Chateau-sur-Mer is one of the first grand

Bellevue Avenue The Bellevue Avenue Historic District is located along and around Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Its property is almost exclusively residential, including many of the Gilded Age mansions built by affluent summer vacatio ...

mansions of the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and We ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

. 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

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 building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

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 drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italia ...

villa for

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

, a merchant in the

Old China Trade The Old China Trade () refers to 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 C ...

originally of

St. Albans, Vermont St. Albans, Vermont may refer to: * St. Albans (town), Vermont, established 1763, a town in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. *St. Albans (city), Vermont, established 1902, a city in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. See also * St. Albans Bay, Vermont, ...

. The architect and builder was

Seth C. Bradford Seth C. Bradford (1801-1878)Yarnall, James L. ''Newport Through its Architecture''. 2005. was an American architect from Newport, Rhode Island. During his career, Bradford was known as a designer and builder of Italianate architecture, Italiana ...

, 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, and a Senator from, Rhode Island. Early life George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parent ...

. 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 American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

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 (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

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 The Eastlake movement was a nineteenth-century architectural and household design reform movement started by British architect and writer Charles Eastlake (1836–1906). The movement is generally considered part of the late Victorian period in t ...

, 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 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. 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 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 Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

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 the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1968 and purchased by the Preservation Society of Newport County 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 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 university enrolls ...

and are currently being renovated as a center for visual art and preservation known as Wetmore Hall.

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 pageThe 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