Preservation Society of Newport County

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The largest of the Preservation Society's mansions, The Breakers

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's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Newport County, Rhode Island, including those of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. Its fourteen historic properties and landscapes—seven of which are National Historic Landmarks, and eleven of which are open to the public—form a complete essay of American historical development from the Colonial era through the Gilded Age.

The Preservation Society is led by CEO Trudy Coxe.

History

The Preservation Society of Newport County was founded in 1945 by a dedicated and concerned group of Newporters led by Katherine and George Warren to save Hunter House from demolition. For a brief time they were known as the Georgian Society until they changed their name to the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Properties open to the public

• Arnold Burying Ground, founded 1675
• Hunter House, built 1748–1754
• Kingscote, built 1839
• Chateau-sur-Mer, built 1852
• Chepstow, built 1860
• Green Animals Topiary Garden, built c.1860
• Isaac Bell House, built 1883
• Marble House, built 1888–1892
• The Breakers, built 1893–1895
• The Elms, built 1898–1901
• Rosecliff, built 1899–1902
• Rovensky Park, built 1852

Former PSNC properties

• White Horse Tavern, built in 1673 (restored by the PSNC in 1952, but now privately owned and operated as a working tavern)
• Malbone Castle and Estate, built 1849, bequeathed to the PSNC in 1978, later sold to the Leach family

Board of Trustees 2008–2009

• John G. Winslow, Chairman Emeritus
• Pierre duPont Irving, Chairman
• Donald O. Ross, Treasurer
• Vice Presidents
  • Mrs. A.L. Ballard
  • Mrs. Edwin G. Fischer
  • David P. Leys
  • Keith W. Stokes
  • Paul L. Szapary
• William W. Humphrey, Jr., Assistant Treasurer
• Mrs. A. Theodore Stautberg, Jr., Secretary
• Mrs. Richard I. Burnham, Assistant Secretary

See also

Rhode Island portal

External links

• The Preservation Society of Newport County Official Web Site.
• The Preservation Society of Newport County: an introduction from Magazine Antiques, April 1995.