Creating a New American Image: Architecture, 1870-1910
American architecture changed dramatically in the Gilded Age. Tall commercial buildings rose in New York and Chicago. Grand mansions were built for the wealthy, and churches took on an Old World Gothic appearance. At the residential level, changes included the use of shingles, the emergence of the Colonial Revival style, and the adoption of the bungalow style. This lecture will examine the architectural changes sweeping the country as well as the work of several architects who helped to change the appearance of America.
Richard Guy Wilson’s book Edith Wharton at Home: Life at the Mount, will be available for purchase at the reception and the author will be available for a book signing.
Event thumbnail photo credit: Chateau Sur Mer, 1851. Photograph taken by Richard Guy Wilson.
Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor Emeritus in Architectural History, University of Virginia
Richard Guy Wilson is Commonwealth Professor Emeritus in Architectural History at the University of Virginia. He is a frequent lecturer, television commentator and author of many articles and books on different aspects of American and modern architecture and design including “The American Renaissance” (1979), “McKim, Mead & White, Architects” (1982), “Machine Age in America” (1986), “Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village” (1993, 2009) “The Colonial Revival House” (2004), and “Edith Wharton at Home” (2012). He has taught the Victorian Society’s Newport Summer School for 40 years.


Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1871-76. Photograph taken by Richard Guy Wilson.

Chateau Sur Mer, 1851. Photograph taken by Richard Guy Wilson.

Wainwright Building, 1890-91. Photograph taken by Richard Guy Wilson.
More Tours, Events & Exhibitions

Beneath The Breakers Tour
Daily
10:00am
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
June 1 - September 1, offered at 10 am & 2 pm

Third Floor Preservation in Progress Tour
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12 pm and 2 pm
For the first time in the 129-year history of The Breakers, the private third-floor family space occupied by generations of Vanderbilts is open for public tours.

Servant Life Tour
Daily
10 am and 2 pm
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June 1 - September 1, offered at 10 am, 12 pm & 2 pm

Inside “The Gilded Age” Tour
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Fans of HBO’s "The Gilded Age" will love this guide-led tour of locations in four of the Newport Mansions where Julian Fellowes' historical drama series was filmed. Fridays only, May 2 through June 27.

Iconic Trees of Newport II
May 8, 2025
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Learn about Newport’s landscape history, the threat posed by beech leaf disease and planting strategies for the future. This educational forum is a collaborative effort among The Preservation Society of Newport County, Bartlett Tree Experts, the City of Newport, Salve Regina University, Aquidneck Land Trust and The Newport Tree Conservancy.
SOLD OUT for in-person attendance. Virtual attendance is available.

Annual Plant Sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden
May 9 – 11, 2025
8:00am – 10:00am
Get your garden going or find nice springtime and Mother's Day gifts for friends and family! A variety of flowers, vegetables and specialty plants are available while supplies last.

Young Patron Event: “Rendez-Vous with the Roaring ’20s”
May 10, 2025
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Our next Young Patron event invites guests to learn to dance – 1920s style!

Member Guide-led Landscape Tour of The Elms
May 15, 2025
11:00am
Learn the history behind The Elms gardens and grounds with Jim Donahue, Curator of Historic Landscapes.
SOLD OUT

Tree Walk at Marble House
May 17, 2025
10:00am – 11:00am
Join Jeff Curtis, Director of Gardens & Landscapes, for a guided tour of the specimen trees on the Marble House grounds.

Girl Scout Badge Day at Green Animals
May 17, 2025
10:30am – 12:00pm
Daisies, Brownies, Juniors and Cadets will get a chance to explore Green Animals Topiary Garden and earn a badge by completing activities. Presented in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England.

Richard Morris Hunt:
In a New Light
May 30 – November 2, 2025
This exhibition examines the mind, ambition and legacy of America’s Dean of Architecture, who shaped Gilded Age America not only through the buildings he created – including The Breakers and Marble House – but also through his ideas.

The Newport Flower Show: “A Floral Fair”
June 20 – 22, 2025
Themed “A Floral Fair,” the 29th annual Show will combine the elegance of a Gilded Age fête with the good cheer of a summer county fair.

Annual Golf Outing
August 25, 2025
12:00pm
Grab your clubs for an unforgettable day on the greens at the Preservation Society’s Annual Golf Outing at Newport National Golf Club in Middletown, R.I., a challenging links-style course with views of the Atlantic Ocean and Sakonnet Passage.

Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival
September 19 – 21, 2025
Thank you to all of our sponsors, guests and volunteers for another successful Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival. See you next year for the 20th annual festival, September 19-21, 2025, at Rosecliff. Become a Preservation Society member and receive early access to purchase 2025 tickets before they become available to the general public.