The Newport Restoration Foundation was founded by

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious lifestyle, and love life attracted ...

in 1968 in

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 ...

to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of Newport, including 18th century colonial homes. Former First Lady

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

was the foundation's vice president. It is the largest collection of vernacular architecture in the Northeastern United States. In the 1960s, structures in Newport were threatened by redevelopment. Doris Duke purchased and restored over 83 individual houses under her direction. The entire project represents one of the largest preservation efforts undertaken in modern times and is currently led by executive directors, Amy Elizabeth-Winsor, Alyssa Lozupone, and Gina Tangorra.

Properties

The NRF owns 78 significant historical properties, 72 of which are rented to tenants. 67 of the historic buildings are in Newport, and 8 buildings are museums. One of the historical properties includes

's Rough Point which was built in 1891 and then added on to in 1924. Rough Point is a Newport mansion with a collection of European and Asian fine arts with works by

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, and

Sir Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

. The property list also includes the Samuel Whitehorne House (built 1811), the William Vernon House (built and expanded 1759), the Buloid-Perry House, King's Arms Tavern, and The Dr. Charles Cotton House, and the Christopher Townsend House, (built 1728). In addition, the foundation runs Prescott Farm, an outdoor history site in Middletown, RI.

Recent projects

The Newport Restoration Foundation has been actively restoring and preserving historic buildings, a collection of the arts of cabinetmaking and building trades of the Newport region, and the art and artifacts from Doris Duke's life in Newport. NRF also utilizes these collections for museum tours and educational programs that are open to the public. In regard to preservation, their most recent project (2015) was that Dayton-James House from 1757. In 2005 the Foundation assisted in conducting the first

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

survey of tree rings in several early buildings in Rhode Island to determine their construction dates, including the Wilbour-Ellery House. In addition in 2013, the NRF led an effort to create a new park in Queen Anne's Square by artist and architect Maya Lin, entitled "The Meeting Room". Preservation advocacy and environmental concerns such as climate change are other areas in which NRF works in. For example, they held th
Keeping History Above Water
Conference in an attempt to protect historic properties from being affected by

rising sea levels The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

References

External links

Christine Dunn, "Newport’s the Point: A mingling of mansions, modest residences," ''Providence Journal,'' April 8, 2008Official Newport Restoration websiteCalendar
{{Authority control Houses in Rhode Island Newport County, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island Historic preservation organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Rhode Island 1968 establishments in Rhode Island