Architectural, Cultural sights in Newport
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Rough Point
In 1889, Frederick W Vanderbilt built Rough Point in the tradition of English manorial estates on a rocky piece of land jutting out into the ocean. Later purchased by the tobacco baron, James B Duke, the mansion fell into the hands of Duke’s only daughter, Doris (aged 13 years). She left the estate to the Newport Restoration Society upon her death. While the splendor of the grounds alone is worth the price of admission, Rough Point also houses much of Doris Duke’s impressive art holdings, including medieval tapestries, furniture owned by French emperors, Ming Dynasty ceramics, and paintings by Renoir and Van Dyck. These and other extraordinary objects formed the backdrop …
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B
Elms
Nearly identical to the Château d’Asnières built near Paris in 1750, the Elms offers a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour which will have you snaking through the basement operations, servants’ quarters and up onto the roof. Along the way you’ll learn about the activities of the army of servants and the architectural devices that kept them hidden from the view of those drinking port in the formal rooms. Taking the regular tour in addition to the behind-the-scenes variant will give you the best idea about how a Newport mansion functioned, though a double tour is exhausting. The place was designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1901. Of all the mansions, The Elms easily possess the most l…
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Newport Mansions
During the 19th century, the wealthiest New York bankers and business families chose Newport as their summer resort. This was pre-income-tax America, their fortunes were fabulous and their 'summer cottages' - actually mansions and palaces - were fabulous as well. Most Newport Mansions are on Bellevue Ave, and they frequently turn up as settings for films like The Great Gatsby and PBS series featuring actors with British accents. One of the best ways to see the mansions is by bicycle. Cruising along Bellevue Ave at a leisurely place allows you to enjoy the view of the grounds, explore side streets and paths, and ride right up to the mansion entrances without having to worr…
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C
Isaac Bell House
Built in 1883, Isaac Bell House is one of the earliest Bellevue mansions. This subtly grand wooden home not only exemplifies 'shingle style' architecture (the thing is covered in graying cedar scales) but, if you compare it to the stone behemoths that would soon arrive in Newport, helps you to understand the changing forms of the city's grandest buildings.
While places like the Breakers overpower you with palatial spaces and over-the-top materials, this McKim, Mead and White structure feels more livable, graceful and American (most other mansions imitate European palaces).
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D
Ochre Court
Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and built in 1892, Ochre Court offers a grand view of the sea from its soaring three-story grand hallway. Elsewhere find a rainbow of stained glass, pointed arches, gargoyles and other emblems of an architecture inspired by a medieval (and mythical) French Gothic. Ochre Court is now the administration building of Salve Regina University, and as such provides an interesting example of the repurposing of a Newport mansion. You can visit much of the main floor anytime during opening hours. In summer there are guided tours.
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E
Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House
For some serious timber framing, visit the oldest surviving house in Newport, Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, constructed circa 1697. Used as a residence by colonial governors and well-to-do residents, it’s now a museum of colonial Newport history operated by the Newport Historical Society. Tours depart from Colony House. It’s open other times by appointment.
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F
Kingscote
An Elizabethan fantasy complete with Tiffany glass, Kingscote was Newport’s first ‘cottage’ strictly for summer use, designed by Richard Upjohn in 1841 for George Noble Jones of Savannah, Georgia. It was later bought by China-trade merchant William H King, who gave the house its name.
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G
Rosecliff
Rosecliff, a 1902 masterpiece of architect Stanford White, resembles the Grand Trianon at Versailles; its immense ballroom had a starring role in Robert Redford's Great Gatsby.
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Touro Synagogue National Historic Site
At the Touro Synagogue National Historic Site, you can tour the oldest synagogue (c 1763) in the USA, an architectural gem that treads the line between austere and lavish.
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Marble House
The palace of Versailles also inspired the 1892 Marble House, posh with Louis XIV-style furnishings.
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