My partner, David, and I feel so blessed and fortunate to reside in a living piece of history – one of the exquisite Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) historic houses.
We have been living in the John Davis House (c. 1804) at 68 William Street for the last 23 years. It has really been such a unique opportunity and experience. Not only do we reside in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, surrounded by sea, sun and sky, but we are also part of American colonial history.
The John Davis House is one of the over 70 properties restored by NRF, cared for by restoration experts, and stewarded by their tenants. Nowhere else in the world could we be afforded this same opportunity. Doris Duke’s brilliant vision to create this wonderful preservation foundation has made a dream come true for us and preserved the most examples of colonial architecture in America in one city, Newport.
Each of the NRF houses has its own unique history and story. My little house called me away from New York City—a city I never thought I would leave. But, while working on assignments for our specialized lighting business at local Newport museums, David and I were introduced to Newport with its glorious narrow streets, colonial architecture and neighborhoods. We fell in love with the city!
During one of our business trips to Newport, we walked by the John Davis House and noticed a plaque, which included the house name, year and the initials “NRF” on it. Through a window, I saw a man sitting in the living room. We knocked on the front door. The man who answered the door was a Newport historian. I asked him to “tell us about all these houses with the NRF plaques?” He invited us in and told us about Doris Duke and the concept of the NRF.
He found the foundation’s phone number in the yellow pages for us (this was before the Internet!) and said the houses are all rental properties and that one needed to apply.
I returned to NYC and got back into the hurried pace of the city and forgot to apply. Months later, after reading a New York Times article about Doris Duke and her NRF project, I immediately sent for an application, filled it out and submitted it. Within two weeks of applying, I received a call from the NRF offices informing me that a small house, the John Davis House at 68 William Street, was available and asked when I would like to see it. I told them I’d already been in the house and loved it. David and I instantly decided to move to Newport! Just like that. It was the best decision of our lives. It provided us with the best of both worlds—to live and work in Newport with clients in New York, Boston and all over the nation. We have never looked back!
It has been simply a dream come true to live in the John Davis House, which has become our home and working environment. Over the years, there have been unusual connections between this house and the people we have come to know. We have met two previous stewards who lived in the property as well as another couple who actually studied and measured the John Davis House over decades and recreated its proportions in their home in Massachusetts. This couple have become one of our most treasured friends. It is amazing the unique connections which have been made, bringing us together through this wonderful house. There is something gloriously mysterious about how these properties continue to make their own history richer as the years go by.
In addition to living in this beautiful house right in the heart of Newport, we have created a secret garden. Over the past two decades we have gradually planted many trees, perennials and annuals, and built a small koi pond, creating a dreamy little special hidden garden where we can enjoy nature in an urban environment and host magical lunches for friends and business colleagues.
Somehow, these historic houses select their stewards to ensure that their history will be carried on in a lively, loving fashion.
In the Fall of 2020, the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) embarked on a historic structures report (HSR) at the William Vernon House (46 Clarke Street). The process has literally taken NRF behind the walls, and beneath the floorboards, to gain a deeper understanding of the building’s history.
Before the HSR, the history of the Vernon House was largely limited to what could be learned from archival research or gleaned through observations of the house’s extant conditions. Through the combined efforts of techniques such as building archeology, paint analysis, and dendrochronology, a much richer history has been uncovered.
Take the northwest attic room as an example. By carefully removing floorboards, the HSR team uncovered original carpenter’s marks. In Colonial timber-frame construction, each joint is custom cut and these carpenter’s marks, or marriage marks, ensure that the timbers prepared for the house are assembled in the correct locations when brought on site. These marks are seen throughout the Vernon House, but not always intact. In the northwest attic room, however, they are still in numerical order (i.e. I, II, III, etc.), meaning they are in their original location and therefore likely representative of the earliest iteration of the house (c. 1708), before it was expanded to its present size.
Just down the hall, the removal of additional floorboards revealed whitewash and black paint that appears to delineate an earlier staircase. The function of this staircase is still unknown. Could it have served as a passageway for servants or enslaved people from the attic to a lean-to kitchen addition, no longer extant? Or, did it run alongside a chimney that once existed in the center of the house? No matter what conclusion is drawn by the HSR team, the scar of this staircase provides insight into the original floorplan and how the occupants moved within the house.
Traveling downstairs to the second floor, selective removal of wooden baseboards demonstrated that there was once a black mopboard (or, plaster painted black to depict a faux baseboard). This finish is seen throughout the house, even on top of the chinoiserie panels in the northwest parlor on the first floor. This indicates that before the installation of the elaborate millwork seen today, there was a period of time in which the house was finished with much simpler details.
Finally, in the northwest parlor on the first floor, where the famous painted chinoiserie murals are located, untouched mural remnants were found below the windows, behind the window seats. This evidence indicates that the murals were more extensive than what exists today, helping one envision what the room may have looked like in the early-eighteenth century.
These examples provide just a quick glimpse into the discoveries being made at the Vernon House, and the immense value that careful research and investigation bring to preservation and stewardship efforts.
When someone asks me what some of the more interesting things in Doris Duke’s fashion collection are my usual answer is how many lesser-known designers are in it. This is a bit misleading because Doris Duke did have a fair amount of high-end, couture, and custom fashions in her Rough Point closets from big name designers that you would think of like Christian Dior and Balenciaga. I think the diverse range of designers in her wardrobe speak to Doris’s independence and her interest in supporting up and coming artists, both in the fashion world and as she did through her philanthropy within the music and dance world.
