Winter 2016 • No. 177

A Publication of The Preservation Society of Newport County
Winter 2016 • No. 177
Winter 2016
1
2 Winter 2016
Winter 2016 • No. 177
Contents
page
4 The Cutting Edge
6 Kingscote Restoration Progressing
Collection Highlight
This portrait of Anne of Ditchley (c.1680)
by Sir Peter Lely, normally displayed in the
Morning Room of The Breakers, recently
underwent treatment at the Williamstown
Art Conservation Center. The painting was
re-lined, discolored varnish and overpaint
were removed, and a new layer of varnish
was applied. Over the winter, the portrait's
original carved and gilded 17th century
picture frame will be cleaned and conserved,
and once that's done, it will be reinstalled
in the Morning Room.
Front cover: Royal portraits of Louis XIV and Louis
XV are among the features of the rose-colored
marble dining room at Marble House.
Inside front cover: The portrait of Louis XIV,
School of Henri Testelin, 17th century
The Newport Gazette
A Publication of The Preservation
Society of Newport County
7 Champlin Comes Full Circle
8 Additions to the Collections
11 Arboretum Accreditation Achieved
12 Chepstow Goes Geothermal
13 Welcome Gift for Welcome Center
13 Admission, Membership News
14 Splendor at Sea Exhibition
15 Newport Symposium
16 Calendar
17 Employee News
19 Newport Flower Show
page
Editor: Andrea Carneiro
Design: Roskelly.com
Printing: Meridian Printing
©2015 The Preservation Society of Newport County
424 Bellevue Avenue, Newport RI 02840
(401) 847-1000
See the Newport Gazette in full color
as a flip book on-line at
www.NewportMansions.org
Thank you to our Donors
for their charitable contributions to the
Preservation Society’s mission
Our Mission
Great Houses connect people to a nation’s heritage and open windows to another
age. The Preservation Society of Newport County is a non-profit organization
whose mission is to protect, preserve, and present an exceptional collection of house
museums and landscapes in one of the most historically intact cities in America.
We hold in public trust the Newport Mansions® which are an integral part of the
living fabric of Newport, Rhode Island. These sites exemplify three centuries of the
finest achievements in American architecture, decorative arts, and landscape design
spanning the Colonial era to the Gilded Age. Through our historic properties,
educational programs, and related activities we engage the public in the story of
America’s vibrant cultural heritage. We seek to inspire and promote an appreciation
of the value of preservation to enrich the lives of people everywhere.
Become a Facebook friend of
The Preservation Society of Newport County
www.facebook.com/NewportMansions
Winter 2016
3
We began the restoration and conversion of The Elms Carriage
House to The Elms Scholars' Center. A key goal of our capital
campaign, this project was fully funded in 2015 thanks to a number
of generous donors, and our goal is to have it ready by next summer
to provide living and working space for our Fellows.
Our 88 acres of landscapes were accredited as the Newport
Mansions Arboretum. We have long prided ourselves on our
stewardship not only of our buildings and their collections, but of
our historic gardens and grounds as well. This designation recognizes
the professional management of our properties and our educational
programming related to landscapes.
The
Cutting Edge
by Trudy Coxe, CEO & Executive Director
As the Preservation Society closes out its 70th year, we have a lot
for which to be thankful. We accomplished some important goals,
welcomed many visitors eager to see our houses, and made significant
investments to ensure the sustainability of both the institution and our
collections well into the future.
Even a partial list of our accomplishments over the past year is
remarkable. Consider:
We created a new exhibition gallery encompassing several rooms
on the second floor of Rosecliff. Climate and U/V light control were
installed, electrical systems and fire suppression systems were upgraded, and we now have a space that will allow us to borrow and present
objects from other accredited museums, but also assures the continued
preservation of our own collections and the building. Our first exhibition, Newport & Her Southern Sisters, was a success, and a bigger
exhibition, Splendor at Sea, will open this spring, as you'll read about
elsewhere in this Gazette.
