The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization protects the architectural heritage of Newport County, especially the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. Seven of its 14 historic properties and landscapes are National Historic Landmarks, and most are open to the public.
Founded | 1945 |
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Founder | Katherine Warren |
Type | non-profit |
Purpose | Preserve a collection of historic house museums in Newport County |
Headquarters | Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island |
Region served | Newport County, Rhode Island |
CEO & Executive Director | Trudy Coxe |
Website | newportmansions |
The organization has filed lawsuits to block offshore wind farms in Rhode Island, arguing that wind farms harm scenic views and threaten "historic resources".[1][2]
The Preservation Society of Newport County was founded in 1945 by a group of Newport residents led by Katherine and George Warren to save Hunter House from demolition. They were known as the Georgian Society until they changed their name to the Preservation Society of Newport County.
Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt's widow, bequeathed $1.25 million to the society upon her death in 1978.[3]
Image | Name | Year built (*circa) |
Style | Architect | Notes |
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Malbone Castle | 1849 (remodeled 1875) | Gothic Revival | Alexander Jackson Davis Dudley Newton (renovations} |
Bequeathed to the PSNC in 1978, later sold as a private residence; not open to the public[13][14] |
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White Horse Tavern | 1652–1673 | Francis Brinley, William Mayes | Restored by the PSNC in 1952, but now privately owned and operated as a working tavern |