Newport Rhode Island’s Famous Mansions in Postcards
The New Summer Hotel to be Built in Newport, R.I. Costing a Half-Million Dollars. c. 1906. This hotel was never built; very similar to the back view of The Breakers. It is known that James Gordon Bennett commissioned architect Whitney Warren in 1893 to design a Beaux-Arts-style hotel complex next to Bennetts’ Stone Villa mansion on Bellevue Avenue.
A new photo book collection of classic postcards of Newport’s Mansions
Newport, Rhode Island, nicknamed “the Queen of Resorts,” has been celebrated in beautiful postcard portrayals for over a hundred years. When anyone mentions this Sailing Capital of the East, the Mansions, as well as the famous Cliff Walk, are what first come to mind.
Today, these vintage cards illuminate the glories of the Gilded Age, when huge mansions or “cottages” built by competing industrialists blossomed along Bellevue Avenue and the Cliff Walk, turning a once-quiet New England watering hole into the apex of nouveau riche destinations.
Newport Mansions: Postcards of the Gilded Age This updated and expanded second edition features over 200-period images of the mansions, the beautiful beaches, and the shopping areas where the Newport Summer Colony gathered to do what they did best: spend money.
See how Newport was forever changed by the prolific growth of “cottages” during the late nineteenth century.
Today, many of these testaments to power and wealth are house museums, where thousands visit annually to see firsthand how the rich and famous lived. Includes a guide to postcard values and collector tips.
Rockry Hall, Residence of Mr. and Mrs. A.L. Linn, Jr. Newport, R.I. c. 1910. Located at the intersection of Bellevue and Narragansett. Known as the Albert Sumner House. Built in 1848 with later additions in 1888. A private residence today.1915. Photo postcard of The J.N.A. Griswold House. Located on Bellevue Avenue across from Touro Park. This home was the first major commission for architect Richard Morris Hunt. Built between 1861-1864, during The Civil War. Griswold was a wealthy businessman who was introduced to Hunt while traveling in Europe. Today the home is the main building of The Newport Art Museum and is open to the public.1910. Photo postcard of the Muenchinger-King House. Located on Bellevue across from The Reading Room. An advertisement in The Casino Bulletin of 1902 featured an ad for Muenchinger & Sons “offering Lunches, Dinners, Receptions, Balls, Etc. Single Cooked Dishes to Order.” Also offered were private accommodations by the day, week or season. Today this is an office building and residential condominiums.1915. The Reading Room Bellevue Avenue, Newport, R.I. The most exclusive club in America. Attributed to Architect Russell Warren c. 1850. The main body of this structure is identical to the Russell-designed Carr-Osborn House, c. 1843, in Fall River Massachusetts. This venerable institution located at Bellevue and Church Street is still Newport’s most exclusive club. The candy stripe awnings were popular in Newport during the early 20th century.
1920. “Bonnie Crest”-Residence of Mr. Stuart Duncan, Newport, R.I. Built between 1912 and 1916 on Harrison Avenue for Worcestershire Sauce Chairman Duncan. Architect John Russell Pope copied the manor of Lord Northcliffe in Worcestershire, England. Today the home is divided into condominiums.
Federico Santi and John Gacher moved to Newport, Rhode Island, in 1985 and established their antiques business, The Drawing Room, that same year. They are also the authors of Zsolnay Ceramics: Collecting a Culture and Art Nouveau Ironwork of Austria & Hungary.
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3 thoughts on “Newport Rhode Island’s Famous Mansions in Postcards”
I’m a descendant of A.L. Linn, Jr. (Arthur Loren Linn, Jr.) who owned Rockry Hall. I’m researching our ancestry and would love to know if you have photos of Arthur and his wife Lillian.
I’m a descendant of A.L. Linn, Jr. (Arthur Loren Linn, Jr.) who owned Rockry Hall. I’m researching our ancestry and would love to know if you have photos of Arthur and his wife Lillian.
The postcard of Stuart Duncan’s “Bonniecrest” is not “Bonniecrest”. The mansion on the postcard was the summer home of the Twombly’s named “Vinland”.
Thank you for the clarification, Mitchell.