Stanford White, the famed architect, created it to resemble the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French royalty at Versailles. Baroque and Baroque Revival are the architectural styles. It is a great example of a Gilded Age home in Newport. It is a historic home that is available to the public. Stanford White was an American architect who had a successful practice in New York City during the late 19th century. He is best known for his lavish country houses, which were popular with wealthy Americans. One of these is the Newport Mansions, which he designed for Charles F. Mercer. It is a famous landmark that is still preserved today. The mansion was inspired by Louis XV's palace at Versailles and is an excellent representation of the luxury homes built during this era of American history. Stanford White was born on August 11, 1852 in Hartford, Connecticut. His parents were George Washington White and Sarah (Goodrich) White. He had two siblings: a brother named Arthur who was three years older than him and a sister named Mary who was one year younger than him. When White was only six years old, his father died and his mother took him and his siblings to live with her family in Boston. Here, he received his early education from private teachers and then went on to study architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1869 to 1873. After graduating, he set up his own office where he worked until 1880.