New England – Newport
During many a walk on Bellevue Avenue in Newport at the end of the 19th century, many an aristocratic visitor from old Europe will have turned green with envy. Here, the manor houses with the dimensions of small castles are lined up like a string of pearls. The mostly nouveau riche industrialists referred to their estates as “summer houses”, slightly understated.
What was possible with a lot of money in America’s golden age, the traveler in Rhode Island learns in at least a dozen of these mansions, which are open to him for viewing in the villa district of Newport. These small palaces (in the city about a two-hour drive west of Boston on the Atlantic Ocean) did not have ordinary house numbers.
These properties were given names such as “Chateau-Sur-Mer”, “The Elms” or “Hunter House”. The largest properties are “The Breakers”, the “Marble House”, which is somewhat reminiscent of the White House in Washington, and “Rosecliff”. The Rosecliff has often had to serve as a film set. Among other things, the films “True Lies” and “The Great Gatsby” were filmed here.
Another property, the “Rough Point”, is not located on Bellevue Avenue but around the corner on Touro Street directly on the sea. The garden of this estate was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York. As the third owner, James B. Duke took over “Rough Point” in 1922.
He has had the property increased by two more wings to 105 rooms. Since the death of Doris Duke’s daughter, “Rough Point” has been managed by a foundation. The visitor can be amazed: the lady of the house treated herself to works by great painters such as Renoir and Van Dyck for the furnishings. The house was peppered with 18th-century French furniture and vases from the Ming Dynasty.
However, the lady was also a bit quirky at her advanced age. Referring to a nibbled carpet, the guide tells us during the tour of the house that two camels were allowed to share the property with Doris Duke. She had received the two animals as an encore for the purchase of a used Boeing 747 from an Arab airline.
Even today, the port of Newport is downright sophisticated. This is where mainly the yachts of the modern gentlemen are moored. The fishing boats have now been largely displaced. Newport is an absolute sailing town. Many regattas started from here. Sailing fans will definitely have a visit to the Museum of Yachting on their list.
Not the money aristocracy, but the tennis nobility is indulged in in the Miller Hall of Fame. In the showcases of the museum, which was built in 1880, you can find worn-out tennis shoes by Steffi Graf and worn shirts by Pete Sampras. Newport Casino hosts the only grass court tournament in the USA. The atmosphere is typically American, familiar. You just come to Newport to enjoy the summer retreat.
