The Newport Restoration Foundation has been named to Irreplaceable America, a new list from the World Monuments Fund recognizing 10 historic places across the United States whose preservation is deemed essential to the nation’s history as it approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The recognition honors the foundation’s portfolio of colonial homes, one of the largest collections of colonial architecture in the country. Between 1968 and 1976, Doris Duke’s Newport Restoration Foundation acquired, moved and restored buildings on an unprecedented scale, an effort that helped revitalize the city. Five decades later, the foundation said, the portfolio remains an integral part of Newport’s economic, cultural and architectural fabric and serves as sites of learning, memory and engagement.
The recognition comes as the foundation confronts mounting preservation challenges, particularly from climate change. Nearly half of its historic properties are vulnerable to inundation from sea level rise, a threat compounded by a portfolio of 70 historic properties last comprehensively restored more than 50 years ago, a shrinking pool of historic craftspeople and changing standards of modern livability.
“The Newport Restoration Foundation is honored that our portfolio of colonial historic houses has been recognized by World Monuments Fund as an integral contribution to the built environment and the American story,” said Edith McBean, president of the foundation’s Board of Trustees. She said founder Doris Duke’s vision to “preserve and restore” Newport’s heritage more than five decades ago “was instrumental in catalyzing the revitalization of Newport and shaping the way that people live in, work in, and enjoy the City today.”
Executive Director Hilary Fagan said the recognition reinforces the foundation’s mission. “On this momentous occasion of America’s 250th anniversary, our work is to continue to invest in the livability of these irreplaceable sites, advance resiliency in the wake of climate change, and ensure that these homes with long, significant histories have a sustainable future,” she said. “We are grateful to World Monuments Fund for the recognition, and we look forward to our strategic partnership as we address the increasing challenge of stewarding these 70 historic sites.”
Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund, said the initiative is meant to highlight the breadth of American history. “The United States was built by people from every corner of the globe, shaped by Indigenous nations, early settlers, immigrant communities, and generations of cultural exchange,” she said. “As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Irreplaceable America is a call to protect the places that reflect the richness of that history, and the role heritage plays in education, community memory, and civic life.”
The Newport homes appear on the list alongside nine other sites: the New York Smallpox Hospital Ruin; Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia; the Black Mountain College Studies Building in North Carolina; the African Meeting House in Boston; the City of New Orleans; Dallas City Hall; the Mission Churches of Acoma and Laguna Pueblos in New Mexico; the Watts Towers in Los Angeles; and the Wright Brothers Sites in Dayton, Ohio. The World Monuments Fund also extended special recognition to the National Park Service for its role in shaping preservation standards.
The nationwide open call for nominations drew 75 submissions, which were evaluated by an independent expert panel based on cultural significance, urgency of conservation needs and potential community benefit.
Founded in 1968 by Doris Duke, the Newport Restoration Foundation stewards more than 80 historic buildings and landscapes, including 70 houses occupied through a Tenant Stewardship program and two public-facing sites, the Rough Point Museum and the Vernon House. More information is available at newportrestoration.org.
