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.
Tour Doris Duke’s art-filled mansion and enjoy panoramic ocean views from the extensive grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Open late March to November.
Experience the only museum in the world specializing in 18th-century Newport furniture and related decorative arts. Open late May to October.
Explore 40 acres of open space, a tribute to the agrarian heritage of Aquidneck Island. The site is open daily from dawn to dusk for public enjoyment.
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.
Help us to continue a lived-in legacy by becoming a Restoration Partner today.
Classification: Full-time (Non-exempt) year round
Department: Grounds
Reports to: Grounds & Gardens Supervisor
Job Summary: The Newport Restoration Foundation is seeking qualified applicants to join our Grounds and Gardens Crew, located at the Rough Point Museum, on the waterfront in Newport. This role provides year round maintenance of the ground and facilities of historic properties with the ability to work in a variety of inclement weather conditions. Work is performed as part of a crew or independently. Groundskeeper is available as an on call employee for snow removal and disaster response.
Salary Range: $41,600 ($20.00 per hour),100% employer paid medical, dental vision life, insurance, employer contribution to health savings account, 401(k) contribution (not a match), 15 vacation days, 10 sick days, holidays, professional development assistance.
Specific Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé to maeve@newportrestoration.org. The position is open until filled. EOE.
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Classification: Part-time (20 hours per week) year round, (Non-exempt)
Job Summary: The Newport Restoration Foundation is seeking applicants to join our Grounds and Gardens Crew, located at the Rough Point Museum, on the waterfront in Newport. The Grounds & Gardens Assistant will work with the Estate Gardener and the Grounds Crew on the maintenance of the grounds and gardens at several NRF properties, including Rough Point, Whitehorne House, Prescott Farm, and 51 Touro Street.
Salary: $15.50 per hour and a 401(k) contribution (not a match); flexible schedule
To apply, please send a résumé and cover letter to maeve@newportrestoration.org.
Fall is in full swing and programming continues at Rough Point Museum. We hope you will join us for the exciting variety of programs planned this month!
TGIF Performance with Mixtapes and Pitches with Attitude Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Ave.) Friday, October 7 6:30 p.m. $15, $5 for Salve Regina University students
Salve Regina University’s a cappella groups, Mixtapes and Pitches with Attitude, will close out our TGIF performances for 2022! Pack a picnic, bring chairs or blankets, and join us in the Formal Garden. Doors open at 6 p.m. In the event of rain, this program will be held indoors.
Funding provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.
Asian Export Art: A Discussion with Karina Corrigan Rough Point Museum Thursday, October 20 6 p.m. $15
Karina Corrigan, Associate Director – Collections and the H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art at the Peabody Essex Museum, will discuss the collecting of Asian export art (art made in China, Japan, and South Asia for export around the world) by Doris Duke, her parents, and others in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her talk will highlight pieces on display in our special exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection.
Spooky Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum Saturday, October 29 5 to 7 p.m. $20, free for Newport County residents
Just in time for Halloween, grab your costume and come see Rough Point at its spookiest. Rooms will be illuminated by candlelight and the Formal Garden will be decorated with jack-o-lanterns.
Museum Property Updates: Rough Point Museum is open for the regular season through Sunday, November 13. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The museum will also be open on Monday, October 10 for Indigenous Peoples Day. Rough Point will reopen for A Rough Point Holiday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from November 25 to January 1 (excluding December 24 and 25). Ring in the winter season with us at Jazz in the House on Saturday, November 26 at 6 p.m.
Whitehorne House Museum, at 416 Thames Street in Newport, will close for the season on Sunday, October 30. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Prescott Farm, at 2009 West Main Road in Middletown, is open daily from dawn to dusk.
September brings with it a new season and the last of our Whitehorne Days and Second Sundays programming for 2022. We hope you will join us for these fun upcoming events! Advance registration is encouraged.
Whitehorne Day: Port City
Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames St.)
Saturday, September 10
12 – 3 p.m.: Drop in for crafts, activities, and more
3-4:30 p.m.: Discussion with Silver Moon of the Tomaquag Museum
Free admission to the event and museum
Discover the role of the ocean in Newport life in the 18th and 21st centuries! From 12 to 3 p.m., drop into the garden to take part in crafts, activities, and conversations with craftspeople, experts, and shop owners. Uncover the secrets of the ocean with the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, learn all about sailing with the crew of the Oliver Hazard Perry, and meet team members from The Sailing Museum and the Tomaquag Museum. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a discussion with Silver Moon from the Tomaquag Museum.
