Newport Shingle Style

Newport, Rhode Island, is the classic New England summer resort. The setting for the film 'High Society', John F. Kennedy was married here and he and his predecessor Dwight Eisenhower ran 'Summer White Houses' from the City-by-the Sea. It continues to enchant residents and visitors alike with an unparalleled concentration of carefully preserved architecture. Shingle Style flourished in Newport and its Gilded Age environs during the 1880s. With asymmetrical wood frames and shingled stories set dramatically on stone foundations, these romantic homes were intended to blend with the surrounding landscape, while incorporating fantastical elements such as gables, brick and stone chimneys, bands of small-paned windows, turrets, columns and pediments. Interiors contained imaginative staircases, art glass windows, hand-crafted millwork and emphasized organized space and open floor plans for gracious living. Most importantly, nearly every room boasted large and freely spaced windows and doors that opened to porches strategically positioned to take full advantage of ocean views and cool summer breezes. Recently, American vernacular architecture has witnessed a renaissance, as impressive new Shingle Style homes are built alongside those that have presided along the rugged Rhode Island coastline for more than a century. Attention to detail is so exquisite that the latest interpretations are often mistaken for 19th century originals. The collection of 15 homes showcased in this book represents the best of Newport Shingle Style, Now and Then.