Newport Restoration Foundation

Newport Restoration Foundation The Newport Restoration Foundation promotes and invests in the architectural and cultural heritage of Newport.

Time is running out!⏰Todays is the LAST DAY for early bird registration for Keeping History Above Water: Looking Back, M...
09/01/2026

Time is running out!⏰

Todays is the LAST DAY for early bird registration for Keeping History Above Water: Looking Back, Moving Forward (October 21–23).

In addition to informative panels led by industry experts, the symposium features 8 hands-on sessions focused on resiliency in the Newport community. Here’s a sneak peek of 3 we have in store:
🏠Spouting Rock Beach Association Historic Clubhouse (ca. 1897)
🏠 Hunter House (ca. 1748)
🏠Rough Point (ca. 1887)

Explore practical solutions that strengthen cultural heritage resilience and shape the future of historic preservation amid climate change, while connecting with leading professionals of the field. Early bird registration ENDS TODAY -- secure your spot now!
https://www.newportrestoration.org/event/keeping-history-above-water-looking-back-moving-forward/

✨Want a behind-the-scenes look inside a house more than 300 years old? Join us on September 3rd for a look "Behind the W...
08/31/2026

✨Want a behind-the-scenes look inside a house more than 300 years old? Join us on September 3rd for a look "Behind the Walls" at Vernon House.

This tour will give you a rare glimpse inside rooms and spaces not currently open to the public at Vernon House, including the third floor and the cellar. Learn about NRF’s preservation plan for this national landmark and discover more about the complex layers of the house—from its architecture to the stories of the people who helped form our nation.

Behind the Walls: The Vernon House
📍46 Clarke St, Newport RI
🗓Thursday, September 3
⏰4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
🎟Limited tickets remaining

Secure your spot today!
https://www.newportrestoration.org/event/behind-the-walls-the-vernon-house/

🏠Step inside The George Buckmaster House/42 Division Street. This home was first built ca. 1748 and was restored by the ...
08/29/2026

🏠Step inside The George Buckmaster House/42 Division Street. This home was first built ca. 1748 and was restored by the Newport Restoration Foundation in 1972.

You can help us care for this historic home by becoming a Tenant Steward. Tenant Stewards are vital to our vision to restore, preserve, and share irreplaceable historic sites in Newport.

Learn more about 42 Division Street and take a virtual tour at https://www.newportrestoration.org/properties/42-division-street/

✨Our next sneak peek of the 2026 Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards is the Meticulous Restoration and Stewardship a...
08/27/2026

✨Our next sneak peek of the 2026 Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards is the Meticulous Restoration and Stewardship awardee Miramar.

The project championed historic preservation by exemplifying the highest standards of preservation practice. Guided by meticulous historical research, exceptional craftsmanship, and a commitment to retaining the estate’s original historic fabric, the project brought together master artisans from the United States and France to preserve one of Newport’s most significant Gilded Age landmarks in the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

Congratulations to the project team: Stephen and Christine Schwarzman (owners); Lamia Bensouda (project director); Nigel McKenna (executive estate manager); Madison Worth Architecture (design architect); Achkar Charrière (interior decorator), Hina de Laubrière (interior decorator); Charlotte Vignon & Margot Bernstein (Curator/Art Historian); Madison Cox & Garden 26 (landscape designer); Kirby Perkins Construction (general contractor); Hull Cove (architect of record); Whitmores Landscaping (landscaping); QMW Masonry (masonry); Atelier Mériguet-Carrère (special finishes – painting, gilding); Blackburn Building Conservation, (interior stucco and plasterwork); Asselin (wood paneling and flooring restoration); Atelier de la Boiserie (interior millwork carpenters); Jouffre (custom upholstery/curtains).

There is still time to support NRF’s historic preservation work throughout the Newport Community through sponsorship. Learn more about how you can make an impact at newportrestoration.org/ddpa or by reaching out to Sue Battle, Development & Donor Relations Manager.

📸Photo credits: Robert Polidori and Chris Navin

It's National Dog Day! 🐾 NRF founder Doris Duke was a devoted animal lover who shared her homes with dogs, cats, and eve...
08/26/2026

It's National Dog Day! 🐾

NRF founder Doris Duke was a devoted animal lover who shared her homes with dogs, cats, and even camels. Many of her pets were adopted from the Potter League for Animals.

To celebrate, here are a “paw-some” pics of Doris with her beloved dogs through the years!

