Kingscote (mansion) facts for kids
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Kingscote
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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View of house from southeast, 2018
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 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bellevue Ave. and Bowery St., Newport, Rhode Island, USA |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1839 |
| Architect | Richard Upjohn |
| Part of | Bellevue Avenue Historic District (ID72000023) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000058 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1996 |
| Designated NHLDCP | December 8, 1972 |
Kingscote is a beautiful old mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed by Richard Upjohn and built in 1839. Kingscote is special because it was one of the very first "summer cottages" built in Newport. Even though it's a big house, people called these large summer homes "cottages." Today, it's a museum and a National Historic Landmark.
The house was changed and made bigger by architects George Champlin Mason and later by Stanford White. The King family owned Kingscote from 1864 until 1972. Then, it was given to the Preservation Society of Newport County to be kept safe for everyone to enjoy.
Contents
History of Kingscote
Building the First "Cottage"
Kingscote was built by George Noble Jones. He owned large cotton farms in Florida. He chose to build this house on a farm path that is now known as Bellevue Avenue.
The house was designed by Richard Upjohn. It is an early example of the Gothic Revival style. This style has a unique, busy roofline with many gables (pointed roof sections) and chimneys. It also has fancy Gothic decorations. Kingscote is made of wood, but it was painted to look like sandstone.
Changes Over Time
The Jones family left Newport when the American Civil War started. In 1864, William Henry King, a merchant, bought the house.
King's nephew, David, rented Kingscote in 1876. He decided to make some big changes. He hired a Newport architect named George Champlin Mason. Mason added a larger dining room and a new service area. The inside of the house was also redecorated. Gas lighting was added to the house around this time.
In 1880, David King hired Stanford White to design another addition. This included new main bedrooms, a nursery, and a new dining room. The dining room had special glass bricks from Louis Comfort Tiffany. These changes made Kingscote much larger. However, they still kept the original Gothic Revival style of the building.
Kingscote's Impact
Kingscote is seen as the building that started a trend in Newport. It made it popular to build large summer "cottages" there. As more of these homes were built, they became even bigger.
When Kingscote was first built, it was considered the grandest house in Newport. But compared to the huge mansions built later, it is actually quite small.
The King family owned Kingscote until 1972. The last family member gave the house to the Preservation Society. This gift included all the furniture from around 1880. Today, Kingscote is a National Historic Landmark. It is also part of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, which is also a landmark.
Kingscote was shown in the TV series The Gilded Age. It helped show what earlier "cottages" were like. It also showed how much bigger and fancier homes became during the Gilded Age. These later homes included places like the Breakers and Marble House.
Gallery
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Richard Upjohn's original 1839 watercolor of Kingscote, as seen from the southwest.
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HABS photo of the front (southern) elevation.
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The eastern elevation.
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A detail of the front entrance.
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The entrance hall.
See also
In Spanish: Kingscote (mansión) para niños
