Join Jim Donahue, Curator of Historic Landscapes & Horticulture of the Preservation Society of Newport County, on Thursday, December 18 at ll am at The Breakers for a behind the scenes tour of the holiday decoration process. Preservation Society members $20, general public $25. This is an Adult Event. Two other dates, December 4 and 11, are already sold out, but you may add your name to a waiting list. To register visit https://www.newportmansions.org/events/behind-the-scenes-the-breakers-holiday-decorations-3/
Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes, The Preservation Society of Newport County, will show participants how he prepares the Preservation Society’s cutting garden for a successful season of growing spectacular dahlias, sunflowers and much more. The vent will take place May 3 at 10 am in The Breakers Greenhouse, 53 Coggeshall Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.
Please wear boots or shoes you can get dirty, as this program will take place at the cutting garden. A tour of the greenhouse will follow. This is an outdoor event, rain or shine.
The greenhouse and cutting garden are located off Bateman Avenue, behind The Breakers Stable & Carriage House at 53 Coggeshall Ave., Newport. There is no onsite parking. Parking is available on Bateman Avenue. Please walk up the driveway between the stable building and the garden on your right to the red house behind. $25 for members, $30 for nonmmembers. Register at https://www.newportmansions.org/events/prepping-your-flower-beds/
Join Preservation Society Head Floral Designer Becky Bonnenfant and Linda Del Buono, Senior Buyer at R.J. Carbone Floral Distributors, to learn about designing holiday arrangements that go beyond poinsettias. Linda will discuss various creative options while Becky creates an arrangement right before your eyes. Attendees will also see some of the floral designs destined for display during Holidays at the Newport Mansions. The event takes place December 12 at 6 pm in the Stable and Carriage House, 53 Coggeshall Avenue in Newport, and is limited to 25 participants.
The Preservation Society of Newport County will hold its annual Holiday Dinner Dance event on Saturday, December 14 at 7:00 pm. This black-tie evening will begin with delicious hors d’oeuvre and cocktails amid the grandeur of The Breakers, which will be lavishly decorated for the holiday season. After drinks, guests will be seated for a holiday-inspired four-course dinner in the Great Hall and Dining Room, followed by dancing in the Music Room. To purchase tickets, call the Special Events Office at (401) 847-1000, ext. 150 or ext. 140.
Tickets will not be available through the Newport Mansions website. Questions? Email Events@NewportMansions.org. $1000 Patrons. $600 Preservation Society Members, $750 Non-Members
The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms will be decorated in their traditional, lavish fashion for The Preservation Society of Newport County’s “Holidays at the Newport Mansions,” from November 22, 2024 to January 1, 2025. In addition, Chateau-sur-Mer will be open for the first two weeks of the holiday season. Its first floor will be fully decorated in the spirit of the holidays – the first time in 25 years! Nearly 30 Christmas trees are exquisitely decorated to complement the décor and theme of each room, like Mr. Vanderbilt’s tree in The Breakers, ornamented with trains and top hats! Hundreds of poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral arrangements add color, warmth and life. As always, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers – made up of 150 poinsettia plants – provides a perfect holiday photo opportunity. Admission for daytime house tours during the holiday period is by our regular tickets: The Breakers, One-House, Duo or Trio. These tickets are good for any date and time the mansions are open and can be purchased online or in person when you visit. All houses closed Thanksgiving Day, November 28, and Christmas Day, December 25. On December 24, all houses close at 2 pm.
The Preservation Society of Newport County will offer a series of six Zoom lectures on The Gilded Age Years: Transforming America, beginning April 13 at 6 pm. The series will also be presented live at The Breakers. The series of 6 online talks is available as a bundle for $50.
This series will be unlike anything the Preservation Society has ever offered: A truly comprehensive look at the period that gave shape to modern America. It starts with “The Gilded Age: Past and Present,” where Dr. Michael Patrick Cullinane of Dickinson State University, an award-winning author and the host of the popular podcast “The Gilded Age and Progressive Era,” will address the question: Are we living in a second Gilded Age?
Each program will be given in the Great Hall of The Breakers, a space that epitomizes the Gilded Age. See www.newportmansions.org/events for the full schedule.
There are plenty of other ticket options available: In-person tickets for each individual program at regular or member price; Zoom registration for all six at a discounted price; and Zoom registration for each single program.
Cartoon, Labor’s discontent with Capital. Courtesy of Dr. Michael Patrick Cullinane
The Preservation Society of Newport County’s Annual Meeting is set for Thursday, June 10, at 6 p.m. on the grounds of The Breakers. The meeting will include the election of the Board of Trustees, including five terrific new nominees, as well as the presentation of our Antiquarian Award and Laurel Awards for Artisanship, Horticulture and Volunteerism. Seating is very limited and registration is required by June 3. Email AnnualMeeting@NewportMansions.org or call (401) 847-1000, ext. 111.
John Grove, Landscape Architect, and Leslie Carter, Landscape Architect, Reed Hilderbrand, will speak on Wednesday, October 25 at 11 am at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport.
The Preservation Society of Newport County commissioned Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects of Cambridge, MA in collaboration with Robinson & Associates Landscape Historians of Washington, DC to prepare a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for The Breakers. A CLR documents a site’s history and existing conditions, provides an analysis of the landscape’s integrity and significance, and outlines treatment recommendations for the preservation, interpretation and stewardship of the property. Join us to learn about the fascinating history of The Breakers grounds and the guidelines established in preparation for its upcoming landscape rehabilitation. Image from www.change.org.
The Preservation Society of Newport County will host a lecture on Wednesday, October 11 at 11 am at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport. Jim Donahue, Curator of Historic Landscapes & Horticulture for the Society, will speak on Ernest Bowditch: Out of Olmsted’s Shadow. Ernest W. Bowditch (1850-1918) was a key figure in the evolution of the profession of landscape architecture in the late 19th century. Over a 40-year career, Bowditch’s firm designed over 2,500 projects ranging from Gilded Age estate master plans to designs for planned garden suburbs and civil engineering projects. The Breakers landscape plan helped to launch Bowditch, and he returned to redesign the site over the course of his career. Come and learn about Bowditch, his relationship to the Vanderbilts, and the private paradise they created at The Breakers.
The glitter of gold and the sparkle of silver will dazzle you as you tour two magnificent mansions decked out in Yuletide finery. The Breakers and Marble House–two National Historic Landmarks and icons of the Gilded Age in America–are filled with thousands of poinsettias, fresh flowers, evergreens and wreaths. Decorated Christmas trees reflecting individual room decor anchor many of the magnificent spaces. Dining tables set with period silver and china complete the elegant setting. And windows of each mansion are lit with individual white candles, in keeping with the colonial tradition. A working garden scale model of the Vanderbilt family’s New York Central Railroad will be on display in the second floor loggia of The Breakers, traveling through a village made up of gingerbread replicas of some of the Newport Mansions, created by local pastry chefs.
Thursday, December 1, leave Tower Hill at 8am and return by 5:30pm. If you wish to meet the group in Newport please call 508-869-6111. Tower Hill Member $125, Non-member $150, includes transportation, lunch, and admissions to the Breakers and Marble House. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