We exceeded our capital campaign goal of $21 million by more than
43%. We have just over one million dollars to raise for two campaign
priorities - the welcome center at The Breakers and the Endowed
Fund for Fellows. We have completed fundraising for The Elms
Scholars' Center and the Collections Fund.
4 Winter 2016
A geothermal climate control system was installed at Chepstow,
and is now providing environmentally friendly and cost-efficient
heating and dehumidification of the building. We hope eventually
to install similar systems in all of our buildings; our goal is to be
as "green" as possible.
We published the first-ever biography of our founder, Katherine
Warren. We were dismayed to discover how little was really known
about this remarkable woman, and Alyssa Lozupone painted a
detailed picture of a woman whose pursuit of community
engagement, creative adaptive uses for historic structures, and
economic development through preservation made her a thought
leader in preservation nationwide.
The Breakers Stable was restored, and we hosted a successful
Coaching Weekend. Thanks to the generosity of the Coaching Club,
we were able to complete a much-needed restoration of the stable that
included refinishing floors, walls and ceiling, installing new lighting
fixtures, upgrading plumbing, adding furniture in the Club's meeting
room, installing new window treatments, reorganizing the displays,
and adding air conditioning and ceiling fans.
The Newport Flower Show celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the
Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival its 10th year. These two
very different multi-day events have brought in new audiences to the
Preservation Society's properties, and generated significant national
publicity and sponsorship support.
We continued to build strong relationships with our sister institutions in Newport, and around the world through our International
Council. Through object loans, joint exhibitions and lectures, and a
constant dialogue, we work closely with Newport's other museums
to attract and educate visitors, and to address issues of concern in
the museum community nationally and locally. Our International
Council, made up of leaders in the arts, culture and historic preservation around the world, help to guide us on many of the issues that
affect cultural heritage institutions.
The Breakers
Our membership grew close to 35,000. We built new programs
to show our appreciation for our most loyal supporters, including
new membership categories and benefits, to ensure they continue to
receive value for their membership.
These are just a handful of the many successes we enjoyed through
the past year. We could not have done it without the support and
dedication of our hard-working trustees and staff.
Our trustees are thoughtful, committed and unflagging in their
support. As for our staff, every department, and every employee,
went the extra mile at some point during the year to make sure that
our goals were not only met, but exceeded. And of course, our visitors
and our donors continue to make it possible year after year by providing the financial support - and the intellectual interest - to keep us
moving forward.
Thank you to all, and Happy New Year!
Winter 2016
5
To Preserve and
Protect
Work on the roof of Kingscote continued into the winter thanks to the mild weather.
Kingscote Restoration Progressing
The multi-year restoration of Kingscote continues. The complex
roof structure is being repaired and restored in sections. Work began
at the back of the house, and this past fall progressed to the front of
the house, with workers stripping the slate tiles, installing new waterproofing and copper flashings, and restoring the slate.
Additional restoration work has involved repairs to the many
windows and ornamental wood.
The house has 86 windows of different shapes and types, whose
sashes and frames are being restored by the Preservation Society's
carpenters. Previous repairs have included the reconstruction of all
seven chimneys. The entire exterior restoration project is scheduled
for completion in 2018.
