Newport Casino

Newport Casino is a historic social club in Newport, Rhode Island, designed in the Shingle style with timber facades, open-air porches, and landscaped courtyards. The grounds include multiple playing courts, including tennis lawns, and rooms for social events spread across several connected buildings.

James Gordon Bennett Jr. commissioned the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White in 1879 to design this social venue on the site of the Stone Villa estate. The complex quickly became the center of Newport social life during the Gilded Age.

The name refers to a place for social entertainment rather than gambling, as was common in the 19th century. The grass surfaces still serve as venues for tennis competitions and draw players from around the world.

The complex now houses the International Tennis Hall of Fame with guided tours, exhibition spaces, and opportunities to watch matches on the historic grass courts. Access to the courtyards and porches offers a view into the design of late 19th-century architecture.

The first official United States men's tennis championships took place on these courts in 1881 before later moving to New York. The timber shingles on the facades were arranged asymmetrically on purpose to give the building a natural and less formal appearance.

Location: Newport

Architects: McKim, Mead & White

Architectural style: Shingle style architecture

Part of: Bellevue Avenue Historic District, Bellevue Avenue/Casino Historic District

Address: 9 Freebody Street, Newport, RI 02840

GPS coordinates: 41.48222,-71.30750

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:28