Whitehorne Days programming is made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.
Second Sundays
Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Rd., Middletown)
Sunday, September 11
12-3 p.m.
Free admission
Climb inside the historic Robert Sherman Windmill, explore the gardens with URI’s Master Gardeners, and enjoy the beauty of this open space. This month, the Boys and Girls Club of Newport County invites you to try your hand at rock painting!
Roam Around Rough Point Seasonal Celebration
Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Ave.)
Saturday, September 24
5-7 p.m.
Join us for a very special Roam Around event to celebrate the end of summer! In celebration, admission is free for all attendees. Enjoy complimentary refreshments including Del’s Lemonade, listen to live music by local blues band Cee Cee and the Riders, and challenge your friends to lawn games overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
About The Museum Properties:
Active duty military and their families receive free admission to Rough Point and Whitehorne House Museums through Monday, September 5. Rough Point is open on Monday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To plan your visit, please visit newportrestoration.org/tickets.
Newport Restoration Foundation is thrilled to welcome you to our museum properties this August for a variety of free and ticketed programs. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Summer Stories Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) Fridays / 10– 11 a.m. Free admission
Listen to storybook readings in the garden and put together a themed craft to take home. This program is recommended for kids aged Pre-K to first grade. Admission to the museum is also free for families with children under the age of 12 on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon through August 26.
TGIF Performance with the Rhode Island Black Storytellers Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) Friday, August 5 / 6:30-7:30 p.m. $15
Join the Rhode Island Black Storytellers and Funda Story Camp students for emancipation-themed stories in the Formal Garden. Attendees can bring blankets, chairs, and picnics for the performance. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Funding is provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.
Whitehorne Day: Makers Past and Present Whitehorne House Museum Saturday, August 13 12 – 3 p.m.: Drop in for crafts, activities and more 3-4:30 p.m.: Panel discussion Free admission to the event and museum (advance registration is encouraged)
Drop into the garden at Whitehorne House Museum for an afternoon of free hands-on activities for the whole family including weaving, soap making and printmaking on textiles! From 12 to 3 p.m., the garden will be open for visitors to take part in crafts, activities, and conversations with Newport artists and craftspeople including the Timber Framers Guild, Newport Sea Foam Trading Co., the Saunderstown Weaving School, and Niko Merritt of Sankofa Community Connection.
From 3 to 4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a discussion on crafts and makers in Newport from the 18th century to today with historians Keith Stokes and Steve Marino.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Rd., Middletown) Sunday, August 14 / 12-3 p.m. Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. In August, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island teaches us everything they know about birds! Visitors can also explore the interior of the historic Robert Sherman Windmill, Guard House, and Hicks House, and see what’s in bloom in the gardens, maintained by the University of Rhode Island’s Master Gardeners.
Yoga in the Yard Rough Point Museum Wednesday, August 17 / 6 – 7 p.m. $15- Advance registration recommended
Exhale your stress with a relaxing and re-energizing all-levels yoga class led by Middletown’s Innerlight Center for Yoga & Meditation, set against our expansive ocean backdrop. Attendees must bring their own yoga mat.
Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum Saturday, August 27 / 5-7 p.m. $20, free for Newport County residents
Roam around the house and grounds of Rough Point Museum during this special after-hours event! Explore the Formal and Kitchen Gardens, snap a #camelgram, and see the 2022 exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection. Complete a different family-friendly craft or activity each month. In August, make camel art in honor of Doris Duke’s camels Princess and Baby!
Tickets are free for Newport County residents. Free round-trip shuttle transportation will be provided from certain locations in Newport; advance sign-ups for the shuttle are required. For more information on free transportation, please contact visit@newportrestoration.org.
Tickets for these events are available at the door and in advance at newportrestoration.org/events.
Newport Restoration Foundation is excited to welcome you for events at our museums this July. Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, and Prescott Farm will offer a variety of free and ticketed programs for all ages and interests. Please mark your calendars for upcoming special events including:
TGIF Performance with Yoruba 2 Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) Friday, July 1 / 6:30 – 7:30 PM $15
Join us for our monthly outdoor art performance series on the grounds of Rough Point. In July, Lydia Perez and Yoruba 2, an award-winning and nationally recognized traditional music and dance group will perform Puerto Rican folk music and other Caribbean rhythms in the Formal Garden. Visitors can bring blankets, chairs, and snacks to enjoy during the performance. Grounds open at 6 p.m., and the performance begins at 6:30 p.m.
