NRF promotes and invests in the architectural heritage of the Newport community, the traditional building trades, and Doris Duke’s fine and decorative arts collections, for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all.
As a leader in the preservation of early American architecture, NRF supports research and education in areas directly related to its collections and issues of critical concern to the field of historic preservation.
Visit Doris Duke’s art-filled mansion and enjoy panoramic ocean views from the extensive grounds. Open late March to November.
The Vernon House is a site for expansive story-telling, contemporary dialogue, and preservation trades skill-building.
Newport Restoration Foundation holds one of the largest collections of period architecture owned by a single organization anywhere in the United States.
Celebrate excellence in historic preservation efforts within the City of Newport, Rhode Island.
Live amidst history by renting one of our many historic properties.
15 Mill Street
The West-Hathaway House is a two-and-a half-story, gable-roof house with two end chimneys, an early chimney addition to the rear, and rural Federal details on the front façade. Built c.1800, the house was originally located in Tiverton, Rhode Island, and donated to the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) in 1977. It was then disassembled and re-located to its current site on Mill Street where it was restored in 1977-78.
The house came to NRF with an amazing ninety-five percent of the interior fabric in place. Sadly, very little of its Tiverton history has found its way to the NRF archives. The loss to Tiverton made way for new houses, while the reassembly in Newport replaced a small parking lot and a one-story, bunker-like structure built of cinder blocks. This added to the streetscape around Trinity Church and the larger development of Queen Anne Square, a project undertaken by NRF with the approval of the City of Newport and the Newport Redevelopment Agency.
Photo of the house before restoration.
