Vernon Court, Renaissance mansion in Newport, United States
Vernon Court is a mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, built in the style of a French chateau from the early 1900s. The three-story building has a stone facade, tall arched windows, and marble-lined interior rooms that are largely in their original state.
The property was built in 1901 for Anna Van Nest Gambrill by architects Carrere and Hastings, known for their Beaux-Arts influenced designs. It was completed during a period when wealthy families competed to build the most elaborate summer houses along Bellevue Avenue.
The house is now home to the National Museum of American Illustration, showing works by artists such as Norman Rockwell and J.C. Leyendecker. The paintings hang in the original living rooms, so visitors see the art alongside the decorative details of the house itself.
The house is open mainly through guided tours that lead through the gallery rooms and formal spaces. The building has several floors connected by stairs, so comfortable shoes are a good idea.
The marble hall and ballroom were modeled after rooms at the Palace of Versailles, which was a rare choice for a private home in America. This detail helps explain why some of the interior spaces feel far more theatrical than the restrained stone facade outside might suggest.
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