Learn more about Doris Duke's legacy of philanthropy on our website (link in bio).

📸Courtesy of Joseph Castro Jr.
Doris Duke at Duke Farms, 1965

📸Courtesy of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Doris Duke, 1930s
Doris Duke at Shangri La, mid 1930s
Doris Duke at Rough Point, 1968

🏠Advancing the legacy of our founder Doris Duke, NRF today cares for and preserves 80 historic sites—all of them irrepla...
08/26/2026

🏠Advancing the legacy of our founder Doris Duke, NRF today cares for and preserves 80 historic sites—all of them irreplaceable and all vital to our community’s shared history.
We know that historic preservation is not only integral to communities but communities play an important role in historic preservation.
Section 106 matters—and your voice matters.

Here is some more information on how you can support historic preservation in our community:

What? Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) is a mandated review process for Federally funded projects that may impact historic properties. Section 106 is an important tool for citizens to lend their voice in protecting and maintaining historic properties in their communities.

What is Happening? In July, the ACHP voted to move forward to revise the regulations implementing Section 106. The revision makes public consultation optional, cuts authority from State and Tribal Preservation Offices, and reduces legal protections for historic and cultural places. The proposed revisions are not yet final.

Why This Matters? The Section 106 process gives communities an opportunity to share their knowledge and help shape decisions about historic resources that matter to them. The proposed revisions to Section 106 would exclude state and local expertise from the conversation and reduce protections of cultural resources.

How can you Help? Write to your members of Congress.
Send comments to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation when the comment period opens in the coming weeks.

You can learn more here: https://savingplaces.org/section106

08/24/2026

Start your week off right by listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean at Rough Point🌊

Come see (and hear) for yourself! Ticket link in our bio.

✨The 20th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards are less than one month away.Held in partnershipCity of Newport...
08/21/2026

✨The 20th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards are less than one month away.
Held in partnershipCity of Newport RI, these annual awards encourage excellence in historic preservation by recognizing exemplary projects that carry forward the legacy of Doris Duke and have had a significant impact on the preservation of the cultural and historic fabric of Newport.
Join the celebration—and help sustain NRF’s vital historic preservation work.

🏠20th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards
September 11, 2026
5:30-8:00 PM
Rough Point
Secure your tickets at newportrestoration.org/ddpa

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Sponsorship opportunities to support NRF's mission are available at newportrestoration.org.

At NRF, our community-centered mission focuses on training, educating, and cultivating curiosity in the next generation....
08/19/2026

At NRF, our community-centered mission focuses on training, educating, and cultivating curiosity in the next generation. This summer, we collaborated with our friends at Bike Newport, RI , the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County , and FabNewport to connect students in our community to Doris Duke’s life and legacy – especially her support of sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation, art, and wellness for children and families.🌸

🚲Bike Newport – Campers got to explore pickle making with fresh herbs and flowers from the Rough Point kitchen garden. Each week they smelled, tasted, and learned about the benefits of the herbs, making new flavor profiles each week.

🧘‍♀️Boys & Girls Club of Newport County – Camp Grosvenor took part in our Art & Wellness program that recognizes Doris Dukes lifelong commitment to wellbeing. Thank you to sound bath facilitator Bre Welch and yoga instructor Justine McGowan for sharing their knowledge and skills.

🌿FabNewport – NEX summer campers learned about the basics of gardening and food preparation in our Kitchen Garden, aligning with Doris Duke’s passion for sustainable agriculture. Campers made fresh mint tea, fig leaf syrup, homemade pickles, and a vibrant salsa from the season’s first tomatoes.

Rough Point shares the life and legacy of our founder, Doris Duke. If you are interested in visiting Rough Point and the Kitchen Gardens you can learn more at newportrestoration.org/plan-a-visit/group-tours/.

📸 Photo credits: Bike Newport, RI , Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County

🔨Curious about a career in the historic trades? Our job shadowing program gives you the hands-on opportunity to work alo...
08/18/2026

🔨Curious about a career in the historic trades? Our job shadowing program gives you the hands-on opportunity to work alongside the NRF Preservation Crew of carpenters, millworkers, painters, and systems specialists.
Job shadowing at NRF is a program of our Historic Trades Initiative, which provides workforce development training for the next generation of historic tradespeople.

Learn more and apply here: https://www.newportrestoration.org/programs-initiatives/restoration-at-work/historic-trades-initiative/preservation-programs/

Address

680 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI
02840

Telephone

+14018497300

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