Belcourt of Newport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Belcourt |
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Ledge Road (west) façade
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| Former names | Belcourt Castle |
| General information | |
| Type | Residence |
| Architectural style | Châteauesque |
| Location | Newport, Rhode Island, US |
| Address | 657 Bellevue Avenue |
| Coordinates | 41°27′27″N 71°18′23″W / 41.45750°N 71.30627°W |
| Construction started | 1891 |
| Completed | 1894 |
| Inaugurated | Tuesday, September 2, 1895 |
| Renovated | 1896–1907, 1910–1914 |
| Cost | $3.2 million ($80 million in 2011) |
| Client | |
| Owner | Carolyn Rafaelian |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system |
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| Floor count | 3 |
| Floor area | 50,000 ft2 (4,600 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard Morris Hunt |
| Main contractor | George A. Fuller Construction Company |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | John Russell Pope, Horace Trumbauer |
Belcourt is a grand old house in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed by a famous architect named Richard Morris Hunt for Oliver Belmont. Construction started in 1891 and finished in 1894. This huge home was only meant to be used for a few weeks each year.
Belcourt mixes many European styles. It has a lot of French Renaissance and Gothic designs. You can also see influences from German, English, and Italian styles. Back in the late 1800s, this "castle" was famous for its large stables. These stables and carriage areas were actually part of the main building!
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Building Belcourt
Belcourt is located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport. It is a massive summer house with 60 rooms. The house covers about 50,000 square feet (4,600 square meters).
Oliver Belmont, who was 33, hired Richard Morris Hunt to design it. The design was inspired by a hunting lodge in Versailles, France. Oliver loved history and horses. So, the house had amazing halls, living rooms, and ballrooms. Oliver's father, August Belmont Sr., had the famous Belmont Stakes horse race named after him. Oliver was also a skilled carriage driver.
Oliver wanted Belcourt built exactly how he imagined it. The architect, Hunt, made sure to follow his client's wishes. Building Belcourt cost $3.2 million in 1894. That would be like $80 million today! Oliver had about 30 servants working at Belcourt.
The Belmont Family Years
When Belcourt was finished in 1894, the entire first floor was for carriages and stables. This was for Oliver Belmont's valuable horses. Upstairs, Oliver had a master bedroom with wall paintings. These paintings showed scenes from a nobleman's life. His bathroom even had Newport's first standing shower.
Belcourt was supposed to open on July 4, 1894. But Oliver was in the hospital in New York City after an incident. So, the house stayed closed that summer. It took a whole year before Oliver finally saw his finished mansion.
The building is shaped like a large square. It has two-story sections that connect to a taller, three-story main part. Today, you can see a big central courtyard. It measures 80 by 40 feet (24 by 12 meters). The roof is very large and has oval copper windows and chimneys. The front of the house, where carriages entered, is perfectly balanced. A long, thin iron balcony runs along the second floor.
Oliver Belmont did not like people who showed off their wealth too much. Many rich people built huge houses between Bellevue Avenue and the ocean. Because of this, guests at Belcourt entered through a side road called Ledge Road.
Inside, the castle was grand and a bit unusual. Oliver kept his large collection of horses and carriages on the ground floor. You could get to them through two huge entrances on the front of the house. To the west, there was a grand hall and foyer. This room had a Francis I Renaissance style. The huge Gothic rooms had large stained-glass windows. These windows showed the Belmont family's coat of arms. The original red fabric in the room has since been changed to gold.
The Grand Staircase connects the lower and upper grand halls. It looks like the stairs in the Cluny Museum in France. Many fancy rooms open into each other on the second floor. Each room has different French styles and decorations. The hallways on the second floor were designed so you could see into many rooms.
Oliver Belmont married Alva Vanderbilt on January 11, 1896. Alva was eager to change Belcourt. She made it even more unique by mixing many styles. Alva turned the carriage room into a banquet hall. She also changed a study into a fancy sitting room. For this, she brought in French wood panels from the 1700s. In 1899, Belcourt hosted the first automobile parade in the country.
New Owners Over Time
Oliver Belmont passed away in 1908. Mrs. Belmont died in France in 1933. Belcourt then went to Oliver's older brother, Perry Belmont. When World War II started, Perry moved most of Belcourt's valuable items to his other homes. This was because Newport was a naval base and might be attacked. Some of Alva's things were sold because Perry didn't like her much.
In 1940, Perry Belmont decided to sell Belcourt. He talked with George Waterman, a businessman. Waterman wanted to turn Belcourt into a museum for old cars. The only rule for the sale was that Waterman had to restore the castle. He had to make it look as close as possible to the original plans. Waterman paid $1,000 for the castle. But then he found out that local rules wouldn't allow his car museum.
In 1943, Waterman sold Belcourt to Edward Dunn. Dunn owned Belcourt for eleven years but never lived there. During the war, many big mansions were being torn down or used for other things. Dunn rented out Belcourt's stables to the military. They used them to fix equipment.
