Uploads from wallyg, tagged newportcounty, with geodata

RI - Newport: Fort Adams

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:22:52 -0800

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Fort Adams was established on July 4th, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification. Its first commander was Captain John Henry who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812. The first Fort Adams was designed by Major Louis de Tousard of the Army Corps of Engineers. This fort mounted 12 cannon and was garrisoned during the War of 1812 by Wood's State Corps of Rhode Island militiamen.

After the War of 1812, there was a thorough review of the nation's fortification needs and it was decided to replace the "old" Fort Adams with a newer a much larger fort. The new fort was designed by Brigadier General Simon Bernard, a Frenchman who had served as a military engineer under Napoleon. Bernard designed the new Fort Adams in the classic style of Vauban and it became the most complex fortification in the Western Hemisphere.

Construction of the new fort began in 1824 and continued at irregular intervals until 1857. From 1825 to 1838 , construction was overseen by Colonel Joseph Gilbert Totten, the foremost American military engineer of his day. In 1838, Totten became chief engineer of the Army and served until his death in 1864.

The new Fort Adams was first garrisoned in August 1841 and was an active Army post until 1950. During this time, the fort was active in five major wars--Mexican-American War, American Civil War, Spanish-American, World War I and World War II--but never fired a shot in anger.

During the Civil War, Fort Adams was used as the United States Naval Academy. In May 1861, the Academy was moved to Newport from Annapolis Maryland due to concerns about the political sympathies of the Marylanders. In September 1861, the Academy moved to the Atlantic House hoteland remained there for the rest of the war.

As time went by, the Fort's armament was upgraded to keep up with technological innovations. Major kinds of ordnance used at the Fort included muzzle loading cannon in the 19th Century, breech loading rifled artillery pieces in the early 20th Century and anti-aircraft guns during and after the World War II.

Fort Adams also served as the headquarters for all fortifications in Narragansett Bay, as well as, a training center in wartime.

In 1953, the Army gave Fort Adams to the Navy which used the fort's grounds for family housing. In 1965, the fort was given to the state of Rhode Island for use as a state park. In 1994, the Fort Adams trust was formed, which provides guided tours at the fort and oversees ongoing restoration work at the fort.

RI - Newport: Rosecliff

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:29:00 -0700

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Rosecliff, the Gilded Age Newport mansion at 548 Bellevue Avenue, was commissioned by silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899. Architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead and White completed the house in 1902 at a cost of $2.5 million.

Tessie, as she was known to her friends, was born in Virginia City, Nevada to an Irish immigrant, James Graham Fair, one of four owners of Comstock Lode, the first major U.S. deposit of silver ore discovered on the eastern slope of Mt. Davidson. During a summer in Newport, Theresa met Hermann Oelrichs, American agent for Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship line, playing tennis at the Newport Casino and they were married in 1890. A year later, with her sister Virginia Fair, who married William K. Vanderbilt II, they purchased the property known as Rosecliff from the estate of historian, diplomat, and horticulturalist George Bancroft.

Rosecliff stayed with the Oelrichs family until 1941, then went through several changes of ownership before being bought by Edgar Monroe, a shipbuilder from New Orleans, in 1947. In 1971 the Monroes donated the entire estate with its contents and a $2 million operating endowment to the Preservation Society of Newport County, which opened it for public tours. Because Hermin Oelrichs Jr sold off all the contents in 1941, all the interior furnishings on view today date from the Monroe period. Scenes from several films have been shot on location at Rosecliff, including the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, The Betsy, High Society, True Lies and Amistad.

Stanford White's modeled Rosecliff after after the Grand Trianon of Versailles, but smaller and reduced to a basic "H" shape, while keeping Mansart's scheme of a glazed arcade of arched windows and paired Ionic pilasters, which increase to columns across the central loggia. White's Rosecliff also adds a second storey with a balustraded roofline that conceals the set-back third storey, containing twenty small servants' rooms and the pressing room for the laundry. The brick construction is clad in white architectural terracotta tiles.

National Register #73000069 (1973)

RI - Newport: Rosecliff

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:29:11 -0700

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RI - Newport: Newport Harbor

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:28:53 -0700

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RI - Newport: Rosecliff

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:29:05 -0700

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RI - Newport: The Breakers - statuary

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:48:03 -0700

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The Breakers, the Gilded Age summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II at 44 Ochre Point Avenue, is the most visited attraction in Rhode Island. Part of a 13-acre estate on the seagirt cliffs, it maintains a commanding position facing east overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, the home was constructed between 1893 and 1895 at the then-astronomical cost of more than $7 million.