Rob Beebe stripping the old roofing material
6 Winter 2016
The Champlin Foundations
Comes Full Circle
by Katherine Long, Grants Administrator
The Champlin Foundations represents one of the Preservation
Society’s oldest and most successful foundation partnerships. For over
two decades, they have contributed nearly $2 million to a range of
capital projects that include exterior restorations at the Isaac Bell
House, The Breakers, Chateau sur Mer, and the Chinese Tea House;
restoration of the terrace at Marble House; new boilers at The Breakers;
climate control at Kingscote; and hardscape improvements at Green
Animals. Champlin’s first award to the Preservation Society was $75,000 in
1993 for the exterior restoration of The Elms Carriage House. Recently they came
full circle and more than tripled their generosity with a $250,000 grant toward the
interior restoration of The Elms Carriage House. The award completes fundraising for this $1.7 million project that will adaptively restore the Carriage
House as The Elms Scholars Center, a space for our visiting researchers
to live and work. Restoration work is accelerating, with the intention of
having it completed and ready for residency by our visiting scholars
by next fall. We are very grateful to The Champlin Foundations
and so many other donors who have contributed to this key
priority of our comprehensive campaign, most notably the
Berwind Fund, John and Heather Picerne, and Susan Stautberg.
The Champlin Foundations makes direct grants, the
overwhelming majority of which are for capital needs such as
The Elms Carriage House. Since its establishment in 1932 by
descendants of Stanton Browning Champlin, who started the S.B.
Champlin Company jewelry manufacturers in 1872, The Champlin
Foundations has distributed nearly $535 million to a variety of worthy projects, most in Rhode Island. Over 900 nonprofits have received
Champlin grants, and virtually all communities in Rhode Island have benefited from at least one Champlin grant. We are all indeed fortunate to have
such a generous foundation partner supporting capital projects in our state.
Additional grants received since our last issue include: the National
Endowment for the Humanities, $300,000 for a geothermal system at
The Breakers; the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, $210,000 for
planning and construction documents for The Breakers landscape
rehabilitation; the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage
Commission, a $150,000 State Preservation Grant to restore the
Chinese Tea House roof; the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable
Trust, $55,000, and the Coby Foundation, $15,000 to restore the
van Mander tapestry at The Breakers; Prince Charitable Trusts,
$50,000 for tree care; 1772 Foundation, $15,000 to restore the
Kingscote roof; and the Edwin S. Webster Foundation, $15,000,
and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, $10,000 in support
of our mission.
The future living room on the second floor of the Carriage House.
Carpenter Phil Woolhouse installs new flooring on the second floor of the Carriage House.
The roof of the Carriage House was restored, and new skylights installed to provide interior light.
Winter 2016
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Highlights of the
Collection
Recent Additions
Donated to the Preservation Society by trustee Angela Brown Fischer,
this pair of late 19th century silver gilt candelabra by Tiffany & Co. was
featured in the Christmas dining room display at The Breakers. The
candelabra were purchased at Tiffany's, New York, in 1892 by John
Nicholas Brown as a birthday present for his brother Harold, when
both were still living at the family home, Cannon Hill Cottage on Bellevue
Avenue in Newport. Just eight years later, the brothers would die
within days of one another. The candelabra descended in the Brown
family until given to the Preservation Society in 2015.
A leather-bound photograph album of the Hotel de Cavoie, the
Paris residence of Elizabeth Drexel Lehr, was acquired at auction
and donated to the Preservation Society by Curator Paul Miller.
Mrs. Lehr is the subject of the 1905 Giovanni Boldini portrait
which hangs in the ballroom of The Elms (top right). The album
includes this photograph (bottom right) of the Boldini portrait
hanging in Mrs. Lehr's apartment at the Hotel de Cavoie circa
1938, before it made its way back to Newport as part of her estate.
8 Winter 2016
Winter 2016
9
Original Furniture Returns to The Elms
In early January, the Preservation Society
acquired a spectacular suite of giltwood
furniture that was custom-designed for The
Elms (1901) by Jules Allard et Fils, its interior
designer. The fabric is not original, as can be
determined by historic photographs, but it is
appropriate to the period, and the furniture
will be displayed in its current condition until
a more accurate historic fabric is identified.
This furniture was documented as sold at
the 1962 Parke Bernet Galleries auction of
the contents of The Elms and has been in a
private collection in Massachusetts ever since.
