Submitted by The Preservation Society of Newport County
The opening of The Breakers third floor to the public for the first time in the mansion’s 129-year history and the installation of a geothermal climate-control system at Chateau-sur-Mer top the list of accomplishments by The Preservation Society of Newport County in 2024.
The nonprofit organization, which owns 11 historic properties known as the Newport Mansions, also completed several major restoration and conservation projects; hosted thought-provoking exhibitions; placed important, newly acquired artworks and furniture on display; worked with HBO on the filming of Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” series; and held dozens of educational programs and special events, including a talk by “The Gilded Age” co-star Denée Benton.
“This was a momentous year for the Preservation Society as we approach our 80th anniversary in 2025,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and executive director. “We strengthened our tour offerings and programming, performed great preservation work in our houses and collections, and hosted more than 863,000 tours – evidence that we’ve put the downturn of the pandemic years behind us.”
Here’s a rundown of 2024 at the Preservation Society, in roughly chronological order:
• Installation of a geothermal climate-control system at Chateau-sur-Mer began in January and was completed in the summer. So far this winter, this $1.2 million investment has cut the house’s consumption of heating fuel from more than 300 gallons a week to zero. The system also protects the National Historic Landmark and its contents by stabilizing the interior temperature and humidity. This is the fourth Preservation Society property to have a geothermal system installed; the others are The Breakers, Chepstow and the Berwind-Stautberg Scholars Center at The Elms. Geothermal is an important part of the Preservation Society’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions.
• The ceiling mural over the grand staircase of The Elms, a mid-18th-century work by Francesco Salvator Fontebasso, was meticulously cleaned and conserved. The 500-square-foot painting depicts “Queen Tomyris with the Head of Cyrus” and was originally installed in a palazzo in Venice.
• The Preservation Society partnered with the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society to host the exhibition “Gilded Age Newport in Color” at Rosecliff from March 15 to June 30. Featuring more than 150 objects, the exhibition offered an intimate look at the activities and accomplishments of African-heritage families in Newport during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Edward J. Berwind’s original bed and dressing commode, which were sold at auction in 1962 and donated to the Preservation Society in 2021, were returned to his bedroom in The Elms. The curatorial staff also removed the non-original wall fabric and is researching the original fabric, the pattern for which has been found by Prelle, the company that produced it circa 1900.
• The 13 masonry chimneys atop The Breakers were repaired and repointed; one of the chimneys needed to be rebuilt. The project required massive scaffolding erected with the use of a crane more than 300 feet tall.
• The Breakers Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour debuted in June, the first time the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts opened for public tours. Visitors on this guide-led tour witness preservation work in action, as the research, planning and physical work to restore these spaces is ongoing.
• A self-guided audio tour for Kingscote was introduced, giving visitors insights into the Gothic Revival landmark.
• The Newport Flower Show returned to Rosecliff after a one-year hiatus at Marble House. “At Home” was the theme of the 28th annual show, held June 21-23.
• Two years after beech leaf disease arrived on the Newport Mansions properties, a treatment applied by Bartlett Tree Experts seemed to be mitigating its effects. Of the 250 beech trees in this accredited arboretum, 60 percent are in good condition and 31 percent are fair, Bartlett reported.
• The Breakers back lawn hosted 26 life-size elephant sculptures from July to early September, part of “The Great Elephant Migration” that brought 100 elephants to four sites in Newport as the first stop of a national tour.
• Actress Denée Benton and historian Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar shared their inside views of the creation of Benton’s character in HBO’s “The Gilded Age” during a conversation at Rosecliff, “Becoming Peggy Scott,” on July 9.
• A $3.3 million restoration and preservation project at Isaac Bell House, which began in November 2023, was completed in July. The work included replacing all exterior shingles, restoring the shutters and windows, repointing the lower-level brick and chimneys and much more.
• The Preservation Society commemorated the 50th anniversary of “Monumenta,” the groundbreaking 1974 contemporary outdoor sculpture exhibition in Newport, with a symposium featuring two of the exhibition’s organizers, Hugh M. Davies and Nancy Rosen, along with author Jonathan Lippincott, Art&Newport founder Dodie Kazanjian and moderator Ronald J. Onorato, Emeritus Professor at the University of Rhode Island.
• The fountain in The Elms Conservatory is running for the first time in more than 20 years after completion of a $205,000 restoration that included new plumbing hardware and repairs to the deteriorating red marble.
• The exhibition “Wild Imagination: Art and Animals in the Gilded Age” opened Aug. 30, exploring the ways in which the perception of animals was transformed in late 19th- and early 20th-century America. The exhibition, featuring more than 100 animal-themed artworks and other objects from the Newport Mansions and 16 lending institutions, remains open at Rosecliff through Jan. 12.
• Two bronze reliefs by sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney depicting American soldiers of World War I were installed at her family’s summer home, The Breakers. The Preservation Society purchased the sculptures in 2023.
• The 19th annual Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival – featuring celebrity chef Jacques Pépin – took place at Rosecliff Sept. 19-22. This sold-out event included a Connoisseur’s Dinner, Vintner Dinner, Sunday Jazz Brunch and 18 food and beverage seminars.
• HBO filmed scenes for the third season of Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” at The Elms, Chateau-sur-Mer, Marble House and The Breakers. Preservation Society staff worked 2,544 hours in support of this project.
• The Preservation Society received the Historic Preservation Project Award by Preserve Rhode Island, part of the annual Rhody Awards, for the 2023 restoration of Rosecliff, a complex, $7.4 million project.
• Substantial progress was made in the development of a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled collections care facility. The 17,500-square-foot space will greatly improve the storage of collection items that are not on display in the mansions.
• Sparkling Lights at The Breakers, the annual outdoor holiday light extravaganza, returned for its fifth straight year and was seen by more than 30,000 visitors.
• Chateau-sur-Mer was decorated for the holiday season for the first time in more than 20 years, joining The Breakers, Marble House and The Elms in this beloved holiday tradition.
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development. For more information, please visit www.NewportMansions.org.