Isaac Bell House | |
 Front elevation, 2018 | |
   | |
| Location | 70 Perry Street,Newport, RI |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°28′45.75″N71°18′35.06″W / 41.4793750°N 71.3097389°W /41.4793750; -71.3097389 |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1881-1883 |
| Architect | McKim, Mead and White |
| Architectural style | Shingle style |
| Part of | Bellevue Avenue Historic District (ID72000023) |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000022 (original) 97001276 (NHL) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 13, 1972[1] |
| Designated NHL | September 25, 1997[2] |
| Designated NHLDCP | December 8, 1972 |
TheIsaac Bell House (also known asEdna Villa) is a historic house at 70 Perry Street, at the corner withBellevue Avenue, inNewport, Rhode Island, United States. Designed byMcKim, Mead, and White, it is one of the country's outstanding examples ofShingle Style architecture. The house was built during theGilded Age, when Newport was the summer resort of choice for some of America's wealthiest families, and is designated as aNational Historic Landmark.
Isaac Bell Jr. was a successful cotton broker and investor, and the brother-in-law ofJames Gordon Bennett Jr., publisher of theNew York Herald. Bell hired the New York architectural firm ofMcKim, Mead, and White (Charles Follen McKim,William R. Mead, andStanford White) to design his summer cottage. Known in Newport for designingNewport Casino, and later in Boston for designingBoston Central Library, they also designedPennsylvania Station in New York City. Construction took place between 1881 and 1883.
Shingle Style was pioneered byHenry Hobson Richardson in his design for theWilliam Watts Sherman House, also in Newport. This style ofVictorian architecture, featuring the extensive use of wooden shingles on the exterior, acquired some popularity in the late nineteenth century. The Isaac Bell House exemplifies this through its unpainted wood shingles, simple window and trim detail, and multiple porches. It combines elements of the EnglishArts and Crafts movement philosophy, colonial American detailing, and features a Japanese-inspired open floor plan and bamboo-style porch columns. Interior features include inglenook fireplaces, natural rattan wall coverings, wall paneling and narrow-band wooden floors.
During its life, the house has variously been divided into apartments and served as a nursing home. With the help of Carol Chiles Ballard, the house was bought in 1994 by thePreservation Society of Newport County, which won awards for its restoration, and now operates it as a museum.
The Isaac Bell House was declared aNational Historic Landmark in 1997.[2][3]
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
Rhode Island portal
| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Lists of specific structure types | |
| Related | |
