Chateau-sur-Mer

	Chateau-sur-Mer
	Contributing Property
	Chateau-sur-Mer, Newport, Rhode Island.
	Interactive map showing the location of Chateau-sur-Mer
Location	474 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°28′16.5″N 71°18′19″W / 41.471250°N 71.30528°W
Area	17 acres (69,000 m2)
Built	1851
Architect	Seth C. Bradford (construction); Richard Morris Hunt (renovations) Ogden Codman, Jr. (design)
Architectural style	Mid 19th Century Revival
Part of	Bellevue Avenue Historic District (ID72000023)
NRHP reference No.	68000002
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 8, 1968
Designated NHL	February 17, 2006
Designated NHLDCP	December 8, 1972

Chateau-sur-Mer is one of the first grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island. Located at 474 Bellevue Avenue, it is now owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County and is open to the public as a museum. Chateau-sur-Mer's grand scale and lavish parties ushered in the Gilded Age of Newport, as it was the most palatial residence in Newport until the Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Description and history

Chateau-sur-Mer was completed in 1852 as an

Fall River Granite. It is regarded as a landmark of Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics, and stenciling.^[4]

Wetmore died on June 16, 1862, at Chateau-sur-Mer, leaving the bulk of his fortune to his son

Second Empire style. As a result, Chateau-sur-Mer displays most of the major design trends of the last half of the 19th century. Hunt's alterations greatly expanded the house, adding a new three-story wing, a porte-cochere, and a projecting four-story tower with mansard roof. The carriage house was also enlarged, in a manner sympathetic to Bradford's original design. Hunt also designed the entrance gate of the estate which is somewhat Greek Revival in style, but with posts modeled after Egyptian obelisks.^[5]

The centerpiece of the mansion's interior is its great hall, a massive three-story chamber with a 45-foot (14 m) ceiling and broad balconies. The billiard room is in the

Ogden Codman, Jr. in the Louis XV style. The ballroom is decorated with crystal chandeliers and fine plaster, one of the few rooms that remained relatively unaltered by Hunt's work. The dining room is in Renaissance Revival style and was also built in Italy.^[5]

Chateau-sur-Mer was one of the few Newport "cottages" built as a year-round residence, unlike most of the others built during this period, because the Wetmores were a New England family who made Newport their home. George was very active in Rhode Island politics during the late 19th century and a lifelong

Electoral College of 1880 and again in 1884; he was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1885 and went on to win re-election in 1886, but he was defeated in an attempt for a third term in 1887. In 1894, the Rhode Island General Assembly elected him to the United States Senate

, where he remained until 1913.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1968 and purchased by the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1969. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006.^[1]^[2] The former carriage house and stables for the Chateau-Sur-Mer estate are owned by Salve Regina University and are currently being renovated as a center for visual art and preservation known as the Antone Center.

References

Hopf, John T. (1976). The Complete Book of Newport Mansions.
Paul L. Veeder, II, "The Outbuildings and Grounds of Chateau-sur-Mer", The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Dec., 1970), pages 307–317.

^ ^a ^b John R. Tschirch; James Garman; Patty Henry; Beth L. Savage (April 29, 2005). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Chateau-sur-Mer" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ ^a ^b "Chateau-sur-Mer". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ 2003 Herald News Article on Fall River Granite
^ ^a ^b "NHL nomination for Chateau-sur-Mer". National Park Service. Retrieved November 3, 2014.

External links

The Preservation Society of Newport County - Chateau-sur-Mer main page Archived February 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
The Preservation Society of Newport County - Preserving Chateau-sur-Mer Archived May 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. RI-313, "Chateau-sur-Mer, Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Newport County, RI", 34 photos, 12 measured drawings, 17 data pages, 2 photo caption pages

Images

The monkey seat and Moon Gate at Chateau-Sur-Mer
Weeping European Beech at Chateau-Sur-Mer
Turkey Oak at Chateau-Sur-Mer
Chateau Sur Mer
Chateau sur Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer front

[nrhpinv2-1] John R. Tschirch; James Garman; Patty Henry; Beth L. Savage (April 29, 2005). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Chateau-sur-Mer" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[nhlsum-2] "Chateau-sur-Mer". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2008.

[nris-3] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[4] 2003 Herald News Article on Fall River Granite

[NHL-5] "NHL nomination for Chateau-sur-Mer". National Park Service. Retrieved November 3, 2014.

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v t e Salve Regina University
Facilities	Cardines Field Chateau-sur-Mer Ochre Court Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy Seaview Terrace William Watts Sherman House Vinland Estate
Athletics	Salve Regina Seahawks
Related	Story in the Public Square

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Description and history

See also

References

External links

Images