Chateau-sur-Mer is one of the first grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. Located at 474 Bellevue Avenue, it is now owned by the

Preservation Society of Newport County 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 Newpor ...

and is open to the public as a museum. Chateau-sur-Mer's grand scale and lavish parties ushered in the

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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 2006.

Description and history

Chateau-sur-Mer was completed in 1852 as an

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

villa for

William Shepard Wetmore William Shepard Wetmore (January 26, 1801 – June 16, 1862) was an American Businessperson, businessman and Philanthropy, philanthropist who was an Old China Trade merchant. Early life He was born on January 26, 1801, to Nancy Shepard and Seth ...

, a merchant in the

Old China Trade The Old China Trade () was the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old China T ...

originally of St. Albans, Vermont. The architect and builder was Seth C. Bradford, and the structure is constructed of Fall River Granite. It is regarded as a landmark of Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics, and stenciling.2003 Herald News Article on Fall River Granite
/ref> Wetmore died on June 16, 1862, at Chateau-sur-Mer, leaving the bulk of his fortune to his son

George Peabody Wetmore George Peabody Wetmore (August 2, 1846September 11, 1921) was an American politician who was the 37th Governor of Rhode Island, Governor of Rhode Island. He later served as a United States Senator for the same state. Early life George Peabody ...

. George married Edith Keteltas in 1869. During the 1870s, the Wetmores departed on an extended trip to Europe, leaving architect

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...

to remodel and redecorate the house in the French 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

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

s. The centerpiece of the mansion's interior is its great hall, a massive three-story chamber with a ceiling and broad balconies. The billiard room is in the Eastlake style, with oak timbers aligned diagonally on the ceiling and herringbone flooring. The library has an Italianate design and was actually designed and built in Italy, then disassembled and transported to Newport. The marble hallway originally served as the house's main entrance and is finished with a variety of different marble colors. It was closed off in 1920 by replacing the main door with a bay window. The green room served as a ladies' reception area and was designed in 1900 by Ogden Codman, Jr. in the

Louis XV style The Louis XV style or ''Louis Quinze'' (, ) is a style of architecture and decorative arts which appeared during the reign of Louis XV. From 1710 until about 1730, a period known as the Régence, it was largely an extension of the Louis XIV sty ...

. 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. 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 Republican. He was a member of the

Electoral College An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...

of 1880 and again in 1884; he was elected

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

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 The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, where he remained until 1913. The house was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1968 and purchased by the

in 1969. It was declared a

in 2006. The former carriage house and stables for the Chateau-Sur-Mer estate are owned by

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private coeducational Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The univer ...

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.

External links

The Preservation Society of Newport County - Chateau-sur-Mer main page

The Preservation Society of Newport County - Preserving Chateau-sur-Mer
*

Images

Image:Chateau-sur-Mer, Newport, Rhode Island, monkee seat.jpg, The monkey seat and Moon Gate at Chateau-Sur-Mer File:Weeping_European_Beech_Tree_at_Chateau-sur-Mer,_Newport,_RI_-_August_29,_2015.jpg, Weeping European Beech at Chateau-Sur-Mer File:Turkey_Oak_at_Chateau-sur-Mer,_Newport,_RI_-_August_29,_2015.jpg, Turkey Oak at Chateau-Sur-Mer File:Chateau Sur Mer, Newport, RI.JPG, Chateau Sur Mer File:Chateau sur Mer, Newport RI.jpg, Chateau sur Mer File:Chateau-sur-Mer front.jpg, Chateau-sur-Mer front {{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau-Sur-Mer Historic house museums in Rhode Island Houses in Newport, Rhode Island Museums in Newport, Rhode Island Salve Regina University Houses completed in 1852 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island Richard Morris Hunt buildings Châteauesque architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Newport, Rhode Island 1852 establishments in Rhode Island Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Rhode Island Gilded Age mansions

Description and history

See also

References

External links

Images