The family contacted Curator Paul Miller in
late 2015 to alert him that the pieces would
be auctioned as part of an estate sale. This
acquisition has been an exciting reminder
that there are still original furnishings from
the Preservation Society's properties “out
there” and that it takes a team effort of staff,
committee members and trustees to fulfill
this foundational part of our mission of
preservation.
The suite of furniture as depicted in the Skinner Auction House catalog
Seated in The Elms drawing room, summer of 1938 are, left to right, Jane Brand von Boecklin, Anita Berwind Strawbridge, and Julia Berwind.
The furniture as it looked in the drawing room (far left of photo), in 1901
10 Winter 2016
Newport Mansions
Landscapes Accredited
as Arboretum
by Andrea Carneiro, Communications Manager
The 88 acres of landscapes cared for by the Preservation Society,
including 1,800 trees, have been recognized and accredited as an
official arboretum by the Arbnet Arboretum Accreditation program
of The Morton Arboretum in Chicago, the only international body
that accredits arboreta.
Accreditation of the Newport Mansions Arboretum recognizes
that the Preservation Society meets several important criteria:
• an existing collections policy that outlines the care and
maintenance of every tree;
• a professional staff in place to oversee operations;
• ongoing educational programming related to trees and landscape.
"This milestone puts us in excellent company," said Preservation
Society CEO & Executive Director Trudy Coxe. "Other recent
accreditations have gone to The University of Oxford Botanic Garden,
Arlington National Cemetery, and Longwood Gardens, as well as the
Newport Tree Society for the Newport Arboretum. Joining that
illustrious company is an honor and a testament to the hard work
of our staff, and of our partners like Bartlett Tree Experts."
"Bartlett Tree Experts created a digital inventory of each of the
1,800 trees of 120 different species on our properties. Each has been
identified, GPS-mapped and evaluated, and has its own individual
maintenance plan," said Preservation Society Curator of Historic
Landscapes & Gardens Jim Donahue.
The goal of accreditation is to promote interaction and improved
professional practices among arboretum operators.
The Arbnet Arboretum Accreditation Program is sponsored and
coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in cooperation with American
Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation
International. This international initiative offers four levels of
accreditation, recognizing arboreta of various degrees of development,
capacity and professionalism. Standards include planning, governance, labeling of species, staff or volunteer support, public access
and programming and tree science, planting and conservation.
For more information, visit www.arbnet.org.
A Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) at Green Animals Topiary Garden
Winter 2016
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Geothermal
Climate Control
Installed at
Chepstow
by Curt Genga,
Director of Properties
Ten 120-foot deep wells were drilled in the driveway at Chepstow for the new geothermal system.
In the fall of 2015, a new geothermal system was installed at
Chepstow to provide environmentally friendly and cost-efficient
heating and dehumidification of the three-story building. It's the first
practical implementation of this technology which the Preservation
Society has been investigating for several years, and which it intends
to implement in more of its historic buildings.
Maintaining a constant temperature and humidity in the house
will better protect the building and its collections, as well as providing
more comfortable conditions for employees and visitors. The system
will also significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, with no
pollution. The environmental benefit of this one system at
Chepstow is equivalent to removing 17 automobiles from the street.
At the heart of the system at Chepstow are ten wells, each 120 feet
deep. Copper pipes filled with refrigerant are inserted into each
well and are connected to a heat pump in the house in a closed loop
system. The temperature of the ground at that depth remains a constant 51 degrees. During winter, the system picks up heat from the
ground and transfers it into the house; during summer, heat from the
house is picked up and transferred to the ground, cooling the house.
The National Endowment for the Humanities recently awarded
a $300,000 grant toward implementation a similar, but
significantly larger geothermal climate control technology at
The Breakers.
