After a multi-millionaire renovation project, Preservation Society of Newport County opened up the Isaac Bell House, one of the best surviving examples of Shingle Style architecture in the country. We joined a guide-led tour on Sunday on the opening weekend for the elegant landmark home, designed by the firm of McKim, Mead and White for Isaac Bell Jr., a cotton broker, investor and ambassador to the Netherlands between 1881 and 1883.
Perhaps not as sexy as The Breakers or maybe some of the other showstoppers on Bellevue like Marble House or Rosecliff, the combined English Queen Anne and New England Colonial structure might not garner the same attention. But the understated presence of the Isaac Bell House is no less significant. Walking through the architectural gem, two elements greatly stood out to me.
One is the innovative open interior design, which tethers the entire interior, a groundbreaking trend about a century before it became de rigueur among house floor plans. There is a particular ebb and flow to the design, with a focus on natural light and ventilation throughout the building. It is this concept that some have speculated may have had a significant influence later on the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
“They were geniuses,” said our guide, Priscilla Woodford, about the forethought that they Bells had. “If they were alive today, they’d be using technology” advancements.
“It’s that blending of all the different influences: the Colonial, the European, the far eastern,” said Woodford about the “progressive” approach that the Bells took in undertaking such a project.
The other striking element of the tour is that the house is devoid of any furniture, except for a few exceptions. The rationale for this is to allow the primary focus to remain on the architectural details of such a unique property. This is a tour for architecture lovers and the Preservation Society has designed the intimate guide-led activity with this in mind. The one we attended was on Sunday morning and was sold out.
The benefit of such a particular tour also shows off the newly finished restoration and preservation project, to the tune of $3.3 million that began back in November 2023. The major renovation included replacing all exterior shingles, restoring the shutters and windows, repointing the lower-level brick and chimneys, among other improvements.
“This is the first day I’ve been here since they started, until like January, but we were shocked at how quickly they were moving the winter,” said Woodford, who was a fountain of information on the property and the Bells.
It proved fascinating looking at all the details that abounded the house, including the particular Japanese and French/Breton design influences throughout. Coupled with the stunning wrap-around porches that stand out, they help set the property apart from other structures that line Bellevue. An interior deep dive into the house allowed us to see many of the Japanese details, of which there were many, such as the sliding doors and pinwheel floor plan.
“I love the beveled edge” of the windows in the vestibule, by the staircase, according to Woodford. “I love where the light in this room is amazing.”The Isaac Bell House opened on Saturday, July 27 and is only open on Saturdays and Sundays for a short while during the summer, through August 31. You must purchase the guide-led only tours at a specific time. You can reserve at the Preservation Society website: www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/isaac-bell-house. It is worth checking out this influential property while you can.
