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.
Designing for Doris was a collaboration between NRF and David Webb New York, jewelry designer to NRF’s founder, Doris Duke, and many other prominent figures from 1948 to the present. The exhibition highlighted the parallels between seemingly dissonant archival materials: exacting hand-drawn architectural plans and painterly sketches of bespoke jewelry. Thirty drawings, several pieces of David Webb jewelry, and related artifacts occupied a single jewel box gallery, underscoring the breadth of Duke's diverse interests and her transformative influence in art, design, and preservation from the late 1950s through the 1970s.
