Bellevue Avenue Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Bellevue Avenue Historic District
is located along and around Bellevue Avenue in Newport
, Rhode Island
, United States
. Its property is almost exclusively residential, including many of the mansion
s built by affluent summer vacationers in the city around the turn of the 20th century, including the Vanderbilt family
and Astor family
. Many of the homes represent pioneering work in the architectural style
s of the time by major American architects.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
(NHL) in 1976. Several of the mansions within the district had themselves attained NHL status as well, or have done so since then. It has become one of Newport's major tourist attractions.
and Narragansett Bay
to the south and east, respectively, Spring Street and Coggeshall Avenue to the west, and Memorial Boulevard to the north. This takes in the southeastern quarter of the developed portions of the city on the southwestern neck of Aquidneck Island
. Bellevue Avenue itself runs north-south for over two miles (3.2 km) through the middle of the district.
Land use
within the district is overwhelmingly residential. Most of its 63 buildings are dwellings either in use or originally built for that purpose. Institutional use is the next most common, with many of the historic mansions now used as historic house museums. One, Vernon Court
, is home of the National Museum of American Illustration
. Salve Regina University
, home to some more historic buildings, including the William Watts Sherman House
, is wholly within the district, and there is also a more modern senior citizens home built in the mid-20th century.
Commercial properties are clustered near the Newport Casino
at the north end of the district, such as two contemporary strip malls
opposite and to the right (respectively) of the casino itself. There are some small parks within the district, and the blocks just south of Vernon House on the east side of Bellevue are given over to Stoneacre, a once-private park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
. Rovensky Park
is further down Bellevue Avenue and is maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County. Many of the larger mansions sit on large lots
, leaving plenty of open space
within the district.
and the decades after independence, most of Newport's development remained around its downtown
area, where port facilities, the mainstay of the city's economy, were. Early in the 19th century, visitors to the city in the summer months came to appreciate the moderating effects of the sea breeze
s and the panoramic ocean views. They began building cottage
s along the higher ground where Bellevue Avenue, then a lightly traveled farm path, now runs.
In 1839, George Noble Jones
, a Southern
plantation
owner, built Kingscote
, a Carpenter Gothic
building considered the first of the city's mansions. The Civil War
and the years leading up to it slowed further development in the area, but then it picked up again during the economic prosperity of the Gilded Age
in the later decades of the 19th century. Houses became slightly larger than the original cottages, and experimented with new architectural style
s. The Casino and the Isaac Bell House
inaugurated the Shingle style, where that material was used as siding
instead of clapboard.
More and more wealthy families were drawn to Newport in the summers, transforming the architecture again. William Kissam Vanderbilt
's Marble House
in 1888 introduced stone as a building material, Beaux Arts as a style, and set a new standard for size. A few years later, his brother Cornelius
spent a record $7 million ($150 million in 2008 dollars) on The Breakers
, sitting above the cliffs at Ochre Point on the eastern shore. The Astors
expanded the 1851 Beechwood
to suit their needs.
These houses and their occupants made Newport synonymous with wealth and leisure in the early 20th century. Tennis
and sailing
would become associated with the city and the district through the tennis court
s in the Casino, which hosted the early tournaments that became the US Open, and the America's Cup
races which began being held in the nearby waters every three years. The onset of the Depression
began to change this, as some families, faced with dwindling fortunes, turned their houses over to the public or private nonprofits such as the Preservation Society of Newport County
.
This trend toward tourism continued in the years after World War II
. The mansions began being converted into museums and opened for tours; the International Tennis Hall of Fame
opened in the Casino in 1955. The 1962 sale of The Elms
, the last of the mansions to be owned and operated by the original family, marked the end of the resort era.
Preservation
efforts had been going on in the downtown historic district for years, and the city had begun to appreciate their value as tourist attractions. In 1965, it recognized as part of its original local historic district three smaller areas in the Bellevue area, later added to the National Register of Historic Places
: the original Bellevue Avenue district along the residential portions of the street itself, the Ochre Point/Cliffs district around The Breakers and the Bellevue Avenue/Casino District in that area.
In 1972 it applied to the National Park Service
to combine all three and expand them into the current Bellevue Avenue district. Four years later the new district was recognized as a National Historic Landmark District, the second of three in the city. The mansions and museums continue to be a draw for visitors to the city today.
