Newport Rhode Island History

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.

Bethshan Cottage // 1884

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Bethshan Cottage is one of Newport’s (many) “hidden” gems that gets far too little attention from publications! Located on Gibbs Avenue, down the block from Eveherdee and William Barton Rogers‘ summer cottage, “Morningside”, Bethshan was built in 1884 on land purchased by Major Theodore Kane Gibbs. Theodore was the son of William C. Gibbs, the 10th Governor of Rhode Island, and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, mustering out as a Major in 1870. Newport-based architect Dudley Newton designed this cottage for Gibbs, which blends nearly every major architectural style of the late 19th century under one, beautiful gambrel roof. The red granite stone walls, red brick trim, red fish-scale slate roof, even the rust-colored mortar, all work together to create a lovely composition, unlike anything else seen in Newport. According to Newport’s Assessor, the house is presently an apartment house.

Eveherdee Cottage // c.1889

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This Queen Anne style “cottage” is located on Gibbs Avenue, one of the lesser-visited streets for house-stalking in Newport, Rhode Island, but wow is she something! The summer cottage here was built by 1890 for Ogden Hoffman Burrows, a merchant who went into business with his father and brother in San Francisco, shipping goods from East Asia to America. He purchased two adjacent lots here on Gibbs Avenue in 1884 and 1889, having this house built as a summer residence, where he could mingle with other wealthy neighbors. The Queen Anne style house was reportedly designed by local architect, John Dixon Johnston, who incorporated all the hallmarks of the style: varied siding types and materials, turned post porte-cochere, applied ornament, and complex, asymmetrical form. Burrows would sell this house by the turn of the 20th century. Later owners, Herbert E. Stride and Daisy Thompson Stride, who would reside here with Daisy’s mother, Eve. The Stride’s named the home “Eveherdee” an amalgamation of their individual names: Eve (Eveline), Her (Herbert), and Dee (Daisy). The home was most recently owned by television producer, Vin Di Bona, who restored the house to its grandeur we see today.

Bay Crest Cottage // c.1850

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Located across from the Winthrop-Eckley Double House on Corne Street, this gorgeous Italianate style summer cottage is a perfect blending of stature and whimsy. The house was built around 1850 and owned by Charles B. Peckham. Built in the Italianate style, the symmetrical house stands three-stories with covered side entrances divided by a projecting two-story bay. The house exhibits broad, overhanging eaves and paired and ganged round arched windows. The property was known as “Bay Crest” and remains one of the unsung landmarks of the 1850s in Newport.

Winthrop-Eckley Double House // c.1855

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Newport has no shortage of amazing architecture. From the grand Gilded Age mansions along the coast to the pre-Revolutionary Colonial houses, there are always new buildings to stumble upon and learn about. This charming stone double-house on Corne Street was built in the mid-19th century and had two owners by the 1870s, John Winthrop (1809-1886) and Julia Ann Eckley (1800-1874), a widow, who owned the smaller side. The stone cottage sits atop a raised basement with bold stone quoins at the corners. Dormers with delicate wood trim are at the roofline with the detail reflected in the porch on the Winthrop half. This double-house is one of the many “hidden” treasures in Newport’s warren of narrow streets.

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.

Atlantic House Hotel // 1844-1877

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Prior to the present Park Gate Cottage at the corner of Bellevue and Pelham streets in Newport, this was the location of the stunning Atlantic House Hotel. Proprietor William T. Potter purchased this land in 1844 and built the Atlantic House Hotel, a massive Greek Revival style structure designed by Rhode Island architect Russell Warren. The Atlantic House faced Touro Park and the Old Mill and took the form of a large temple with a central two-story Ionic portico and hipped roof side wings. The building was constructed of wood and clad with smooth finish siding that was scored to resemble granite blocks to give it more stature. During the Civil War, the Atlantic House was home to the U.S. Naval Academy (1861-1865) when it was moved here to protect it from attack by the confederate forces at its location in Annapolis, Maryland. After the war, the Navy returned to Newport to establish three major facilities–the United States Naval Torpedo Station, the Naval Training Station and the Naval War College. The aged hotel saw dwindling numbers of visitors as newer, modern hotels were built after the Civil War. The hotel was demolished in 1877, just 33 years after completion, to make way for the Park Gate Cottage presently on the site.

Gardner House // c.1847

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This perfect Greek Revival style house sits on Pelham Street in Newport, overlooking Touro Park and the iconic Newport Tower/Old Mill. Built around 1847 for Captain Robinson Gardner, the house exhibits flushboard siding, a heavy portico with wrought iron balcony over the door, and entablature with corner pilasters, all hallmarks of the style. The home became known as “White House” and has likely been painted white for much of its history.