Rhode Islands historic estates are a riot of architectural ambition and gilded grandeur.
Elsewhere, earlier styles hold their ground.
Rhode Islands grand estates are architectural peacocks sometimes elegant, often flamboyant, and always worth a second look.
Daniel Case via Wikimedia Commons
Upjohns work here laid the groundwork for Italianate architecture in America.
Purchased in 1729, the modest farmhouse was expanded and adapted by Berkeley.
The house itself reflects an understated colonial aesthetic, its modifications practical rather than extravagant.
By the 19th century, Whitehall had morphed into an inn and fallen into decline.
Rescued by the Colonial Dames of America in 1899, it was partially restored by architect Norman Isham.
This treatment, mirrored in simplified form on the rear entry, provides a balanced elegance.
Rusticated wood cladding, carved and painted to mimic ashlar stone, adds an illusion of grandeur.
The Tudor-style house has stucco and stone walls, accented by half-timbering and topped with a complex slate roof.
The U-shaped design complements the sites uneven terrain and opens to dramatic views of the coastline.
The heavy timbers and durable materials emphasize functionality.
Heavy stud construction lent it durability, while its proportions suggest emerging Georgian influences.
In 1756, Loyalist merchant and Deputy Governor Colonel Joseph Wanton Jr. purchased and expanded the house.
Legend tells of a ship laden with his goods, seized by Patriots after the captain outmaneuvered Wantons plans.
During the French occupation of Newport in 1780, Admiral de Ternay made Hunter House his headquarters.
Later, Senator William Hunter restored its Georgian elegance, adding refinement to an already stately home.
It stands as a testament to Newports colonial heritage, blending maritime wealth with architectural grandeur.
Rosecliff (Newport)
Rosecliff is a fantasy wrapped in stucco.
Corinthian pilasters frame arched windows and doorways, creating a rhythm that mirrors the exteriors elegance.
Whites mastery of sightlines is evident in the enfilade views aligning doorways, monumental fireplaces, and terraces.
Bedrooms upstairs are linked by flexible arrangements of dressing closets and private baths, ensuring both grandeur and functionality.
Marble House (Newport)
If a Vanderbilt throws a housewarming, expect marble.
Alva Vanderbilts 1892 cottage is an exercise in Beaux-Arts grandeur, dripping with classical motifs and lavish materials.
At the western entrance, a sweeping marble carriage ramp frames a semi-circular fountain decorated with grotesque mask spouts.
Above, a Venetian ceiling painting invokes the gods and goddesses of antiquity.
Beyond its architectural marvels, Marble House reflects Alva Vanderbilts shifting priorities.
Its stature dominated Bellevue Avenue until the Vanderbilt palaces upstaged it decades later.
The house evolved with the Wetmore familys fortunes.
Hunts additions left few design trends of the late 19th century unexplored.
Even the estates entrance gate, with obelisk-like posts, nodded to the architectural eclecticism of its time.
The interiors offer an equally eclectic display of wealth and taste.
The great hall soars three stories, capped by a 45-foot ceiling.
The ballroom, with crystal chandeliers and fine plasterwork, remains a rare untouched relic from Bradfords original design.
Year-round use set Chateau-sur-Mer apart.
The Wetmores lived as New Englanders, not mere summer visitors.
Its gardens, with their fountains and marble statuary, feel like Versailles on an American budget.
The houses layout reflects a calculated opulence.
Outside, the grounds designed by C.H.
Bowditch rival the mansion itself.
The ancillary garage was equipped with a rare automobile turntable.
Its Italianate exterior is subdued compared to the over-the-top interiors, which played host to Mrs. Astors legendary soirees.
This was a stage for New Yorks 400 to strut their stuff.
The Astors hired Richard Morris Hunt to overhaul the estate between 1888 and 1890.
The renovations included a library, dining room, and music room featuring Parisian-imported wallpaper.
Hunt also incorporated a porte-cochere and an expansive lawn, anchoring Beechwood in Newports social and architectural elite.
Rough Point (Newport)
Doris Dukes Rough Point is where Gothic Revival architecture meets breezy seaside charm.
Rough Point, completed in 1892, stands on Newports Bellevue Avenue like an English lord among American peers.
The house evolved under successive owners.
William Bateman Leeds Sr., the Tinplate King, made subtle exterior modifications in the early 1900s.
In 1922, industrial titan James Buchanan Duke brought in Horace Trumbauer to expand and refine it.
Two wings later, the estate boasted modern sophistication while retaining its stone-hewn roots.
Dukes wife Nanaline oversaw light-filled interiors, shifting the houses mood from brooding to breezy.
Doris Duke inherited Rough Point in 1925 at the age of 12.
Kingscote is where Newports cottage craze began.
Designed by Richard Upjohn in 1839, this Gothic Revival charmer was a pioneer in both style and purpose.
Built for Southern plantation owner George Noble Jones, the house was abandoned when the Civil War loomed.
In 1864, it became the domain of William Henry King, a merchant of the Old China Trade.
Though modest compared to later Newport giants, Kingscotes intricate detailing and eccentric charm remain iconic.
Ochre Court (Newport)
Ochre Court is Gilded Age architecture on steroids.
Designed by Richard Morris Hunt in 1892 for banker Ogden Goelet, its more cathedral than cottage.
The Gothic Revival design features soaring ceilings, intricate carvings, and windows that flood the interiors with light.
Ochre Court blends the Louis XIII style of the Loire Valley with the audacious scale of Gilded Age ambition.
The Goelet familys fortune stemmed from 18th-century trade turned 19th-century real estate empires.
Richard Morris Hunt outdid himself with this palace of limestone and gilded opulence.
Limestone gates and wrought iron fencing frame the 14-acre estate.
If one house defines Gilded Age Newport, this is it.
