Operating Schedule
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Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
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History of Newport and the Mansions
Founded in 1639, Newport was an important port city, a center of the slave trade, a fashionable resort and the summer home of the Gilded Age rich.
What was the Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age was a period of unprecedented change in America. Fortunes were spent on luxuries such as the lavish "summer cottages" of Newport.
Deep Dive into the Show
Learn about the people, places and events depicted in Julian Fellowes' popular historical drama series.
Current Members
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We invite you to become a member of the Preservation Society today. In addition to joining an active community of preservation supporters and advocates, members are offered unlimited access to all open houses.
About Us
Our mission is to protect, preserve, and present the best of Newport County's architectural heritage. Learn more about us and our work.
Wind Farm Federal Appeal: FAQs
The Preservation Society of Newport County is appealing federal agency approval of two massive wind farms off the Rhode Island coast.
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Part 1: Decoding Gilded Age Designer Jules Allard
Preservation Society Curatorial Research Fellow Ben Bowery
The Preservation Society of Newport County holds the largest collection of works by Parisian-born designer Jules Allard, whose businesses in Paris and New York catered to a clientele of wealthy, socially ambitious Americans. Although Allard’s work came to define the aesthetic of the Gilded Age in Newport and New York, his work has remained relatively unstudied. Ben Bowery will explore Allard’s life and work, discuss some of his findings and illuminate the working process of this fascinating designer.
Part 2: Decoding Décor: Solving the GG Puzzle
Preservation Society Curatorial Research Assistant Eve Loftus
Eve Loftus will discuss her research into the mysterious “GG” stamps found by Ben Bowery and Objects Conservator Carola Schueller on Allard furniture, and later on Davenport furniture on the third floor of The Breakers. She will describe her collaborative research process and reveal the identity of the previously unknown French maker.
Benjamin Bowery
Benjamin Bowery earned an MA in Decorative Art and Design from George Washington University and the Smithsonian Associates. His Master’s focus was 20th-century American furniture and interiors. He has worked as a researcher for the Williamsburg Documentary Project via the College of William and Mary and as an intern in the American Painting, Sculpture and Decorative Arts departments at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Eve Loftus
Eve Loftus earned an MPhil in Public History and Cultural Heritage from Trinity College Dublin with a focus on emerging decolonial practices in museums. She joined The Preservation Society's Museum Affairs team in February 2024, bringing experience in historical and genealogical research as well as museum education and tour guiding.
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age. *Sept. 1-Oct. 6, 10:30 & 3:30. Nov. 23-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.
For the first time in the 129-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts is open for public tours. *Sept. 3-Oct. 14, offered twice daily at 1:30 and 3:30 pm. Starting Oct. 15, offered once daily at 1:30 pm.
Wild Imagination will explore the changing place of animals in the Gilded Age, a period that transformed how we view and treat the animal world, through more than 100 animal-themed artworks across a range of media.
Fans of HBO’s "The Gilded Age" will love this guide-led tour of locations in four of the Newport Mansions where the show was filmed. Tuesdays and Fridays only, September 3 through 27.
SOLD OUT
In an exclusive for our members, Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator Leslie Jones will give a wide-ranging update on the state of the Preservation Society's collections.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a 3,000-year-old tradition from China that celebrates togetherness. We invite you to a family program celebrating this festival on the grounds of Marble House and in the Chinese Tea House.
Save the dates for the 19th annual festival, featuring the Vintner Dinner, Sunday Brunch and tasty yet educational seminar experiences. Plus, special guest appearance by Jacques and Claudine Pepin!
Join us for a masterclass and tasting of Sonoma County wines and Kentucky whiskeys finished in French oak wine casks.
The perfect pairing: Fine wines from Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival sponsors and inspiring cuisine from the world-class chefs at participating local restaurants.
In this insider’s look at the Preservation Society’s new exhibition “Wild Imagination: Art and Animals in the Gilded Age,” curator Dr. Nicole Williams explores the evolving relationships between Gilded Age Americans and their pets and wildlife, with a focus on Newport history.
Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.
Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.
Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.
Partners in Preservation