12 Winter 2016
Free Admission for
Newport Residents
Extended
Welcome Center
Receives
Welcome Gift
More than 6,500 Newport residents enjoyed free admission to the
Newport Mansions from June to December last year, as part of the
Preservation Society's 70th anniversary celebration. And as the year
came to an end, Executive Director Trudy Coxe announced that
the offer of free admission for Newport residents has been extended
through calendar year 2016.
by Andrea Carneiro, Communications Manager
"We're proud to have been an important part of the fabric of
Newport for the past 70 years," said Coxe. "The Newport Mansions
are an American treasure, and we want to be sure that all of our
neighbors have the opportunity to see and appreciate them."
Last September the Preservation Society received notice from the
Trustees of The Helen D. Buchanan Trust of their intent to make a
$1.5 million contribution for The Breakers Welcome Center from
the Estate of Helen D. Buchanan. It was the largest one-time cash
donation in the history of the Preservation Society.
Any resident family member is welcome to take any regular tour, any
day of the week, just by showing proof of City of Newport residency at
the ticket station at any one of the Preservation Society's properties.
"Mrs. Buchanan was an enthusiastic supporter of the Preservation
Society for over 15 years, making significant financial donations to
projects such as the restoration of the sunken garden at The Elms.
This contribution, her largest, ensures that her community spirit and
philanthropic vision will live on for generations," said Preservation
Society Board Chairman Donald O. Ross.
Fanchon "Monty" Burnham, Helen's daughter and a trustee of
the Preservation Society for many years, recommended that the
Trustees of the Helen D. Buchanan Trust make this contribution.
"I am devoted to the Preservation Society and to the state of Rhode
Island," said Mrs. Burnham. "As a native Rhode Islander, I recognize
the value of tourism for our continued economic vitality, and
I know that the Preservation Society is a great economic driver for
our state. That's why we need the Welcome Center, to ensure that
the Preservation Society's visitors receive the first-class treatment that
they deserve."
In 2013, the Preservation Society announced plans to build a welcome center at The Breakers (1895) commensurate with the property’s
stature as an internationally recognized historic house museum and
one of the five most visited historic houses in America. The welcome
center will create an appropriate, positive first experience for the more
than 400,000 people who visit The Breakers from around the world
annually, giving them a place to learn about the Preservation Society's
properties and other attractions in Newport, plan their day's activities,
and purchase tickets or memberships. Visitors will also be able to
enjoy light refreshments and use clean and accessible restrooms.
With this latest contribution, the Preservation Society has raised
$5.3 million toward its goal of $5.9 million for the Welcome Center.
For more information visit
www.NewportMansions.org/plan-a-visit/newport-resident
Membership Now Includes
New Benefits, Military
Discount
Military personnel can now enjoy membership in the
Preservation Society, at a special reduced price.
Active, reserve or retired military can now purchase Dual or
Household Memberships for $15 off the regular price. The Dual
Membership provides full benefits for two adults living in the same
household; the Household Membership covers two adults and all
children 17 and under in the same household. The Dual Military
Membership price is $60; the Household Military Membership is
available for $75.
Membership benefits include free admission to regular tours of
the Newport Mansions for a year, discounted admission to The Elms
Servant Life Tour, a 10% discount on purchases in the Newport
Mansions Stores, and savings on special events and academic programs.
New additional benefits include discounts on Newport harbor tours
with several local companies, and Members Only programs throughout
the year. Also now available is a Membership Plus Upgrade, which
provides free admission for one guest per visit when added to any
membership category.
For more details about various membership levels and benefits,
visit www.NewportMansions.org, or call (401) 847-1000 ext. 111.
Winter 2016
13
Rosecliff Exhibition Will Explore
Golden Age of Yachting
Exhibition Opens May 21
by Ashley Householder,
Associate Curator for Exhibitions
Think that Newport’s grand cottages were the most opulent
expression of Gilded Age taste? Think again. The era of private
steam yachting in America brought with it a new opportunity
for showcasing status and wealth as industrial tycoons took to
pleasure cruising as never before. Much like their summer
homes and city dwellings, these floating palaces quickly
became status symbols for the men who engaged in a race
to out build one another.