, Richard Morris Hunt
and McKim, Mead and White over their professional careers."
Eight of the district's buildings have been designated as National Historic Landmark
s in their own right. Several others are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Many are open to the public for guided tours.
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) are also recognized as National Historic Landmarks. The city considers them all one large district for its administrative purposes.
The HDC must review any exterior alterations to a building in the district beyond ordinary maintenance and repair, and issue a Certificate of Appropriateness. It cannot order any changes made to a property.
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
is located along and around Bellevue Avenue in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its property is almost exclusively residential, including many of the mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
s built by affluent summer vacationers in the city around the turn of the 20th century, including the Vanderbilt family
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
and Astor family
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
. Many of the homes represent pioneering work in the architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s of the time by major American architects.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
(NHL) in 1976. Several of the mansions within the district had themselves attained NHL status as well, or have done so since then. It has become one of Newport's major tourist attractions.
Geography
The district encompasses an area of 606 acres (242 ha) bounded by Block Island SoundBlock Island Sound
Block Island Sound is a strait in the open Atlantic Ocean, approximately wide, separating Block Island from the coast of Rhode Island in the United States...
and Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
to the south and east, respectively, Spring Street and Coggeshall Avenue to the west, and Memorial Boulevard to the north. This takes in the southeastern quarter of the developed portions of the city on the southwestern neck of Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
. Bellevue Avenue itself runs north-south for over two miles (3.2 km) through the middle of the district.
Land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
within the district is overwhelmingly residential. Most of its 63 buildings are dwellings either in use or originally built for that purpose. Institutional use is the next most common, with many of the historic mansions now used as historic house museums. One, Vernon Court
Vernon Court
Vernon Court is a Gilded Age mansion, located at 492 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its design is an adaptation of an 18th century French château, Château d'Haroué.-History:...
, is home of the National Museum of American Illustration
National Museum of American Illustration
The National Museum of American Illustration , founded in 1998, is the first national museum to be devoted exclusively to American illustration artwork....
. Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
, home to some more historic buildings, including the William Watts Sherman House
William Watts Sherman House
The William Watts Sherman House is a notable house designed by American architect H. H. Richardson, with later interiors by Stanford White. The house is generally acknowledged as one of Richardson's masterpieces, and the prototype for what later became known as the Shingle Style in American...
, is wholly within the district, and there is also a more modern senior citizens home built in the mid-20th century.
Commercial properties are clustered near the Newport Casino
Newport Casino
The Newport Casino is located at 186-202 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.- 1879 - 1900 :The complex was commissioned in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr...
at the north end of the district, such as two contemporary strip malls
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
opposite and to the right (respectively) of the casino itself. There are some small parks within the district, and the blocks just south of Vernon House on the east side of Bellevue are given over to Stoneacre, a once-private park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
. Rovensky Park
Rovensky Park
Rovensky Park is an historic park at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Rovensky Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, USA....
is further down Bellevue Avenue and is maintained by the Preservation Society of Newport County. Many of the larger mansions sit on large lots
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
, leaving plenty of open space
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
within the district.
History
During the colonial eraColonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
and the decades after independence, most of Newport's development remained around its downtown
Newport Historic District (Rhode Island)
The Newport Historic District covers 250 acres in the center of that city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century...
area, where port facilities, the mainstay of the city's economy, were. Early in the 19th century, visitors to the city in the summer months came to appreciate the moderating effects of the sea breeze
Sea breeze
A sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
s and the panoramic ocean views. They began building cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s along the higher ground where Bellevue Avenue, then a lightly traveled farm path, now runs.
George Noble Jones
George Noble Jones was a wealthy southern plantation owner who owned the El Destino Plantation and Chemonie Plantation. In 1839 he hired English architect, Richard Upjohn, to build Kingscote one of the earliest summer "cottages" on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island...
, a Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner, built Kingscote
Kingscote (mansion)
Kingscote is a Gothic Revival house museum in Newport, Rhode Island built in 1839. Kingscote was one of the first summer "cottages" constructed in Newport...
