Newport RI - Day 2

Our second day in Newport RI (we were there 9/6-10/3) was all about Golden Age mansions: The Breakers, Rosecliff, Marble House and The Elms (outside only).

The Breakers

The Breakers is the one that most people immediately equate with Newport and we planned to be there as soon as possible after it opened. Our first view was of the gates from the parking lot across the street - closed because we had arrived a little before opening.

We decided to take a short walk along the Cliff Walk that passes between the house and the Atlantic. The wrought iron and pillars continue there!

And there is an easy view of the house over the chain link fence. I was surprised that the mansions did not have more gardens. The season was short and the houses themselves were the overwhelming focus rather than gardens.

Pictures are not allowed inside any of the houses so the ones I am posting here are of the exterior.

The ceilings of the loggias on the back of The Breakers were my favorite aspect of the house. It is hard to imagine any other part of the house as being ‘comfortable’ at all; the decoration in most cases is overwhelming.

Rosecliff

Rosecliff was my favorite house of the day. The ball room with windows on both sides was my favorite room (it seemed like a room that could be used in a lot of different ways) although the dragon holding the light fixture at the entrance was attractive too.

Marble House

I like marble generally but this house was overwhelming. It seemed like it would always be cold with so much stone.

There is a Tea House in the back which has a glorious view of the ocean. I enjoyed the warmth of walking there more than listening to the recorded tour of the house!

The Elms

We returned to The Elms to walk around the gardens. I took note of the sculpture particularly: the angry man (Athamas)

The oddly whiskered lion,

The tortoise fountain, and

The fountain of pans.

These mansions were originally used for 6-8 weeks during the summer season. They were built to be a showplace of wealth - provide a stage for a regimented series of social activities. It was a fragile, and relatively brief, way of life. And now they are windows into that time.

Newport RI - Day 1

Our first day in Newport RI in a nutshell: sunrise and 3 mansions!

I was up early enough to catch the sunrise colors on the horizon and water from the balconies of our rooms. It was very quiet compared to the party noises from the night before along the waterfront. The forecast was for a near perfect day for walking around Newport.

There are a lot of architectural features in houses,

Churches,

And buildings that are much easier to scrutinize on foot rather than driving/riding.

Many structures have been restored and other others seemed to be in the process of being restored; crews were getting a head start as the tourist crowds thinned and the weather was still reasonable.

My favorite of the three houses we saw on the first day was the Isaac Bell House. The porches and interesting roof line probably clinched it for me but the guided tour through the empty rooms - showing how restoration is done - was more interesting that the overwhelming opulence of many other Newport mansions.

Kingscot was too Gothic for me but it was fun to learn about the ‘weeping’ trees that were deemed by landscapers of the time to be in keeping with the architecture. The brow over the windows was to deflect water!

The Elms was the last house on the first day. We took the tour of the house just before closing time and decided to go back another day to look at the gardens. I enjoyed the small preview of the sculptures and clipped hedges on the quick walk through on the first day.