The Preservation Society’s upcoming exhibition, Splendor at
Sea: The Golden Age of Steam Yachting in America, will introduce
the technology and the glamour involved in the transition from
sail to steam, the acceptance of which (in yachting circles) gave
way to the rapid rise of steam yacht construction during the last
quarter of the nineteenth century.
Through memorabilia collected by "Commodore" Cornelius
Vanderbilt’s family during their European cruise aboard the
North Star, to Tiffany silver belonging to one of J. Pierpont
Morgan’s three Corsairs, the exhibition will illustrate how
private steam yachts allowed their owners to enjoy elaborate
interiors, couture fashions and elegant table settings, all
while maintaining the highest standards of Gilded Age
etiquette and decorum even at sea.
Other featured elements will include yachting apparel,
family albums, navigational instruments, cabin furniture
and a special look at the New York Yacht Club, whose
membership read as a Who’s Who of the Age.
This two piece linen yachting ensemble was made for the honeymoon cruise
of Mrs. John Nicholas Brown in 1897. It is embroidered with the insignia of
the New York Yacht Club, and will be featured in the exhibition. Gift of Mrs.
Angela Brown Fischer; Mr. J. Carter Brown; Mr. Nicholas Brown.
14 Winter 2016
The sea has always been the heart of Newport’s cultural identity. Through the
17th and 18th centuries, maritime enterprise forged cultural connections between
cosmopolitan Newporters and makers, traders and collectors in Asia, Europe, and
the Americas. But even as the city’s economy shifted away from trade towards
scientific inquiry and recreation in the 19th and 20th centuries, the environment,
heritage and mythology of the sea ensured that Newport remained a wellspring of
artistic inspiration.
Presenting Sponsors:
U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private
Wealth Management &
Christie's
For more information:
401-847-1756
E-mail: [email protected]
www.NewportMansions.org
Lecturers include:
Dr. Karina H. Corrigan
H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator
of Asian Export Art
Peabody Essex Museum
Alice Dickinson
Curator of Collections
New York Yacht Club
Dr. James Hanken
Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology,
Curator in Herpetology, and Director of
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
John A. Hays
Deputy Chairman
Christie's
Dr. Patricia Kane
Curator of American Decorative Arts
Yale University Art Gallery
Dr. Robert MacKay
Historian, author,
Chair, Fine Arts Committee
New York Yacht Club
Dr. Mark Mitchell
The Holcombe T. Green Curator of
American Painting & Sculpture
Yale University Art Gallery
Dr. Robert Peck
Curator of Art & Senior Fellow of Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
Drexel University
John Tschirch
Architectural Historian & Author
Dr. Thomas Michie
Senior Curator of Decorative Arts & Sculpture
MFA Boston
Winter 2016
15
Hunter House
2016 Calendar of Events & Operating Schedule
Visit www.NewportMansions.org for details, ticket information, and additional events, or call (401) 847-1000.
MONDAY, JANUARY 4 FRIDAY, MARCH 18
The Breakers, The Elms & Marble House
open daily
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Lecture: Period-Appropriate Exterior Paint
Colors for Your Historic House
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Lecture: Protecting Your Historic Property with
a Preservation Easement
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25
Lecture: The Lost Art of Etiquette
THURSDAY, MARCH 10
Lecture: Maintaining Your Old House
SATURDAY, MARCH 19 FRIDAY, MAY 20
The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms,
Kingscote & Marble House open daily
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
Easter Egg Hunt & Brunch
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
Lecture: Voices from the Back Stairs:
Domestic Servants in New England
16 Winter 2016
SUNDAY, APRIL 24 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
The Newport Symposium
SATURDAY, MAY 21 - MONDAY,
OCTOBER 10
The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms,
Marble House, Rosecliff, Green Animals
Topiary Garden, Kingscote, Isaac Bell
House, Hunter House & Chepstow
open daily
SATURDAY, MAY 21
Exhibition Opening at Rosecliff: Splendor at
Sea: The Golden Age of Steam Yachting in
America
THURSDAY, JUNE 16
Annual Meeting
FRIDAY, JUNE 24 SUNDAY, JUNE 26
The Newport Flower Show
TUESDAY, AUGUST 2
John G. Winslow Lecture
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13
Summer Dinner Dance
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18
The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms,
Marble House & Rosecliff open daily
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017
Christmas at the Newport Mansions
The Breakers, The Elms & Marble House
open daily
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
Holiday Dinner Dance
THURSDAY, JULY 14
Green Animals Children's Party
MONDAY, AUGUST 1
Annual Golf Outing
Subject to change
Chief Conservator Appointed
In September, Patricia Miller joined the Preservation Society's
Museum Affairs Department full-time as Chief Conservator,
following the retirement of Jeff
Moore. Miller had worked as a
consultant for the previous two years,
leading the conservation of the
outdoor sculpture and decorative
masonry at The Breakers.