, a Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
building considered the first of the city's mansions. The Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the years leading up to it slowed further development in the area, but then it picked up again during the economic prosperity of the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
in the later decades of the 19th century. Houses became slightly larger than the original cottages, and experimented with new architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s. The Casino and the Isaac Bell House
Isaac Bell House
The Isaac Bell House in Newport, Rhode Island, also known as Edna Villa, is one of the outstanding examples of Shingle Style architecture in the United States. It was built during the Gilded Age, when Newport was the summer resort of choice for America's wealthiest families.-History:Isaac Bell, Jr...
inaugurated the Shingle style, where that material was used as siding
Siding
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value....
instead of clapboard.
William Kissam Vanderbilt
William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
's Marble House
Marble House
Marble House is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt, and said to be inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles . Grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Ernest W...
in 1888 introduced stone as a building material, Beaux Arts as a style, and set a new standard for size. A few years later, his brother Cornelius
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
spent a record $7 million ($150 million in 2008 dollars) on The Breakers
The Breakers
The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
, sitting above the cliffs at Ochre Point on the eastern shore. The Astors
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
expanded the 1851 Beechwood
Beechwood (mansion)
Beechwood is a Gilded Age estate located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.-History:Built in 1851 for New York merchant Daniel Parrish by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux, it later became the summer estate of the Astor family, before moving in, Mrs Astor hired Architect...
to suit their needs.
These houses and their occupants made Newport synonymous with wealth and leisure in the early 20th century. Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
would become associated with the city and the district through the tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s in the Casino, which hosted the early tournaments that became the US Open, and the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
races which began being held in the nearby waters every three years. The onset of the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
began to change this, as some families, faced with dwindling fortunes, turned their houses over to the public or private nonprofits such as the Preservation Society of Newport County
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Newport County, Rhode Island, including...
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The mansions began being converted into museums and opened for tours; the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
opened in the Casino in 1955. The 1962 sale of The Elms
The Elms (mansion)
The Elms is a large mansion, or "summer cottage", located at 367 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, in the United States. The Elms was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, and was completed in 1901. Its design was copied from the Château d'Asnières...
, the last of the mansions to be owned and operated by the original family, marked the end of the resort era.
Preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
efforts had been going on in the downtown historic district for years, and the city had begun to appreciate their value as tourist attractions. In 1965, it recognized as part of its original local historic district three smaller areas in the Bellevue area, later added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
: the original Bellevue Avenue district along the residential portions of the street itself, the Ochre Point/Cliffs district around The Breakers and the Bellevue Avenue/Casino District in that area.
In 1972 it applied to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
to combine all three and expand them into the current Bellevue Avenue district. Four years later the new district was recognized as a National Historic Landmark District, the second of three in the city. The mansions and museums continue to be a draw for visitors to the city today.
Significant contributing properties
The builders of the mansions had the means to employ the best architectural talent available to them at the highest level of creativity. "The list of architects", says NPS historian Carolyn Pitts,"embraces almost every major designer of that time and what emerges at Newport is also a study of the development of the taste and skill of men like Richard UpjohnRichard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
, Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
and McKim, Mead and White over their professional careers."
Eight of the district's buildings have been designated as National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
s in their own right. Several others are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Many are open to the public for guided tours.
National Historic Landmarks
- Isaac Bell HouseIsaac Bell HouseThe Isaac Bell House in Newport, Rhode Island, also known as Edna Villa, is one of the outstanding examples of Shingle Style architecture in the United States. It was built during the Gilded Age, when Newport was the summer resort of choice for America's wealthiest families.-History:Isaac Bell, Jr...
: First Shingle Style house. - The BreakersThe BreakersThe Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
: Costly Italian Renaissance-style Vanderbilt home is Newport's signature mansion and a symbol of the Gilded AgeGilded AgeIn United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
. - Chateau-sur-MerChateau-sur-MerChateau-sur-Mer is the first of the grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. It is now open to the public as a museum...
: Originally built in 1851, later extensively remodeled in Second Empire and other late 19th century styles by Richard Morris HuntRichard Morris HuntRichard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
. Considered the first of the great Newport mansions. - The ElmsThe Elms (mansion)The Elms is a large mansion, or "summer cottage", located at 367 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, in the United States. The Elms was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, and was completed in 1901. Its design was copied from the Château d'Asnières...