Whitehorne Day: Restoration and Conservation Whitehorne House Museum Saturday, July 9 12 – 3 p.m. : Drop in for crafts, activities and more 3-4:30 p.m.: Collective Perspectives panel discussion Free admission to the event and museum (advance registration is encouraged)
From 12-3 p.m., visitors of all ages are invited to drop in for a fun afternoon celebrating restoration and conservation. Explore how NRF carpenters perfectly match centuries-old carvings during the restoration process and try your hand at cleaning historic objects with our museum staff. Visitors can also meet craftspeople, experts, and shop owners who work in the restoration and conservation fields.
From 3-4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a Collective Perspectives panel discussion featuring Director of Museums, Erik Greenberg; Director of Preservation, Alyssa Lozupone, NRF Mill Supervisor, Peter Raposa; and Tom Newbold from the Landmark Facilities Group. The panel will discuss the day-to-day work of historic preservation at NRF and also share findings of our recent, National Endowment for the Humanities-funded study of the Whitehorne House Museum.
Whitehorne Days programming is made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Road, Middletown) Sunday, July 10 / 12 – 3 p.m. Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. In July, the team from West Place Animal Sanctuary visits the farm.
Yoga in the Yard Rough Point Museum Wednesday, July 13 / 6 – 7 p.m. $15- Advance registration recommended
Bring your yoga gear and join us for a relaxing and re-energizing vinyasa yoga class led by Middletown’s Innerlight Center for Yoga & Meditation, set against our expansive ocean backdrop.
Jazz on the Lawn Rough Point Museum Thursday, July 14 / 6 to 8 p.m. $20 – Advance registration recommended
Celebrate Doris Duke’s affinity for jazz music and Newport’s special connection to the art form! Settle in on the grounds of Rough Point and listen while the Mar Fayos Project jams on the terrace. Mar Fayos, a vocalist from Barcelona, and her band will perform an exciting mix of traditional jazz and jazz fusion. Complete your evening with a curated charcuterie box from locally-owned Bellevue Boards! Add a box (or more than one) to your ticket order and pick it up at check-in.
Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum Saturday, July 30 / 5 – 7 p.m. $20, Newport County residents are free!
On the last Saturday of every month, explore the house and gardens after hours. Newport County residents receive FREE admission! This July, make a sand castle just like Doris Duke did as a kid! Free transportation will be provided from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Florence Gray Center in Newport; advance sign-ups for the shuttle are required. For more information on free transportation, please contact visit@newportrestoration.org.
For more information, visit newportrestoration.org/events.
Historic homes require regular maintenance, and Rough Point Museum is no exception. Recent visitors will have seen exterior scaffolding and preservation contractors working diligently. The museum’s roof system is currently undergoing restoration to address water infiltration. With increases in storms and precipitation due to climate change, it’s more important than ever to protect this historic structure and plan for its future. NRF’s Director of Preservation, Alyssa Lozupone, describes the meticulous restoration process in our latest video.
You can help us maintain Rough Point Museum and the other historic homes in our collection by becoming a Restoration Partner. To learn more about our monthly giving program, click here.
Whether you are looking for a perfect gift or are celebrating the coming of spring, check out what’s new at our museum store. Thank you for shopping local and supporting your favorite museums!
For lounging in style: Featuring custom patterns from Rough Point and Whitehorne House Museum, these super comfy and stylish lounge pants are ultra soft and come with handy front pockets. Perfect for being at home or on the go!
Doris Duke’s recently re-upholstered chaise lounge inspired us with its bold blossoms, birds, and butterflies pattern. Check out our new carry-all and yoga pants featuring this fabulous pattern.
Send a note through snail mail (or a #camelgram). Send a note to a friend or collect these postcards as prints!
For tea-enthusiasts: Featuring delicious flavors and custom patterns inspired by Rough Point and Whitehorne House Museum, this collection has everything you need for a fancy afternoon tea or for enjoying a cozy, relaxing cuppa.
These custom coasters protect surfaces from spills, work well with a cozy cup of tea, and make perfect gifts.
For journaling : Jot down your thoughts, record your dreams, decompress after a long day, make lists, or doodle away with these custom, themed journals. Now in the popular Floral Wallpaper pattern!
