Step inside Hotel Du Pont, a historic Italian Renaissance hotel that looks straight out of the Gilded Age

Hotel Du Pont opened in 1913 in the same complex as the Du Pont Company’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Du Pont Company, dating back to the 1700s and incorporated in 1802, made its fortune as America’s leading producer of smokeless gunpowder, then transitioned into the chemical business.

Delaware has long been known as a haven for corporations thanks to its favorable state laws and tax advantages. As more and more companies established operations there during the Gilded Age, Du Pont Company executive and heir Pierre S. du Pont recognized the need for a luxury hotel in Wilmington befitting the caliber of clientele he sought to entertain.

Hotel Du Pont cost $1 million to build when it was completed in 1913, equivalent to around $33.6 million in 2026.

“Nobody ever spent that kind of money in 1913 to build a hotel,” Santora told Business Insider.

Due to immediate high demand upon opening, the hotel also added an expansion in a 1918 renovation.

Former President Joe Biden, a Wilmington local, announced his 1972 Senate bid at Hotel Du Pont and held numerous campaign events and meetings there throughout his political career, including as president.

Hotel Du Pont is also believed to be the site where Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly’s engagement was finalized in 1955.

The hotel offers four room tiers: classic, heritage, luxury, and suites. Starting rates for a classic room are $599, and one-bedroom suites start at $1,913.

In 1918, the hotel expanded, adding 118 guest rooms. The Rose Room was transformed into the main lobby with new marble floors and an ornate ceiling inspired by the Ducal Palace in Venice.

The area rug in the lobby features a rose petal design in homage to the space’s original name and function.

The clock was made in England in 1910 and shipped to Wilmington to furnish the hotel. The best part? It still works over a century later.

The displays included pieces of china dinnerware and a cigarette box from 1912 that was discovered in a wall during a 1992 renovation.

Each small tile was laid by hand to create the mosaic design.

The Green Room houses Le Cavalier, a French brasserie. Le Cavalier means “the horseman,” a nod to the Du Pont family’s enthusiasm for equestrian sports.

Hand-painted plaster made to look like wood or marble was considered a status symbol during the Gilded Age, since it was more expensive and required a higher level of craftsmanship than using the real materials.

The featured performers were usually harpists or a trio of musicians.

The bar offers the signature Hotel Du Pont cocktail with VSOP Guillon Painturaud cognac, Alvear fino sherry, and Angostura bitters.

“Every decision about the state of Delaware was probably made over at that table by a lawyer, judge, or governor who sat there,” he said. “They weren’t done in the courthouse, which is directly across the street. The decisions were made, and the agreements were made, by handshake right here.”

The Brandywine Room was formerly known as Peacock Alley, a place to see and be seen.

The Christina Room still functions as an event space.

The carvings depict fish, pelicans, beavers, and other creatures symbolizing Wilmington’s status as a port city.

Like the doors in the Oval Office, the Christina Room’s secret door lacks handles, allowing it to blend into the wall.

“At night, you could come in, have dinner in here, and then you could sneak right through to the theater,” Santora said.

The domes are still there, but were enclosed in the ceiling when the hotel installed air conditioning, so they’re no longer visible.

The detailed artwork on the door, hand-carved into a slab of wood cut from a single tree, is characteristic of the hotel’s Italian Renaissance Revival architecture — a resurgence of the detailed craftsmanship displayed by Italian artists such as Michelangelo.

Both the door and the rose-marble carvings above it were created by artisans brought over from Italy.

The du Barry Room is located on the upper level, and the Gold Ballroom is downstairs. The du Barry Room used to have a balcony overlooking the Gold Ballroom below, but the hotel enclosed and soundproofed the two spaces so they could host two separate events at once.

A French crystal chandelier serves as the centerpiece of the gilded ceiling.

The ceilings also feature engravings of turkeys, owls, pheasants, and other local animals.

“If you go back and look 100 years ago, you’ll notice that the American eagle was more of a scrawnier-looking eagle compared to what you see today,” Santora said.

The ceilings measure 2 ½ stories high.

The artwork shows women playing instruments and dancing, indicating the room’s purpose as a jovial space for celebration.

The hotel brought in 30 Italian artisans, who worked on the sgraffito for an entire year.

The chandeliers contain five precious metals.

The medallions pay tribute to Pocahontas, the Queen of Sheba, Catherine the Great, and other notable women throughout history.

The Du Pont family had a pet ram named Don Pedro, whose likeness appears throughout the room.

“Squirrels are working animals,” Santora said. “When you go through that doorway, you’re going back to work.”

While many lavish Gilded Age-style properties have been renovated beyond recognition or demolished completely, Hotel Du Pont endures as a monument to the wealth and innovation that helped establish Wilmington as a center of American business — and looked good doing it.