Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 159

11 Historical & Cultural Resources
Newport’s roots reach all the way back to the seventeenth century. This means that the city has
over 300 years of history and culture, dating back to even before the United States existed.
Seventeenth century Newport was a colonial town of some four hundred houses, nearly all built
of wood with only a handful constructed of stone. Some of the best preserved seventeenth
century structures that still exist today are the Newport Tower and the Great Friends Meeting
House. By the eighteenth century, Newport had grown into an urban center of Georgian
churches, public buildings, and houses. Downtown Newport also saw the majority of its
development during the eighteenth century. The nineteenth century saw the construction of
many of Newport’s most renowned mansions. Many of these were built in the latter half of the
century and include The Breakers (1893), Chateau-sur-Mer (1852), and The Elms (1899). The
twentieth century laid the foundation for historic preservation in Newport. Both the Bellevue
Avenue Historic District and the Ocean Drive Historic District were added to the National
Register of Historic Places. Memorable buildings of twentieth century Newport include the
Georgian Courthouse, built in 1926, and the Savings Bank of Newport, built in 1929. The city’s
past still plays an important role in its future.

11.1 Existing Conditions
Newport's cultural heritage creates the city’s unique sense of place that makes it an attractive
place to live and visit. The result is a city whose landscape and character are unlike any other.
Because of Newport’s focus on the arts, there has been a plethora of creative individuals that
have spent time, either living or working, in the city. Some of the most notable examples are
Edward Malbone, the famous painter of the eighteenth century; Richard Upjohn, the architect of
the nineteenth century who designed many of Newport’s famous buildings; Elaine Lorillard, of
the twentieth century who was the founder of the Newport Jazz Festival; and Sheldon
Whitehouse, the twenty-first century United States Senator for the State of Rhode Island.
Historical and cultural resources play important roles in more than just arts and literature; they
help form the community in many different aspects. The way Newport develops into the future
is influenced by its past. The city’s cultural history is also closely tied to its scenic views and its
booming tourism industry. This chapter explores the historical and cultural resources present in
Newport, including the city’s Newport County and Convention and Visitors Bureau (NCCVB),
historic buildings and districts, museums, galleries, festivals, community events, its fabled
regatta races, community groups, the state and local programs that help make it all happen, and
the preservation methods in place to help maintain these resources

Visitor Resources

Discover Newport acts as the city’s information hub for all things Newport. They are a non-profit
organization that is dedicated to promoting the city, as well as several other surrounding
townships. Discover Newport operates through a website (http://www.discovernewport.org/)
and also runs the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau (NCCVB). Both of these
resources act as information hubs for citizens and visitors. Discover Newport provides
information about where to stay, eat, shop, and visit in Newport.

Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)

Page 11-1