William Watts Sherman House
Encyclopedia
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 architecture. It is located at 2 Shepard Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
and now owned by Salve Regina University
. It is a contributing property
to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District
.
, of the banking firm Duncan, Sherman, & Co. of New York, and his first wife Annie Derby Rodgers Wetmore (daughter of William Shepard Wetmore
of the nearby Chateau-sur-Mer
). It was designed by the architectural firm of Gambrill and Richardson, though there is no evidence of Gambrill's involvement in the design, and built by the Norcross Brothers
. According to an article in the Newport Mercury (January 9, 1875), its frame was constructed in New Jersey and shipped to Newport for assembly.
The original house was 2.5 stories in height and basically rectangular, about 53 by 81 feet in dimensions, with porte-cochere
on the east facade, and two principal entrances on the west. Its first story was faced in pink granite ashlar, with higher stories of brick, shingle, and half-timbered stucco, diamond-panel windows grouped in long, horizontal bands, and five massive red brick chimneys. Trim materials included reddish sandstone and brownstone. The roof was steeply gabled, with a broad single gable in front and multiple sharp gables to the rear, all originally shingled in wood. Its interior organizes clusters of rooms about a spacious central stair hall. Circa 1877 unusual stained-glass windows by Daniel Cottier (but often credited to John LaFarge
) were added; these have subsequently been sold.
. A second addition by Newport architect Dudley Newton (1845–1907), circa 1890, added a ballroom and service wing. The house remained in private hands until 1951 when it was willed to the Baptist Home of Rhode Island as a home for the aged. In 1963 a hospital wing was added, and in 1982 it was acquired by Salve Regina.
The house combines elements from medieval European, Renaissance English and Colonial American styles, and appears to have been inspired by British architect Norman Shaw's houses in Surrey (published in 1874). According to the Newport Mercury, its builders had been "unable to find a name" for the house's architectural style, although the family termed it Queen Anne style.
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry 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...
, with later interiors by Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford 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...
. 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 architecture. It is located at 2 Shepard Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
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...
and now owned by 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...
. It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District
Bellevue Avenue Historic District
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 mansions built by affluent summer vacationers in the city around the turn of the 20th century, including...
.
Biography
The house was built in 1875-1876 by William Watts ShermanWilliam Watts Sherman
William Watts Sherman was a New York City businessman and the treasurer of the Newport Casino. In 1875-1876 he had the William Watts Sherman House constructed in Newport, Rhode Island.-Biography:...
, of the banking firm Duncan, Sherman, & Co. of New York, and his first wife Annie Derby Rodgers Wetmore (daughter of William Shepard Wetmore
William Shepard Wetmore
William Shepard Wetmore was an Old China Trade merchant and philanthropist from New England.-Early life:He was born on January 26, 1801 to Nancy Shepard and Seth Wetmore in St. Albans, Vermont...
of the nearby Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-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...
). It was designed by the architectural firm of Gambrill and Richardson, though there is no evidence of Gambrill's involvement in the design, and built by the Norcross Brothers
Norcross Brothers
Norcross Brothers Contractors and Builders was a prominent nineteenth-century American construction company, especially noted for their work, mostly in stone, for the architectural firms of H.H. Richardson and McKim, Mead & White....
. According to an article in the Newport Mercury (January 9, 1875), its frame was constructed in New Jersey and shipped to Newport for assembly.
The original house was 2.5 stories in height and basically rectangular, about 53 by 81 feet in dimensions, with porte-cochere
Porte-cochere
A porte-cochère is the architectural term for a porch- or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th...
on the east facade, and two principal entrances on the west. Its first story was faced in pink granite ashlar, with higher stories of brick, shingle, and half-timbered stucco, diamond-panel windows grouped in long, horizontal bands, and five massive red brick chimneys. Trim materials included reddish sandstone and brownstone. The roof was steeply gabled, with a broad single gable in front and multiple sharp gables to the rear, all originally shingled in wood. Its interior organizes clusters of rooms about a spacious central stair hall. Circa 1877 unusual stained-glass windows by Daniel Cottier (but often credited to John LaFarge
John LaFarge
John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.-Biography:...
) were added; these have subsequently been sold.
Alterations
This original design was extended and altered, 1879–1881, by McKim, Mead and White in a style consonant with earlier work; the parlor and library were designed by Stanford WhiteStanford White
Stanford 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...
. A second addition by Newport architect Dudley Newton (1845–1907), circa 1890, added a ballroom and service wing. The house remained in private hands until 1951 when it was willed to the Baptist Home of Rhode Island as a home for the aged. In 1963 a hospital wing was added, and in 1982 it was acquired by Salve Regina.
The house combines elements from medieval European, Renaissance English and Colonial American styles, and appears to have been inspired by British architect Norman Shaw's houses in Surrey (published in 1874). According to the Newport Mercury, its builders had been "unable to find a name" for the house's architectural style, although the family termed it Queen Anne style.