The John G. Winslow Lecture
An American Renaissance: Architecture’s Impact in the Gilded Age
Phillip James Dodd
To flaunt their unprecedented wealth and announce themselves as the new American aristocracy, the elite of the Gilded Age needed an architecture dripping in embellishment and historical reference. Enter the Beaux-Arts.
Author Phillip James Dodd will explore five of the homes featured in his book An American Renaissance: Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York City. Painstakingly researched and featuring beautiful photographs by Jonathan Wallen, Dodd’s presentation will focus on the lavish interiors that reflect the opulence of the Gilded Age – often providing a glimpse inside buildings not otherwise viewable to the public. Dodd will also tell the stories of the patrons and architects who designed these spectacular homes; the symbiotic relationship of Newport and New York in high society; and collectively their influences on the television adaptation of Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” on HBO.
Dodd will sign copies of his book during the reception after the lecture. Copies of An American Renaissance: Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York City are also available at NewportStyle.net.
Live at The Breakers or via Zoom video conference
Phillip James Dodd, architect, author
Phillip James Dodd is one of today’s foremost experts on classical architecture and interiors. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, he is an alumnus of the prestigious Prince of Wales’ Institute of Architecture in London. He moved to America more than twenty years ago, and after training with some of the most recognized classical architecture firms in the country founded his eponymous design firm Phillip James Dodd: Bespoke Residential Design LLC. Since then, he has become one of the most sought-after young residential designers practicing today, with designs that can be found in Manhattan, Greenwich, Palm Beach, and as far away as Bangalore, India. He has lectured extensively throughout the United States on the subject of classical architecture, and is the author of two best-selling books, The Art of Classical Details: Theory Design & Craftsmanship (2013) and An Ideal Collaboration (2015).
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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
Daily
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
See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age.
June 1 - September 1, offered at 10 am, 12 pm & 2 pm
Inside “The Gilded Age” Tour
May 2 – June 27, 2025
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.