The Breakers Mansion, regarded as the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages", served as a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial preeminence. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt established the family fortune in steamships and later in the New York Central Railroad. His grandson, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, became Chairman and President of the New York Central Railroad system in 1885. That same year he purchased the Breakers, a wood-framed mansion from Pierre Lorillard IV. After it burned down in 1892, Vanderbilt commissioned Hunt, in what would be his last project, who directed an international team of craftsmen and artisans to create a new 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo, with Beaux Arts and Victorian elements, inspired by the 16th century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Allard and Sons of Paris assisted Hunt with furnishings and fixtures, Austro-American sculptor Karl Bitter designed relief sculpture, Boston architect Ogden Codman decorated the family quarters, and Ernest Bowdtich, a Boston engineer, landscape artist, and student of Frederic Law Olmsted, designed the grounds.

Vanderbilt insisted that The Breakers be made as fireproof as possible. Steel trusses support the masonry and exterior Indiana limestone blocks. The enormous heating plant was set beneath the caretaker’s cottage and joined to the house by a wide tunnel. The finished floors are of marble, tile, terrazzo, and mosaic.

The 250 foot by 120 foot dimensions of the five-story mansion are aligned symmetrically around a central Great Hall. Hunt based the Hall on the concept of rooms grouped around an open courtyard or cortile, but covered them as a concession to climate. He did, however, maintain the structured symmetry, with rooms of the first and second floors opening onto a 45-foot high central space. The walls of the Hall are made of carved Caen limestone from the coast of France and adorned with plaques of rare marbles ranging from the pink marble of Africa to the greens of Italian origin. Elaborately carved pilasters decorated with acorns and oak leaves support a massive carved and gilt cornice which surrounds a ceiling painted to depict a windswept sky. On the ceiling are four blue-green medallions bearing the acorn and oak leaf, a Vanderbilt family symbol representing strength and longevity.

A rounded bay projects from the South wing, accommodating the huge oval Music Room inside and overlooking the South Parterre. The ocean-facing East façade joins the north and south wings with a two-story arched loggia in the Palladian manner—the lower one with a vaulted mosaic ceiling and the upper painted to resemble canopies against the sky. The spandrels of the loggia arches are decorated with figures of the four seasons of the year. The wall between the Hall and the loggias is almost entirely of glass, affording a view of the ocean from inside.

The Main Entrance is approached through by 30-foot high wrought iron gateways, which are part of a 12-foot-high Genoese-style limestone and iron fence that borders the property on all but the ocean side. The gateway was crafted by the William Jackson Company and topped with elaborate scrollwork, including the acorn and oak leaf family symbol surrounding the initials of Cornelius Vanderbilt. A gravel drive leads to the large porte-cochére of the northwest facade. Flanking the entrance drive are four bronze lamp posts, decorated with molded figures executed by Henri Bonnard of New York, mounted on three-foot limestone pedestals with 4-globed bronze standards 13 feet high.

The "Cottage,", located between the side gate and the main house was used as a children's playhouse. A good example of Victorian architecture on a small scale, it was built by Robert Swain Peabody and John Goddard Stearns, the architects of the original Breakers House, whose Queen Anne Revival style elements were in keeping with the original design.

Cornelius Vanderbilt died from a cerebral hemorrhage caused from a second stroke in 1899 at the age of 56, leaving the Breakers to his wife, Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt. She outlived her husband by 35 years and died at the age of 89 in 1934. In her will, The Breakers was given to her youngest daughter Gladys. An ardent supporter of The Preservation Society of Newport County, she opened The Breakers in 1948 to raise funds for the Society. In 1972, the Preservation Society purchased the house from her heirs. Although the mansion is owned by the Society, the original furnishings displayed throughout the house are still owned by the family.

The Breakers National Register #71000019 (1971)
Bellevue Avenue Historic District National Register #72000023 (1972)

RI - Newport: Salve Regina University - Ochre Court - ceiling

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:46:00 -0700

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Commissioned by Gilded Age banker and developer, Ogden Goelet, as his family's summer residence, Ochre Court (1888-1892) is the first of a group of spectacular houses in the Grand Manner designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's foremost architect of the late nineteenth century. The mansion was gifted, in 1947, by Ogden's son, Robert, to the Religious Sisters of Mercy who established Salve Regina College.

