Newport Houses - Hardcover

Mulvaugh, Jane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0847809129 ISBN 13: 9780847809127

Publisher: Rizzoli, 1989

Synopsis

The architectural heritage of Newport, Rhode Island encompasses the rich and lively history of the people who have lived there. The city's public and private buildings reflect the varied attitudes, styles and tastes adopted by the American nation, from the colonial settlers in the seventeenth century who sought religious and political freedom to the socialite robber barons of the late nineteenth century whose enormous wealth bought the freedom to pursue life's pleasures. Simple clapboard houses and religious buildings exist in he same context as the opulent summer cottages and mansions, built with the finest materials available. Newport architecture presents a splendidly diverse picture of American building at its best.

Internationally acclaimed photographer Roberto Schezen records the great range of Newport buildings. Focusing especially on the outstanding private houses and compounds throughout the city, Schezen's keen eye captures the magnificent decorative details, grand interiors and dramatic settings that give Newport an unsurpassed position as a national architectural treasure. The many styles that are part of the American architectural vocabulary are presented, including the Greek Revival, the Stick and Shingles Styles, and the eclectic ostentation that characterized the so-called Gilded Age.

The accompanying text tells the stories behind the numerous residences and public buildings, shedding light on the personalities behind the construction of landmarks such as the Breakers, Marble House, Touro Synagogue, the Quaker Meeting House, the Newport Casino and the Redwood Library. The celebrated and the famous contributed to Newport's growth, from its early days as a trading center to its development as a major summer resort colony to its most recent incarnation as a model for preservation efforts. Newport Houses, for the first time, brings the whole story together in an intriguing and comprehensive fashion.

About this title

About the Author:

Roberto Schezen lives and works in Milan and New York. His photographs have appeared in two previous Rizzoli volumes, Adolf Loos and Places and Memories, and he is a regular contributor to many leading international architecture, design and fashion magazines. Many of his photographs are included in the permanent collection of the Canadian Center of Photography in Toronto and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Jane Mulvagh is a specialist in the social history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and works as the fashion historian at British Vogue in London. She is a frequent contributor to Apollo and is the author of the Vogue History of Twentieth Century Fashion and Costume Jewelry in Vogue.

Mark A. Weber is the Manager of the Technical Preservation Services Center at the New York Landmarks Conservancy. He previously worked as a historic preservation consultant in Newport and contributed to several restoration projects of the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Robert A. M. Stern is principal of the firm Robert A. M. Stern Architects in New York. A professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, he is the author of several books, including New York 1900, New York 1930 and Modern Classicism from Rizzoli.

From Library Journal:

The rich architectural history of Newport, R.I., spans several centuries. To describe them, the authors of this lavish volume have chosen a completely opposite approach from that of Antoinette F. Downing and Vincent J. Scully, Jr., in their standard The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island 1640-1915. That book, published over 30 years ago, is a highly scholarly tome stressing colonial and early 19th-century architecture. Its small black-and-white photographs record the exteriors of demolished and then-extant structures. In marked contrast, this glorious "picture book," with its 175 photographs of interior and exterior views, focuses on currently standing buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is obviously designed for browsing; the Contents page is the only aid for locating information. In the chatty text, discussion of architecture takes a back seat to anecdotes about colorful occupants. Artistic and visually inspiring? Yes, but in no way as informative as Downing and Scully's work.
- Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Historic Hudson Valley, Tarrytown, N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rizzoli
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0847809129
• ISBN 13: 9780847809127
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 228