: Horace TrumbauerHorace TrumbauerHorace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University...
mansion for coal magnate Edward Julius BerwindEdward Julius BerwindEdward Julius Berwind was the founder of the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. He was head of the company from 1886 until 1930.-Biography:...
was one of the first houses wired for electricityMains electricityMains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...
. Classical RevivalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style imitates ChateauChâteauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
D'Asniére in France. - KingscoteKingscote (mansion)Kingscote is a Gothic Revival house museum in Newport, Rhode Island built in 1839. Kingscote was one of the first summer "cottages" constructed in Newport...
: Gothic Revival 1839 cottage by Richard UpjohnRichard UpjohnRichard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
is the first large house in the city built for a summer resident. - Marble HouseMarble HouseMarble House is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt, and said to be inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles . Grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Ernest W...
: Hunt's Beaux Arts design for William Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
was one of the first stone mansions, and started a trend toward very large homes in Newport. - Newport CasinoNewport CasinoThe Newport Casino is located at 186-202 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.- 1879 - 1900 :The complex was commissioned in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr...
: The only non-residential NHL within the district, it was its first Shingle Style building and one of the first American social clubs to include recreational facilities. - William Watts Sherman HouseWilliam Watts Sherman HouseThe William Watts Sherman House is a notable house designed by American architect H. H. Richardson, with later interiors by Stanford White. The house is generally acknowledged as one of Richardson's masterpieces, and the prototype for what later became known as the Shingle Style in American...
: Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
house, with interiors by Stanford WhiteStanford WhiteStanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
, considered one of his best works. Prototype for the Shingle Style.
Other major properties
- BeechwoodBeechwood (mansion)Beechwood is a Gilded Age estate located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.-History:Built in 1851 for New York merchant Daniel Parrish by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux, it later became the summer estate of the Astor family, before moving in, Mrs Astor hired Architect...
: The AstorsAstor familyThe Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
' Newport home, remodeled from an older one. Today a living museumLiving museumA living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
with actors playing the family, its guests and staff for visitors. - Belcourt CastleBelcourt CastleBelcourt Castle is the former summer cottage of Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Begun in 1891 and completed in 1894, it was intended to be used for only six to eight weeks of the year...
: Summer home of Oliver Hazard Perry BelmontOliver BelmontOliver Hazard Perry Belmont was an American socialite and United States Representative from New York.- Biography :...
, built by Hunt in a variety of different styles of the time. - RosecliffRosecliffRosecliff, built 1898-1902, is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum.The house has also been known as the Herman Oelrichs House or the J. Edgar Monroe House....
: Stanford WhiteStanford WhiteStanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
imitation of VersaillesPalace of VersaillesThe Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
' Grand TrianonGrand TrianonThe Grand Trianon was built in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles at the request of Louis XIV, as a retreat for the King and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the marquise de Montespan, and as a place where the King and invited guests could take light meals away from the strict...
, built for silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs. - Vernon CourtVernon CourtVernon Court is a Gilded Age mansion, located at 492 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its design is an adaptation of an 18th century French château, Château d'Haroué.-History:...
Imitation of a Germain BoffrandGermain BoffrandGermain Boffrand was one of the most gifted French architects of his generation. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the style Régence, and in his interiors, of the Rococo itself...
chateau. Today home to the National Museum of American IllustrationNational Museum of American IllustrationThe National Museum of American Illustration , founded in 1998, is the first national museum to be devoted exclusively to American illustration artwork....
.
Historic District Commission
To maintain the district's historic character, the city created its Historic District Commission (HDC) at the same time as the district itself. It consists of nine citizens appointed to three-year terms by the City Council to oversee not just the downtown historic district but Newport's other historic districts, two of which (downtown and Ocean DriveOcean Drive Historic District
The Ocean Drive Historic District covers the long street of the same name along the southern shore of Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1976....
) are also recognized as National Historic Landmarks. The city considers them all one large district for its administrative purposes.
The HDC must review any exterior alterations to a building in the district beyond ordinary maintenance and repair, and issue a Certificate of Appropriateness. It cannot order any changes made to a property.
External links
- Beechwood. Official website
- Belcourt Castle. Official website
- Preservation Society of Newport County. Visitor information for many properties in district
- National Museum of American Illustration.