For this limestone palace overlooking the reddish seacliffs that give the estate its name, Hunt drew his inspiration from the late medieval period in French architecture. With its high roofs, turrets, whimsical gargoyles, and tall chimneys, Ochre Court recalls the style of Francois I, a transitional era when established medieval elements like the pointed Gothic arch and heavy stained glass were lightened by newly-emerging Renaissance details including rounded arches and delicate lacy ornamentation. The Atlantic Ocean is ever-present, framed by windows and terrace entrances, reflected in mirrored walls, and repeated in symbolic motifs. Hunt emphasized the social position of the Goelet family and their patronage of learning and the arts with exuberant decoration both within the house and on the grounds. In classical ceiling paintings, royal heraldic devices, carved emblems and statues, and a rainbow of antique stained glass, the architect signaled his client's aristocratic status and intellectual interests. Inside the mansion, Hunt used details from French Gothic chateaux and churches to create a Great Hall, which soars upward for three stories and dramatically frames a seaward vista. Radiating off the Great Hall, both the impressive ground floor reception rooms and the private upstairs family rooms, which are now University offices, were richly designed with imported antique fireplaces and lavish wallcoverings. The formal gardens and walkways of Ochre Court, designed by the Olmsted Brothers, are shaded by several mature specimen trees including the dramatic Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica atropunicea), a European variety that reaches a height of 80- 90 feet. The exquisite blossoms of the Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) transform the grounds in June. The dense flower heads this Far Eastern native are surrounded by creamy-white bracts.

The Goelets were an established American dynasty that had grown from humble eighteenth century trade. Ogden Goelet was one of the most famous competitive yachtsmen in the world. His wife, Mary Wilson Goelet, was one of the most important hostesses of her generation in a time when the operation of Ochre Court during a typical eight-week summer season required twenty-seven house servants, eight coachmen and grooms, and twelve gardeners. Their daughter, May, married the English Duke of Roxburghe, taking with her an $8 million dowry, while their son Robert became a major force in the development of American railroads, hotels, and real estate.

It was Robert's gift of Ochre Court to the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1947 that established the then Salve Regina College in Newport. The stately fify-room mansion was the entire college for the first few years, with the original fifty-eight female students living on the third floor. The original fifty-eight women students lived on the third floor, attended classes on the second, studied, prayed, and dined on the first, and snacked and purchased books in the basement. The eight Sisters of Mercy who made up that post-war faculty established their own modest living area in the servants' quarters. Salve Regina University has since grown to encompass over 60 acres and more than two dozen buildings, yet Ochre Court remains its heart.

RI - Newport: The Breakers

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:48:13 -0700

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RI - Newport - Marble House - Statuary

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:45:14 -0700

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The Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for railroad baron William Kissam Vanderbilt, grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Gilded Age mansion was designed by Richard Morris Hunt at a cost of $11 million--$7 million of which paid for the 5000,000 cubc feet of white marble. Inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles, the house's French-inspired interiors were designed by Jules Allard and Sons, of Paris.

Upon completion, Mr. Vanderbilt gave the house to his wife Alva Erskine Smith as her 39th birthday present. Alva Vanderbilt was a leading hostess in Newport society, and envisioned Marble House as her "temple to the arts" in America.

After the Vanderbilts divorced in 1895, Alva married Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, moving down the street to Belcourt. After his death, she reopened Marble House and added a Chinese Tea House on its seaside cliffs, where she hosted rallies for women's suffrage. She sold the house to Frederick H. Prince in 1932. Prince's estate gave the house and its furnishings to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1963.

National Register #71000025 (1925)

RI - Newport: The Breakers - Great Hall

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:46:40 -0700

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RI - Newport - The Breakers - Upper Loggia

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:46:47 -0700

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RI - Newport: The Breakers

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:48:35 -0700

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RI - Newport - The Breakers - View from Upper Loggia

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:47:36 -0700

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RI - Newport: The Breakers

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:48:25 -0700

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RI - Newport: Salve Regina University - Ochre Court - ceiling mural

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:45:29 -0700

wallyg posted a photo:

Commissioned by Gilded Age banker and developer, Ogden Goelet, as his family's summer residence, Ochre Court (1888-1892) is the first of a group of spectacular houses in the Grand Manner designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's foremost architect of the late nineteenth century. The mansion was gifted, in 1947, by Ogden's son, Robert, to the Religious Sisters of Mercy who established Salve Regina College.