Dunn sold Belcourt to Louis and Elaine Lorillard in 1954 for $22,500. The Lorillards were famous for tobacco. They wanted Belcourt to be the home of the Newport Jazz Festival. The lawns could hold over 10,000 people. The stone walls helped with the sound. The large central courtyard was used for concerts. The big rooms inside were used for workshops and places to stay. However, neighbors complained, so Belcourt couldn't be a permanent festival spot.
Belcourt had become quite run-down. It had been mostly empty for over 20 years. In November 1956, the Lorillards sold the castle to the Tinney Family.
The Tinney Family
The Tinney Family, from Cumberland, Rhode Island, bought Belcourt in 1956 for $25,000. They changed the name from Belcourt to Belcourt Castle. The Tinneys filled the castle with their own collection of old and copied antiques. This included a coronation coach that their son Donald built. They also had a copy of a 1701 painting of Louis XIV.
A huge Imperial Russian-style chandelier was a main addition. It has 13,000 crystal pieces and 105 lights. This chandelier hangs above the pink marble floor of the banquet hall.
When they bought Belcourt in 1956, the Tinney family included Harold and Ruth Tinney, their son Donald, and Ruth's aunt Nellie Fuller. In 1960, Donald Tinney married Harle Hanson, who was a tour guide at Belcourt. Harle Tinney was the only family member left when Belcourt was sold in 2012.
Belcourt also held many other treasures. These included a large collection of Persian rugs. There was also French royal art and furniture. Plus, there was Oriental art and many religious objects.
The Tinney family made many changes after moving in. They raised the ceiling of the Organ Loft to fit a large organ. Between 1966 and 1970, an old kitchen became a coach hall. In 1969, an open porch became a French salon. In 1975, they turned a reception room into a chapel. They added German Renaissance stained glass. In the early 1980s, the Tinneys built new gate posts on Bellevue Avenue. They added gates from another estate in Portsmouth.
In 1983, robbers tried to steal many valuable antiques from Belcourt. Police found most of the items. But they did not find a 14-pound silver container. It held a very old religious item from the third century.
The lawns around Belcourt have many statues. These are made of bronze, terra cotta, marble, and stone. They show scenes from old stories, with nymphs and cherubs. The driveways are lined with thick arborvitae plants. The Tinneys planted these a few years after they moved in.
Belcourt is the third largest mansion in Newport. Only The Breakers and Ochre Court are bigger. The castle has been worked on for a long time. The Tinney family started restoring it when they moved in. This work continues even today.
On May 26, 2009, it was announced that Harle Tinney was selling Belcourt. The house was first listed for $7.2 million. By June 2011, the price had dropped to $3.9 million. Later, it was listed as two separate parts for $4.625 million. Harle Tinney said she was ready to sell after her husband passed away in 2006.
Belcourt as a Museum
Belcourt was open to the public as a museum. It showed old items and taught about architecture and history. Out of Belcourt's 60 rooms, more than a dozen could be seen on a tour. Visitors could see an English library, a banquet hall, and a chapel. There were also grand halls, a music room, and an Empire-style dining room. A French Gothic-style ballroom, two main bedrooms, and a gallery were also on view. All the rooms were filled with items from the Tinney family's collections.
Tours of Belcourt started in 1957. Since then, the castle has been a popular spot on Bellevue Avenue. The collections included furniture, art, and items from 33 European and Asian countries. It also had pieces from 37 other Newport mansions. The Tinney family's huge collection made Belcourt very important for Newport's tourism. Belcourt was also special because it was the only mansion in Newport that was both open to the public and had a private owner living there. Harle Tinney often gave tours herself and greeted visitors.
New Ownership: Carolyn Rafaelian
On November 12, 2012, Carolyn Rafaelian bought Belcourt for $3.6 million. She owns a company called Alex and Ani. Rafaelian is now restoring and updating the mansion. She reopened it in summer 2014. It is now a tour house, art gallery, and event space called Belcourt of Newport. Rafaelian has already spent $5 million on updates. This includes $3 million for a new roof.
Building Materials
Belcourt's unique outside look comes from its materials. It uses brick and Westerly granite around the windows and doors. The walls are also covered in stucco. The roof is made of Pennsylvania slate. It has many oval windows.
Inside, 300 skilled workers from other countries helped build it. The interior has carved oak wood. The floors are made of oak and mosaic marble. The many decorated ceilings have sculpted plaster and carved woods like chestnut. The walls are covered with painted canvases, carved oak, and silk fabrics. The outside railings and gates are made of iron and bronze. They have a shell design and the letters "OB" for Oliver Belmont. The building's base is made of stone, brick, and concrete. Thick brick walls support the large roof timbers and steel beams.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo Belcourt para niños
- Buildings inspired by Versailles
