Ogden Goelet's Residence, Newport, R.I.
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Collection
Citation
“Ogden Goelet's Residence, Newport, R.I.,” Rhode Island's Golden Age of Postcards, accessed May 24, 2013, http://library.providence.edu/spcol/postcards/items/show/78.
Geolocation
Item Information
Title
Ogden Goelet's Residence, Newport, R.I.
Subject
Newport, RI
Description
Commissioned by Gilded Age banker and developer, Ogden Goelet, as his family's summer residence, Ochre Court (1888-1892) is the first of a group of spectacular houses in the Grand Manner designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's foremost architect of the late nineteenth century. The mansion was gifted, in 1947, by Ogden's son, Robert, to the Religious Sisters of Mercy who established Salve Regina College.
For this limestone palace overlooking the reddish seacliffs that give the estate its name, Hunt drew his inspiration from the late medieval period in French architecture. With its high roofs, turrets, whimsical gargoyles, and tall chimneys, Ochre Court recalls the style of Francois I, a transitional era when established medieval elements like the pointed Gothic arch and heavy stained glass were lightened by newly-emerging Renaissance details including rounded arches and delicate lacy ornamentation.
The Goelets were an established American dynasty that had grown from humble eighteenth century trade. Ogden Goelet was one of the most famous competitive yachtsmen in the world. His wife, Mary Wilson Goelet, was one of the most important hostesses of her generation in a time when the operation of Ochre Court during a typical eight-week summer season required twenty-seven house servants, eight coachmen and grooms, and twelve gardeners. Their daughter, May, married the English Duke of Roxburghe, taking with her an $8 million dowry, while their son Robert became a major force in the development of American railroads, hotels, and real estate.
It was Robert's gift of Ochre Court to the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1947 that established the then Salve Regina College in Newport. The stately fify-room mansion was the entire college for the first few years, with the original fifty-eight female students living on the third floor. The original fifty-eight women students lived on the third floor, attended classes on the second, studied, prayed, and dined on the first, and snacked and purchased books in the basement. The eight Sisters of Mercy who made up that post-war faculty established their own modest living area in the servants' quarters. Salve Regina University has since grown to encompass over 60 acres and more than two dozen buildings, yet Ochre Court remains its heart.
For this limestone palace overlooking the reddish seacliffs that give the estate its name, Hunt drew his inspiration from the late medieval period in French architecture. With its high roofs, turrets, whimsical gargoyles, and tall chimneys, Ochre Court recalls the style of Francois I, a transitional era when established medieval elements like the pointed Gothic arch and heavy stained glass were lightened by newly-emerging Renaissance details including rounded arches and delicate lacy ornamentation.
The Goelets were an established American dynasty that had grown from humble eighteenth century trade. Ogden Goelet was one of the most famous competitive yachtsmen in the world. His wife, Mary Wilson Goelet, was one of the most important hostesses of her generation in a time when the operation of Ochre Court during a typical eight-week summer season required twenty-seven house servants, eight coachmen and grooms, and twelve gardeners. Their daughter, May, married the English Duke of Roxburghe, taking with her an $8 million dowry, while their son Robert became a major force in the development of American railroads, hotels, and real estate.
It was Robert's gift of Ochre Court to the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1947 that established the then Salve Regina College in Newport. The stately fify-room mansion was the entire college for the first few years, with the original fifty-eight female students living on the third floor. The original fifty-eight women students lived on the third floor, attended classes on the second, studied, prayed, and dined on the first, and snacked and purchased books in the basement. The eight Sisters of Mercy who made up that post-war faculty established their own modest living area in the servants' quarters. Salve Regina University has since grown to encompass over 60 acres and more than two dozen buildings, yet Ochre Court remains its heart.
Publisher
Berger Brothers Publishers (1910-1951)
Providence, RI
A publisher of Rhode Island view-cards in black & white and tinted halftones. They eventually printed photochromes. Their cards were made in the United States.
Providence, RI
A publisher of Rhode Island view-cards in black & white and tinted halftones. They eventually printed photochromes. Their cards were made in the United States.
Date
Undated, ca. 1915
Rights
Courtesy of the Historical Society of Smithfield, Smithfield, RI
Format
JPEG Digital Image
Coverage
Newport, RI
Original Format
Postcard
Physical Dimensions
3.5 x 5.5 inches