Vernon Court facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vernon Court |
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Front elevation from Bellevue Avenue in 2008
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | French classical |
| Town or city | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°28′11″N 71°18′25″W / 41.4696°N 71.3069°W |
| Construction started | 1900 |
| Completed | 1901 |
| Client | Anna Van Nest Gambrill |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Carrère and Hastings |
Vernon Court is a beautiful mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed by famous architects Carrère and Hastings. This grand house is located right on the Atlantic Ocean coast in the United States. Its style is called American Renaissance. The building looks a bit like an old French mansion from the 1700s, called Château d'Haroué.
Contents
History of Vernon Court
Building a Summer Home
Vernon Court was built in 1900. It was meant to be a summer house for Anna Van Nest Gambrill. She was the widow of Richard Augustine Gambrill, a lawyer from New York. Anna Gambrill had a lot of money. She inherited it from her husband and her father, Alexander T. Van Nest. Her father was a very successful railroad owner.
Anna's sister, Jane, and her brother-in-law, Giraud Foster, had also hired Carrère and Hastings. They designed their estate, Bellefontaine, a year earlier. Bellefontaine is near Lenox, Massachusetts.
Gardens and Early Fame
The architects, Carrère and Hastings, usually planned the gardens along with the house. But for Vernon Court, Anna Gambrill hired florists named Wadley & Smythe. They designed the main garden. Their design was inspired by the Pond Garden at Hampton Court Palace in England. By 1904, Vernon Court was considered one of "the ten most beautiful mansions in America."
Later Owners
The Gambrill family owned Vernon Court until 1956. Then, the house was sold at an auction. From 1963 to 1972, it was used as the main building for Vernon Court Junior College. This was a school just for girls. After the college closed, the mansion had several different owners over the next 25 years.
Vernon Court Today
In 1998, Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler bought Vernon Court. They are the people who started the National Museum of American Illustration. Today, the mansion is home to this museum. It holds a large collection of American illustrations. The building's style, from the Gilded Age, fits perfectly with the museum's focus. The museum highlights the "Golden Age of American Illustration."
Vernon Court is an important part of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1972.
See also
In Spanish: Vernon Court para niños
