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 old house, called a mansion. It was designed by famous architects named Carrère and Hastings. You can find it at 492 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, right on the Atlantic coast of the United States. This mansion looks a bit like an old French castle from the 1700s, called Château d'Haroué.
History of Vernon Court
Vernon Court was built in 1900. It was meant to be a summer home for Anna Van Nest Gambrill (1865–1927). She was the wife of Richard Augustine Gambrill, a lawyer from New York.
Anna Gambrill had a lot of money. She got some from her husband. She also inherited a large amount from her father, Alexander T. Van Nest. He was a very successful businessman in the railroad industry.
Anna's sister, Jane, and her brother-in-law, Giraud Foster, had also hired Carrère and Hastings. They built their home, Bellefontaine, near Lenox, Massachusetts, a year before Vernon Court. Bellefontaine was one of the famous Berkshire Cottages.
The architects, Carrère and Hastings, usually planned the gardens and the house together. But for Vernon Court, Anna Gambrill hired her florists, Wadley & Smythe, to design the outdoor spaces. They made the main garden look a bit like the Pond Garden at Hampton Court Palace.
In 1904, Vernon Court was thought to be one of "the ten most beautiful mansions in America." The Gambrill family owned the property until 1956. Then, it was sold at an auction.
From 1963 to 1972, Vernon Court 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 and Judy 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 collection of American illustrations, which are like drawings and paintings used in books and magazines. The building's style, from the Gilded Age, fits perfectly with the museum's focus on the "Golden Age of American Illustration." This was a time when illustration art was very popular.
Vernon Court is an important part of the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added to the Register on December 8, 1972.
See also
In Spanish: Vernon Court para niños
Images for kids
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Château d'Haroué, the French mansion that inspired Vernon Court
