The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization protects the architectural heritage of Newport County, especially the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. Seven of its 14 historic properties and landscapes are National Historic Landmarks, and most are open to the public.
The organization has filed lawsuits to block offshore wind farms in Rhode Island, arguing that wind farms harm scenic views and threaten "historic resources".
History The Preservation Society of Newport County was founded in 1945 by a group of Newport residents led by Katherine and George Warren to save Hunter House from demolition. They were known as the Georgian Society until they changed their name to the Preservation Society of Newport County.
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt's widow, bequeathed $1.25 million to the society upon her death in 1978.
Properties open to the public Image Name Year built(*circa) Style Architect Refs Arnold Burying Ground Founded 1675 Cemetery The Breakers 1895 Neo Italian Renaissance Richard Morris Hunt Chateau-sur-Mer 1852 (remodeled 1870s) Seth C. Bradford (construction)Richard Morris Hunt (renovations)Ogden Codman, Jr. (design) Chepstow 1860 Italianate George Champlin Mason Sr.John Grovesnor (1978 addition) The Elms 1901 Classical Revival Horace Trumbauer Green Animals Topiary Garden Victorian Joseph Carreiro, George Mendonca (Gardeners) Hunter House 1748–1754 Georgian Isaac Bell House 1883 Shingle style McKim, Mead and White Kingscote 1839 (remodeled 1870s, remodeled 1880s) Gothic Revival Richard UpjohnGeorge C. Mason (1870s renovation)McKim, Mead and White (1880s renovation) Marble House 1892 Beaux-Arts Richard Morris Hunt Rosecliff 1902 French Baroque Revival McKim, Mead & White
Former properties Image Name Year built(*circa) Style Architect Notes Malbone Castle 1849 (remodeled 1875) Gothic Revival Alexander Jackson DavisDudley Newton (renovations} Bequeathed to the PSNC in 1978, later sold as a private residence; not open to the public White Horse Tavern 1652–1673 Francis Brinley, William Mayes Restored by the PSNC in 1952, but now privately owned and operated as a working tavern
See also Antoinette Downing Katherine Urquhart Warren List of historical societies in Rhode Island
References
External links The Preservation Society of Newport County Official Web Site.