Matt & Susan's WeddingFrom Amherst to Newport in only 10 years!
|
| Schedule of Events | Suggested Hotels | Maps, Directions, & Travel Links | Newport Highlights | Questions? Please contact Victoria! |
RoseCliff
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
Matt & Susan's WeddingFrom Amherst to Newport in only 10 years!
|
| Schedule of Events | Suggested Hotels | Maps, Directions, & Travel Links | Newport Highlights | Questions? Please contact Victoria! |
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
In 1889, Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs commissioned the architect Stanford White, of the firm McKim, Mead and White, to design a summer house for her entertaining. Before the Oelrichs and Stanford White transformed the property, George Bancroft owned the original cottage on the site. Mr. Bancroft was a noted historian, Secretary of the Navy and an amateur horticulturalist who developed the American Beauty Rose. The new Rosecliff was completed in 1902 at a reported cost of $2.5 million. Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs was born Theresa Fair in Virginia City, Nevada. Her father, James Graham Fair, was a partner in the firm of McKay, Flood and O'Brien, of the Comstock Silver Lode in Nevada, one the richest silver finds in history. During a summer in Newport, Theresa met Hermann Oelrichs playing tennis at the Newport Casino. They were married in 1890. Mrs. Oelrichs became a leader in Newport society and Rosecliff became famous for its lavish and innovative receptions. The mansion is now preserved through the generosity of its last private owners, Mr. And Mrs. J. Edgar Monroe, of New Orleans. They gave the house, its furnishings, and an endowment to the Preservation Society in 1971. Scenes from several films have been shot on location at Rosecliff, including High Society, The Great Gatsby, True Lies and Amistad.