Ochre Point is a historic neighborhood located on Newport, Rhode Island’s southeast side, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean along a series of cliffs. Along these cliffs the famed Cliff Walk was later created. The neighborhood largely developed its present character in the mid to late 19th century, as the southern part of Newport grew intensively as a setting for grand mansions picturesquely called “Newport Summer Cottages.” In conjunction with the famed mansions of Bellevue Avenue, Ochre Point became an important locus during the Gilded Age of what filmmaker Julian Fellowes has called “a Village of Palaces”.
These houses include buildings of a wide variety of styles including Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Shingle Style, and Châteauesque, among many others. In 1975 the area was recognized for its architectural and historical significance when the “Ochre Point–Cliffs Historic District” was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and include many National Historic Landmarks, thereby cementing its legacy as one of America’s premier 19th-century resort neighborhoods.
As part of the syllabus for a Circle of Scholars class and accompanying tour called “The Architecture and History of Ochre Point”, here is a compact architectural summary (with brief descriptions and histories) of the various important buildings in the district to help visitors and residents alike better know and appreciate these varied, but important, architectural treasures. We hope you enjoy this self-directed tour.
If you are undertaking a project within this district, or elsewhere in New England, that requires knowledgeable, capable architects, we hope you will reach out to the award-winning team at A4 Architecture, a three-time winner of the “Best Architecture Firm in Newport County” by the readers of Newport Life magazine.
01 – Ochre Court
- Richard Morris Hunt
- 1888-91
- French Chateau
- Located on Ochre Point Avenue
02 – Salve Chapel
- Robert A.M. Stern
- 2010
- Located on Ochre Point Avenue
03 – McAuley Hall (Vinland)
- Peabody & Stearns
- 1882
- Romanesque Revival
- Located on Ochre Point Avenue
04 – Rodgers Recreation Center
- Robert A.M. Stern
- 2000
- Interpretation of Shingle Style
- Located on Lawrence Avenue
05 – Ochre Point (Robert Goelet House)
- McKim, Mead, & White
- 1881-82
- Rustic Cottage
- Located on Ochre Point Avenue
06 – The Orchard
- George Champlin Mason
- 1873
- French Chateau
- Located on Narragansett Avenue
07 – Joseph Hart House (Bienvenue)
- Joseph Wells
- 1854
- Designed as Italianate Villa, Alterations in 1984
- Located on Narragansett Avenue
08 – Chepstow (Edward H. Schermerhorn House)
- George Champlin Mason
- 1860
- Italianate Villa
- Located on Narragansett Avenue
09 – Bois Dore (William Fahnestock House)
- Charles Platt
- 1928
- French Chateau
- Located on Narragansett Avenue
10 – Gravel Court
- George Champlin Mason
- 1860
- Italianate Villa
- Located off Narragansett Avenue
11 – Chateau-Nooga (Christopher Columbus Baldwin House)
- George B. Post
- 1870
- Queen Anne & Tudor
- Located on Bellevue Avenue
12 – Rockry Hall (Albert Sumner House)
- Seth C. Bradford
- 1848
- Gothic Revival & Queen Anne
- Located on Bellevue Avenue
13 – Ridgemere
- Peabody & Stearns
- 1898
- Queene Anne & Colonial Revival
- Located on Leroy Avenue
14 – Chateau-Sur-Mer
- Seth C. Bradford
- 1852
- Italianate Villa, Rebuilt in the Second Empire Style
- Located on Bellevue Avenue
15 – Vernon Court (National Museum of American Illustration)
- Carrere and Hastings
- 1898-1901
- French Chateau
- Located on Bellevue Avenue
16 – Watts Sherman House
- H.H. Richardson
- 1874
- Shingle Style
- Located on Shepard Avenue
17 – Salve Regina New Residence Hall
- Farrar & Associates
- 2026
- Located on corner of Shepard Avenue & Lawrence Avenue
18 – Munroe Center
- Dudley Newton
- 1888
- English Manor
- Located on Shepard Avenue
19 – The Breakers
- Richard Morris Hunt
- 1893-95
- Italian Renaissance Revival
- Located on Ochre Point Avenue
20 – Ochre Lodge
- Dudley Newton
- 1883
- Queene Anne
- Located on Ruggles Avenue
21 – Midcliff
- Peabody & Stearns
- 1886
- Queen Anne Shingle Style
- Located on Ruggles Avenue
22 – Honeysuckle Lodge
- Peabody & Stearns
- 1886
- Shingle Style
- Located on Ruggles Avenue
23 – Young Building
- Seth C. Bradford
- 1852-53
- Queen Anne
- Located on Bellevue Avenue