Great Friends Meeting House, Quaker meeting house in Newport, Rhode Island.
The Great Friends Meeting House is a two-story wooden structure with shingle siding, wide plank floors, and exposed ceiling beams throughout its interior spaces. The main room contains simple wooden benches and features a three-sided balcony for additional seating capacity.
The building was completed in 1699 and served as the largest structure between Boston and New York at that time. It hosted the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends until the assembly relocated in 1905.
The simple interior design demonstrates Quaker values through its absence of decoration and hierarchy. Visitors see plain benches arranged in a way that treats everyone as equal within the space.
The site is maintained by the Newport Historical Society and offers guided tours along with educational programs about the religious community's history. Allow time to walk through the rooms and observe the architectural details and spatial arrangement at your own pace.
From 1905 to 1970, this building served as a recreation center for the local African American community. This period of community use is an important chapter that visitors often overlook when learning about the site.
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