For this limestone palace overlooking the reddish seacliffs that give the estate its name, Hunt drew his inspiration from the late medieval period in French architecture. With its high roofs, turrets, whimsical gargoyles, and tall chimneys, Ochre Court recalls the style of Francois I, a transitional era when established medieval elements like the pointed Gothic arch and heavy stained glass were lightened by newly-emerging Renaissance details including rounded arches and delicate lacy ornamentation. The Atlantic Ocean is ever-present, framed by windows and terrace entrances, reflected in mirrored walls, and repeated in symbolic motifs. Hunt emphasized the social position of the Goelet family and their patronage of learning and the arts with exuberant decoration both within the house and on the grounds. In classical ceiling paintings, royal heraldic devices, carved emblems and statues, and a rainbow of antique stained glass, the architect signaled his client's aristocratic status and intellectual interests. Inside the mansion, Hunt used details from French Gothic chateaux and churches to create a Great Hall, which soars upward for three stories and dramatically frames a seaward vista. Radiating off the Great Hall, both the impressive ground floor reception rooms and the private upstairs family rooms, which are now University offices, were richly designed with imported antique fireplaces and lavish wallcoverings. TThe formal gardens and walkways of Ochre Court, designed by the Olmsted Brothers, are shaded by several mature specimen trees including the dramatic Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica atropunicea), a European variety that reaches a height of 80- 90 feet. The exquisite blossoms of the Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) transform the grounds in June. The dense flower heads this Far Eastern native are surrounded by creamy-white bracts.

The Goelets were an established American dynasty that had grown from humble eighteenth century trade. Ogden Goelet was one of the most famous competitive yachtsmen in the world. His wife, Mary Wilson Goelet, was one of the most important hostesses of her generation in a time when the operation of Ochre Court during a typical eight-week summer season required twenty-seven house servants, eight coachmen and grooms, and twelve gardeners. Their daughter, May, married the English Duke of Roxburghe, taking with her an $8 million dowry, while their son Robert became a major force in the development of American railroads, hotels, and real estate.

It was Robert's gift of Ochre Court to the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1947 that established the then Salve Regina College in Newport. The stately fify-room mansion was the entire college for the first few years, with the original fifty-eight female students living on the third floor. The original fifty-eight women students lived on the third floor, attended classes on the second, studied, prayed, and dined on the first, and snacked and purchased books in the basement. The eight Sisters of Mercy who made up that post-war faculty established their own modest living area in the servants' quarters. Salve Regina University has since grown to encompass over 60 acres and more than two dozen buildings, yet Ochre Court remains its heart.

RI - Newport: Newport Harbor

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:22:56 -0800

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Trinity Church, whose steeple can be seen in the distance from Newport Harbor, is the oldest Episcopal parish in Rhode Island, dating to 1698.

RI - Newport - Beacon Rock

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:53:12 -0800

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Beacon Rock, the Acropolis of Newport. at 147 Harrison Avenue, was commissioned by Commodore Edwin D. Morgan in 1887. Stanford White, of Mckim, Mead & White, designed the residence on the plan of the ancient Athenian Stoa of Attalos and the Agora adjoining it. The resulting ionic marble colonades and the balanced, matching temple-like facades took over 3 years to complete.

Its owner for 3 decades, Edwin Morgan, cousin of J.P. Morgan, served as commodore at the Newport Yacht Club and personally owned several of the America's Cup defenders, which he kept at Beacon Rock. By 1921, Captain and Marion Eppley took possession of the Estate. The Eppley's spent 20 odd seasons there at the Harbor side.

In 1951 Felix DeWeldon, the world renowned sculptor, took possession of the Rock. In 1945, while serving in the United States Navy, as a Seabee, Mr. Felix DeWeldon undertook one of his greatest and most famous works, which catapulted him to fame-the flag raising on Iwo Jima. A bronze replica of the Iwo Jima monument, along with other sculptures, signed by Mr. Felix DeWeldon, are on display at Beacon Rock.

Currently, Beacon Rock is owned by Attorney Brian R. Cunha, who acquired it in 1996 and has fully renovated and restored the property.

RI - Newport: The Breakers - statuary

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:47:47 -0700

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RI - Newport: The Breakers - Upper Loggia - mosaic ceiling

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:47:24 -0700

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RI - Newport: The Breakers - Upper Loggia - mosaic

nobody@flickr.com (wallyg) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:47:04 -0700

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