She received her B.F.A. from
the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago and Master of Science
degree from Columbia University
in Historic Preservation. In addition, she holds certificates in Arts
and Business Management from the
Sotheby’s Institute in London; Project
Management from ESI International/
George Washington University; and
Laser Technology for Conservation
from the National Museum and
Galleries, Liverpool, England.
Prior to joining the Preservation Society, Miller was a conservator in
private practice as well as Director of Conservation at Superstructures
Engineers in New York. Her past
experience includes work on the Medieval
windows at The Cloisters Museum of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Karl
Bitter’s All Angels’ pulpit (in the courtyard
of the American Wing at The Met) and
major artifacts in the Met’s 2006 exhibition Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton
Hall: An Artist’s Country Estate; dozens
of artifacts from the Titanic; 17th and
18th century statuary at Vizcaya in Miami
and the Biltmore Estate and not one but
two Saturn V rockets! She will continue
to co-teach, with Columbia University
Professor Theo Prudon, a graduate course
in architectural paint finishes at The Pratt
Institute’s Historic Preservation program.
Breakers Team Leader Honored
Exhibitions Curator Joins Staff
In early December, the RI Hospitality Association named
the Preservation Society's Brett DePaola one of its Tourism
Employees of the Year. DePaola is a Senior Team Leader
in the Museum
Experience
Department, serving
as a liaison between
front-line visitor
services staff and
senior management.
Ashley Householder joined the Preservation Society's Museum Affairs
staff last summer in a newly-created position, Associate Curator for
Exhibitions. She is responsible for developing, organizing, administering,
and producing in-house, borrowed and travelling exhibitions. She
curated the first exhibition in the new Rosecliff exhibition gallery,
Newport & Her Southern Sisters, last fall, and is currently preparing
the spring exhibition, Splendor at Sea: The Golden Age of Steam
Yachting in America.
He received his B.A.
in Art & Architectural
History, American
Studies and History, as
well as a Master's in Art
& Architectural History
from Roger Williams University. He became interested in art
and history at an early age, growing up outside Philadelphia
and traveling frequently with his family to museums and
historic sites around the country. He continued his travels
as a college student, visiting Paris, Cambodia and Japan,
and participated in several art and museum internships.
Ashley had been with
the Preservation Society
as an Associate Team
Leader in the Museum
Experience Department.
She holds a Master’s
Degree in Decorative Arts
from Parsons (The New
School for Design) and
has worked in exhibitions,
collections and programs
at The National Building
Museum, The White
House, Decatur House
and The Smithsonian.