For a 1981 Met Gala (before Anna Wintour made it THE fashion event of the year), Duke chose to wear a relatively unknown designer, Dimitri Kritsas (born late 1930s), a fashion designer from Greece with only a small New York boutique. We don’t know how Doris Duke came upon the designer, but she made a big decision to wear his gown that evening and chose to be photographed wearing it.
Tina Leser (1910-1986), an American designer who is becoming more recognized in scholarly fashion history circles in the last decade or so, was clearly one of Doris Duke’s favorites. There are over a dozen items from Leser in the collection that span the range of her career and Doris’s life. It is possible the two women knew each other as they both spent considerable time in Honolulu prior to World War II; Leser and Duke likely would have been a part of the same social circles. There is still more research to be conducted on the extent of their relationship, including how long Doris was a client of the designer (much of Leser’s company archives are housed at the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles). Leser’s design aesthetic fits well into Doris’s jet set lifestyle, interest in Eastern aesthetics, and the casual elegance of caftans, robes, and sundresses.
Some of the lesser-known designers in the Doris Duke fashion collection are items purchased on her world travels. Many of these items represent traditional dress of countries she visited, especially in Southeast Asia where Doris Duke spent considerable time in the 1960s and 1970s to build a collection of Southeast Asian art. Star of Siam (founded 1955 by Americans Vera & Lewis Cykman) was a Bangkok, Thailand-based silk company that specialized in custom tailored clothing in the Thai style. There are close to twenty pieces of fashion from this company, as well as many yards of Thai silk used in upholstery around Doris Duke’s homes, including the curtains in Doris’s bedroom at Rough Point.
Taj of India (founded 1950) is perhaps one of the most fascinating lesser-known designers in Doris Duke’s closet—a maker of a pair of shoes so beloved by Doris, she owned over 20 pairs of the pointy-toe flats in almost every color available! Taj Tajerie, a female designer from India, created the brand. Doris purchased them from small boutiques and well-known department stores both in Hawaii and in New York like M. M. Merry, Ltd. and Nordstrom. A fun fact about this brand- the designer created all the shoes for the show I Dream of Jeannie!
There’s an old adage that you can learn a lot about people of the past through looking at their clothes. If you look at the many items of Doris Duke’s clothing collection, you would learn that her clothing is almost as eccentric as the woman herself – and these pieces hold many memories and stories we are still learning about today.
By Kristen Costa, Senior Curator at Newport Restoration Foundation
Keeping programming at Prescott Farm free. Providing virtual learning opportunities. Preserving important historic buildings along the streetscapes of Newport.
These are just a few of the activities that our dedicated Restoration Partners support with their ongoing, monthly gifts. By joining Restoration Partners, your monthly gift will provide consistent support to the work we do every day to preserve Newport’s architectural and cultural heritage.
Will you help us meet our goal of welcoming 20 new monthly donors?
In honor of Historic Preservation Month this May, we invite you to become part of this community of individuals who care deeply about protecting historic resources in Newport and beyond. As a Restoration Partner, your monthly contribution is immediately directed toward NRF’s ongoing work.
There are many advantages to joining the program. Your monthly gift is fully tax-deductible and automatically charged to your credit card or bank account. Partners receive special benefits and invitations to private events. We send a year-end tax statement outlining your cumulative giving.
Please visit our website at www.newportrestoration.org/donate to learn more about the program and to make your gift. Thank you for supporting NRF and for caring about preservation in Newport.
This Earth Day head out to Prescott Farm for Nature Bingo! Practice your observation skills and see how many items you can find in nature.
People who study things in nature are called biologists. When you study nature, you should be careful to “Leave No Trace”—be respectful and considerate of the people and wildlife you encounter, and leave whatever you find. After all, you wouldn’t want someone taking anything from your home without permission!
Find as many items as you can on your Nature Bingo sheet—five in a row means Bingo!
Nature Bingo worksheets will be available outside Hicks House on the Prescott Farm site (the red building right next to the herb garden when you enter the site), and also available to download below and print. Pencils are also available at Prescott Farm.
Don’t forget! – Take a photo of your Nature Bingo sheet and your favorite item you found, and post it to social media tagged @nptrestoration for a chance to win a pair of adult and child gardening gloves! Photos must be posted and tagged between April 17, 2021 and Monday, April 26, 2021 for entry. Winners will be notified via social media.
This April, nonprofit organizations across Rhode Island are participating in the statewide giving day known as #401Gives. Starting at 6:00 a.m. on April 1, you can visit 401Gives.org and donate to one or more of the many participating nonprofits in the Rhode Island community.
What is 401Gives?
401Gives is an initiative of United Way of Rhode Island. Its purpose is to bring a collective voice to Rhode Island’s nonprofit community and deepen the state’s culture of philanthropy.
As a local nonprofit organization, NRF is proud to participate in 401Gives as a way to educate our neighbors on the wide range of activities we engage in within our community, our state, and beyond. Many of the programs and experiences we offer are possible thanks to you – our generous neighbors and friends on Aquidneck Island – and those statewide who visit our museum properties annually.
How can you make a difference on 401Gives Day?
Whether you decide to make a gift to NRF on April 1, or another organization, we hope you will participate if you’re able.
Check out NRF’s microsite site to learn more about what we do and to make your gift.
Like and share our posts on Facebook and Instagram to spread the word to others who can join the 401Gives movement and support local nonprofits
Questions? Comments?
If you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact Development Coordinator Alicia Cipriano at 401-849-7300, Ext. 117.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, for participating in this greater community effort, and for caring about the well-being of all Rhode Islanders!
