elms in August 2025, where Fellowes thanked Rhode Island in a special video message.
Within the industry, HBO has been at the forefront of this type of community giveback and support, according to Jay Roewe, SVP of Production Planning and Incentives at HBO who calls the skills training “vital for the industry.”
Jay Roewe, HBO's Senior Vice President of Production Planning and Incentives
“Skills training builds infrastructure for our productions and a future for rising talent in communities across the world,” he says. “Because we’re producing at the highest caliber, we’re helping people level up their skill sets.”
Access to Action is an in-house organization that connects emerging talent with below-the-line jobs; over time, it has made more than 750 placements across 230-plus productions in 36 U.S. and Canadian cities.
For Season 3 of The Gilded Age, Access to Action placed six new production assistants on the Rhode Island set in partnership with the Rhode Island Film & TV Office. Overall, the show created more than 2,200 jobs for local cast, crew and extras while filming that season in Newport in 2024, according to Fellowes.
Filmed in The Breakers billiard room in Newport, Rhode Island: George Russell (Morgan Spector) makes a business deal while playing billiards.
The Gilded Age teams have embraced the chance to work with local talent, according to Ava Goldson Crews, Sr. Manager of the corporate team behind Access to Action.
"Our educational and workforce programs only work when a production team welcomes the community in, and The Gilded Age has set an incredible standard for creating real, hands-on opportunities for local talent across Rhode Island,” she says.
The exterior of The Elms, shot during filming of HBO's The Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island.
For Season 4’s production, the show returned to Rhode Island, where it employed several hundred workers across trades and services. It also partnered with the Rhode Island Film & TV Office to give Salve Regina University students firsthand experience at the Ochre Court set. Students observed filming and heard from production leaders across directing, physical production, visual effects, and locations.
A statewide virtual academic panel also connected production professionals with students from four Rhode Island institutions: Salve Regina University, the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design and Rhode Island College.
For Roewe, those efforts reflect a broader philosophy about what productions can contribute to the places they call home.
“We’ve learned through the years that saying ‘thank you’ and giving back in the communities where we film is powerful and called for,” he says. “When a series starts to build, it can transform a community. When we have a hit, like The Gilded Age, it benefits us both.”
Listen to The Official Gilded Age Podcast
Join TCM’s Alicia Malone and Tom Meyers from The Bowery Boys on HBO’s official Gilded Age podcast. Starting November 1, after each episode, they discuss what happened on screen and the real people, places and events featured on the show. Each week they’re joined by some of the cast and crew who bring the show to life, sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and fun-filled history.