For those who know every day is Caturday: Named after Whitehorne House Museum’s honorary cat, Luna the onrament is a purrfect and festive addition to your home. And unlike the real Luna, this ornament is safe around holiday trees!
Get ready for spring: Don’t forget your gardener gloves—our collection now includes *new* Garden of Paradise arm saver gloves and our weeder gloves are now back in stock!
Cozy up with this soft, handmade Newport Blanket, named for the city of Newport. Perfect for a sunrise yoga session, gathering together for s’mores around a bonfire, getting comfy for a movie marathon, listening to a music festival, enjoying a good book in a grassy park, watching sunsets on the beach, and delicious picnics on summer days.
Inspired by Asia: The Collection: Inspired by the vibrant ceramics, gorgeously detailed fashion, and expertly crafted decorative arts on display at Rough Point? Want to discover more about East Asian craft and design and the Duke family’s collection? Check out these products curated in honor of this year’s special exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection.
We will be adding new custom products throughout the spring, so stay in touch and follow updates to our new collection here: https://shopnewportrestoration.org/collections/new-in-2022
Standard shipping is free with purchases of $35 or more. We now giftwrap as well: Take the stress out of gift-giving. Select the giftwrapping option to have your gifts be beautifully wrapped in paper featuring hand-drawn illustrations and patterning.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are highlighting women collectors, artists, and makers who are an important part of the stories we tell at NRF.
Although Rough Point is not featured in HBO’s The Gilded Age show, it was certainly part of the real Gilded Age.
Just as fictional Bertha Russell plays an important role in the success of her family—including her husband’s business interests—so did Nanaline Duke. She knew how to successfully navigate society and to help her husband make and strengthen business connections through society events like dinners. She was responsible for creating a comfortable, well-ordered home by furnishing, decorating and arranging the spaces, and managing the household staff.
Newport was a center for the social elite to spend their summers. The Duke family vacationed in Newport long before they purchased Rough Point in 1922. Over the next two years, Nanaline worked to make Rough Point a showcase and an attractive place to host society events.
She was very hands-on and corresponded with the design firms and decorators working on the renovations (as she was during the construction on the Duke house on 78th Street and 5th Ave. in 1909). Although American women may have had limited rights—and only were guaranteed the right to vote in 1920—they exercised their economic buying power. Besides being involved with the design of the rooms, Nanaline also purchased objects and furnishings for Rough Point.
This invoice from June of 1924 is a list from shopping excursions to a local Newport store, John H. Kazanjian & Co., specializing in “Oriental” wares. Items Nanaline purchased included 15 dining room chairs (and 15 wastebaskets!), 2 sugar bowls, 16 pillows, and many other assorted household goods.
There is a tendency to dismiss women’s shopping in this period as frivolous and unimportant. In fact, the press would later dismiss daughter Doris Duke’s behavior as “shopping” when she was in the process of amassing a significant collection of art from Southeast Asia and from the Islamic world.
But middle-class and wealthy women—through their purchases, their social rituals, and philanthropic work—helped shape American consumer culture (the rise of big department stores!), ideas about philanthropy and charitable giving, and collections of objects that are collected and stewarded in museums today.
Our upcoming exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection, also explores the role Nanaline played in collecting art and design from Asia. Many of the objects on display at Rough Point today were purchased by Nanaline Duke—discover Nanaline’s influence on Rough Point’s design the next time you visit.
This bright and bold pattern featuring birds, butterflies, and blossoms is on the fabric covering the recently reupholstered chaise lounge in Doris Duke’s bedroom.
As part of the conservation process for the chaise, the Griswold Textile Mill reproduced the pattern from the fabric that had naturally deteriorated. The Griswold Textile Mill in Westerly, RI. was established in 1937 and is one of the only fully operational, hand printed fabric mills in the United States. The hand printed fabric now has UV protection to help with the longevity of the upholstery. Doris Duke chose the pattern—along with others—from the Thai Silk Co. sometime after 1983.
Established in 1951, the Thai Silk Co. produced fabrics made with Thai silk by skilled Thai weavers. The brand became known internationally, especially after Queen Sirikit became a patron and wore Thai silk during her tour of 15 Western nations in 1960.
You can see this striking chaise the next time you visit Rough Point Museum—and you can learn more about Thai silk in our upcoming special exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection.
