The Elms (Newport, Rhode Island)

Coordinates: 41°28′40″N 71°18′32″W / 41.47778°N 71.30889°W / 41.47778; -71.30889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Elms
Contributing Property
Classical Revival
Part ofBellevue Avenue Historic District (ID72000023)
NRHP reference No.71000021[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1971
Designated NHLJune 19, 1996[2]
Designated NHLDCPDecember 8, 1972

The Elms is a large mansion (sometimes facetiously called a "summer cottage") located at 367 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, completed in 1901. The architect Horace Trumbauer (1868–1938) designed it for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind (1848–1936), taking inspiration from the 18th century Château d'Asnières in Asnières-sur-Seine, France.[3][4][5] C. H. Miller and E. W. Bowditch, working closely with Trumbauer, designed the gardens and landscape.[6] The Preservation Society of Newport County purchased The Elms in 1962, and opened the house to the public. The Elms was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996.

The estate

The house

The Elms was constructed from 1899 to 1901 and cost approximately 1.5 million dollars to build. Like most Newport houses of the Gilded Age, the house was built with non-combustible materials: the house was built around a structural steel frame; the interior partitions, plaster over terra cotta blocks, sit on reinforced concrete floor slabs; the exterior walls are made of brick masonry and clad with limestone.

On the main floor, the principal axis leads from the eastern entrance porch, into an entrance hall with a grand staircase and a marble floor, then into the ballroom, and then out to the garden beyond. The wing to the south contains a dining room, breakfast room, and serving pantry (the kitchens were in the basement), while the wing to the north contains a drawing room, library, and conservatory.

The second floor contains bedrooms for the family and guests as well as a private

servants
.

The grounds

In keeping with the French architecture of the house, the grounds of The Elms, among the best in Newport,

weeping beeches
.

Ancillary buildings

Trumbauer built a large

automobiles, the carriage house and stables were replaced by a new garage, clad in limestone, 125-foot (38 m) long by 70-foot (21 m) deep, one of the largest private garages in America, with a central indoor track, and two gasoline tanks.[7]

When automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages, the Berwind's head coachman became the chauffeur, but because he could not learn to back out of the garage, an automobile

turntable
had to be installed.

Inspiration

Château d'Asnières - garden façade.
Hôtel Porgès - garden façade.

The Elms is considered to be a reinterpretation of the

Ernest Sanson
. There is no pediment at Château d'Asnières.

History

Edward Julius Berwind.

The Berwind family began spending summers in Newport in the 1890s. By 1898, it was clear that their original property (a small traditional beach

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany
as well as many high-ranking government leaders from Europe and America. At this time Berwind was hailed as "one of the 58 men who rule America", making him one of Newport's most important summer residents.

Berwind was interested in technology, and The Elms was one of the first houses in America to be wired for electricity with no form of backup system. The house also included one of the first electrical ice makers. It was one of the most sophisticated houses of the time.[6] When The Elms opened in 1901 the Berwinds held a huge party.

During the next 20 years, Berwind's wife, Sarah, would spend the summers there, the season being from the 4th of July to the end of August; Berwind would come out only on weekends, for his

coal-mining interests kept him in New York
during the week. Though the Berwinds had no children, their nephews and nieces would come out to visit on a regular basis.

On

working-class immigrant neighborhood) to the estate for milk and cookies. She had a love for cars and would drive around Newport every day in one of her luxury cars. This was somewhat shocking to the rest of Newport society, where it was considered unladylike for women to drive themselves. It was rumored that her social secretary would perform the "white glove test" to make sure there was no dust on the steering wheel
before Julia got into the driver's seat.

Preservation

Staircase and Entrance Hall

In 1961 when

developer who wanted to tear it down. In 1962, just weeks before its date with the wrecking ball, The Elms was purchased by the Preservation Society of Newport County for $116,000. The price included the property along with adjacent guest houses. Since then, the house has been open to the public for tours. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1996.

In addition to a self-guided audio tour, The Elms offers a Servant Life Tour, which brings guests to the

steamer trunk storage area, the giant circuit breaker box, ice-makers, galley, and wine cellar below the main floor, and climb the service staircase to the servants' quarters on the third floor. The tour then proceeds out on the level tiled roof and a small aluminum platform, with a view of the rear lawn, shade trees and gardens, and the vista of Newport harbor in the distance.[8]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Elms, The". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
  3. ^ "Housing Problem". Time. July 6, 1962. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2009. The Elms, built in 1901, was inspired by the Château Allière (sic) near Paris, sits like a palace in a park of landscaped terraces, ornamental walks, stately trees, lawns, fountains, plus two teahouses, three bronze statues, and a profusion of ornate limestone flower pots, cornucopias and wrestling cupids.
  4. ^ [1] 'Guide du château d'Asnières', Site of the city of Asnières-sur-Seine.
  5. ^ The Château d'Asnières was designed by Jacques Hardouin-Mansart, the grandson of Jules Hardouin-Mansart and nephew of Robert de Cotte; it was built in 1750-53.
  6. ^
    ISBN 1-56898-254-2
    .
  7. ^ "Among the Garages". Automotive Industries. 22: 778.
  8. ^ Roof Tour

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Elms (Newport, Rhode Island).

Images

  • Château d'Asnières in France
    Château d'Asnières in France
  • The mansion in 1968
    The mansion in 1968
  • Gardens of the mansion, 1968
    Gardens of the mansion, 1968
  • Statue behind the mansion.
    Statue behind the mansion.
  • View of mansion from the grounds.
    View of mansion from the grounds.
  • Fountain outside mansion
    Fountain outside mansion
  • Staircase and entrance hall
    Staircase and entrance hall
  • Mrs. Berwind's bathroom
    Mrs. Berwind's bathroom
  • Carving above central entrance portal
    Carving above central entrance portal
  • Ballroom
    Ballroom
  • Breakfast room
    Breakfast room
  • Library
    Library
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