George C. Mason

Maple Shade Cottage // 1871

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“Maple Shade” is a historic, Second Empire style summer cottage located at 1 Red Cross Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. The house was built in 1871 from plans by George C. Mason, a prominent local architect who designed many summer homes for summer residents in the late 19th century. He even lived in a home adjacent to this house! Maple Shade was built for John Doughty Ogden and his second wife, Mary C. Moore. John originally married Mary’s older sister Margaret, but remarried after Margaret’s death in 1845. The house gained attention again in 1934, when it served as the venue for the wedding reception of John Jacob Astor VI and Ellen Tuck French, then owned by Donald O. Macrae. The house, like many other former estates in Newport, has since been converted into condominiums, but retains its architectural grandeur and presence in town.

Rosevale // 1876

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“Rosevale” was built in 1876 as a summer residence in Newport, Rhode Island, for couple, Grace Sears Rives and William Cabell Rives. Grace was the daughter of David Sears of Boston, who developed the Longwood neighborhood of Brookline; and William was the son of William C. Rives Sr., a Virginia congressman and Senator. The High Victorian Gothic mansion was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns who formed their practice just years earlier. The house was enlarged in 1881 by architect George Champlin Mason, Sr. The stonework of the lancet windows, the large octagonal tower, and the carved moldings give the relatively boxy home a more ecclesiastical feeling. The estate retains its original siting, at the middle of a large lot between Red Cross and Rhode Island avenues, which has thus far resisted infill housing on the estate. For years, Rosevale has been occupied as a funeral home, but it appears to have sold a couple years ago.

Edgar-Wolfe-Moore House // 1864

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At the head of Touro Park, this large home has stood since it was built in 1864 for Daniel Edgar of New York, who made it his summer home for eight seasons. It was designed by noted local architect, George Champlin Mason in the Italianate style and included a broad veranda, brackets, and other intricate details. In 1872, Edgar sold the property to Catherine Lorillard Wolfe, who occupied the house until 1883 when her property “Vinland” was completed on Ochre Point Avenue. In 1948, the house was purchased by Cornelius C. Moore, who remodeled the exterior in 1949-1950, removing its Italianate trim and replacing it with Neo-Federal detail we see today. The house was most-recently in use as the Touro Park Inn, but was recently purchased and is a single-family home.