Winter 2016
17
OFFICERS
Chairman
Donald O. Ross
Vice Chair
Angela Brown Fischer
Vice Presidents
David B. Ford
David P. Leys
Archbold D. van Beuren
Mary Van Pelt
William N. Wood Prince
Treasurer
William F. Lucey III
Assistant Treasurer
Monty Burnham
Secretary
Arthur W. Murphy, Esq
Assistant Secretary
William N. Wood Prince
Trustee Emerita
Carol C. Ballard
Collection Highlight
Model for the
St. Nazaire Memorial
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942)
Valsuani Foundry, Paris, 1926
The Breakers
This bronze model for the St. Nazaire
Memorial is the work of American sculptor
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, daughter of
Cornelius and Alice Vanderbilt. Erected at
the French port of St. Nazaire in Brittany,
the monument, commemorating the
Franco-American alliance in World War I,
was completed in 1926 and destroyed in
1941 during the Nazi occupation of France.
In 1989, French sculptor Pierre Fousenant
recreated the memorial at the original site.
TRUSTEES
Mortimer Berkowitz III
Duncan A. Chapman
Kim Williamson Darden
William P. Egan II
Carol J. Epstein
Sarah M. Gewirz
William F. Hatfield
Ala Isham
Edward W. Kane
Eaddo Hayes Kiernan
Elizabeth W. Leatherman
Ronald K. Machtley
Elizabeth Wright McMillen
Eugene B. Roberts, Jr.
Janet L. Robinson
Alice D. Ross
Jocelyn C. Sherman
Merrill W. Sherman
Mark E. Watson III
William F. Wilson
OVERSEERS
Marion O. Charles
Jerome R. Kirby
Richard N. Sayer, Esq.
John J. Slocum, Jr.
George H. Warren
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER/EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
Trudy Coxe
18 Winter 2016
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
Armin B. Allen, Co-Chair
Earl A. Powell III, Co-Chair
John Winthrop Aldrich
Theresa Elmore Behrendt
Candace K. Beinecke
Frederick W. Beinecke
James D. Berwind
Bonnie Burnham
Dr. Johan Cederlund
Maureen K. Chilton
Alec Cobbe
Claudio Del Vecchio
Debra Del Vecchio
Nancy Dubuc
Peter Eltz
Baron Roland de l'Espée
Henrietta Holsman Fore
Morrison H. Heckscher
Robin Herbert, CBE
Count Denis de Kergorlay
Stephen S. Lash
Brooks Lobkowicz
Robert B. MacKay
Pauline C. Metcalf
Mary S. Phipps
Louis G. Piancone
Anne L. Poulet
Sir Hugh Roberts, GCVO
Charles M. Royce
Deborah G. Royce
Tracie Rozhon
El Marqués de Santa Cruz
Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, BIID, FIIDA
Vladimir I. Tolstoy
Diane B. Wilsey
Richard Guy Wilson
PRESERVATION SOCIETY
PROPERTIES
Arnold Burying Ground (1675)
Hunter House (circa 1748)
Kingscote (1839-1841)
Chateau-sur-Mer (1851-1852)
Green Animals Topiary Garden
(circa 1860)
Chepstow (1860-1861)
Isaac Bell House (1881-1883)
Osgood-Pell House (1887-1888)
Marble House (1888-1892)
The Breakers (1893-1895)
The Breakers Stable &
Carriage House (1895)
The Elms (1899-1901)
Rosecliff (1899-1902)
Rovensky Park (1959)
New England’s Premier Flower Show
Newport
Flower Show
The
During the Gilded Age,
nearly every aspect of life
was elevated to an art form.
Gardens became stages for
nature’s most brilliant
performances, women’s
fashions were created for
stylish parades, and houses
became museums for a
lifetime of treasures.
Join us as we celebrate all
that is Gilded!
Presenting Sponsor
Bartlett Tree Experts
Rosecliff, Newport, RI • June 24-26, 2016
www.NewportFlowerShow.org
Winter 2016
19
The Preservation Society of Newport County
424 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Non–Profit Org
U.S. Postage
P A I D
The Preservation
Society of
Newport County
Th e P re s e rvat ion S o c i e t y
of N ewp ort C oun ty
The Elms
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
20 Winter 2016