1984 Newport, RI (4/26/1984)

Wednesday, April 25, 1984

Ran errands, did shopping and my laundry. Wanted to be home by 16:00 since I knew Kathy C was leaving her house then, and I wanted to be there if she called. While I was ironing, she did call, but she was already in Rhode Island, down at the Star Market shopping center. So she arrived at 17:00 and brought some fantastic housewarming gifts; a neat woven basket by Kathy S, some coasters, and a small woven cup-like basket. Plus the Worcestershire sauce I asked her to pick up at the Star Market!

After dinner we went to the Rustic Drive-in movie theater that Kathy saw on Rte 146. We were late for the first feature, but there were three movies, all X-rated!

Rustic Drive-in ticket

We stayed to get out $5 worth. Others sporadically came and went. The sound system came in at 1600 on the AM radio. I kept turning on the engine to recharge the battery, but I guess you can just keep your engine turned on?

Thursday, April 26, 1984

We left at 9:00 to drive to Newport, RI. It was a beautiful day. We saw blossoming forsythias and redbuds. The magnolia trees have huge buds. We parked at the waterfront, and did some shopping at the Brick Market.

Newport Brick Market

Kathy bought X-rated fortune cookies and Flippo, a crazy toy that reacts to sound (like clapping), by popping out its hair, bugging its eyes, and making ratchet sounds.

We drove around the area of mansions and ended up at Hammersmith Farm. Using AAA, we got a dollar off the $4.50 tickets, since the property was not part of the Preservation Society.

Hammersmith Farm ticket

We had to wait out on the terrace for the next tour. The terrace was covered, and there was a small garden with a sundial. Behind was a fenced area for horses and helicopter landings as that is how President Kennedy arrived to this “Summer White House” from 1961-1963. Down by the water there was a tall boathouse that is still used by the Auchincloss family. The bay was beyond the pasture and a small rocky island had a house perched on it.

View of Narragansett Bay

To one side of the Hammersmith house were gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

Sunken Garden

Finally a group formed and we began the tour of the 28-room mansion built by John W Auchincloss on one of the oldest farms in Newport, first established by the Brentons in 1640. The house was first built in 1887 and was more of a summer residence, and was the site of the wedding reception for Jacqueline Bouvier and John F Kennedy in 1953. Jackie’s mother married Hugh Auchincloss, so Jackie lived here with her mom and step-father, and had several step-siblings. We were shown the presidential flag, and presidential china table settings. The front floor-to-ceiling window in the dining room alcove could disappear into the floor at the touch of a button. There was a large pantry and kitchen. Upstairs were several bedrooms, including those of Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr. as children and of the Auchincloss boys, and Jackie’s bedroom. Then the bedrooms of Mr & Mrs Auchincloss and the study where JFK signed many bills. All but one of the bedrooms had its own bathroom; large spacious rooms! Almost every bedroom had a lounge divan for naps, because you weren’t allowed to mess up the bed once it was made.  There was a simple elevator, and elk’s antlers that Hugh just happened to find when out West. An old grandfather clock from Holland. Back downstairs to the reception parlor and living room with a pelican and pheasant hanging around, a wet bar, game (chess and checkers) tables, and several living room sets, a grand piano, and a tiled fireplace.

Hammersmith Farm mansion

We left to go to the gift shop which was once the children’s playhouse, and then out to see the miniature horses, one of which was definitely a burro.

Kathy pets the burro with the miniature horse

We drove around Ocean Avenue and it was truly a beautiful day! (Did I say that already?!)

We stopped to walk down to the rocks and check out tidal pools full of snails and mussels, some seaweed and crabs’ legs.

Tidal pool

Looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean

Tidal pool

We admired and critiqued the house along the way, and then began passing the mansions. We picked two to tour, and went to park at the Breakers near Salve Regina College. We each bought a combination ticket for two mansions for $6.

Newport Mansions ticket

We had 15 minutes before the tour began, so walked around the grounds to admire the proportions of the mansion, a tiled loggia, and noted the missing stone urns on the back patio.

The Breakers

View from the Breakers backyard

We went to the elaborate children’s playhouse, now a gift shop. We had to hurry back to join the tour of the largest of the Newport mansions. We passed through huge well-set doors (can be pushed with a mere finger), and entered the men’s reception room with news articles about the Vanderbilts displayed, and pictures of the mansion being built in 1895-1897. It was another “summer cottage” designed by Richard Morris Hunt for Cornelius Vanderbilt, with 72 rooms, including 33 for the servants, 18 bedrooms, and 16 bathrooms. The architecture is said to be like European High Renaissance with many of the furnishings and details inspired by the French and Italian villas of that time. Many of the rooms were brought piece by piece from France. We were taken to the very impressive great hall that was a replica of the inner court of an Italian palazzo, so a simulated sky was painted on the ceiling. The acorn is a symbol of the Vanderbilt family. We went upstairs to several of the bedrooms, all huge rooms with unbelievably high ceilings. The youngest daughter's bedroom was redone in silk; she later became Countess Gladys Széchenyi when she married the Hungarian Count László Széchenyi. Every room had a telephone, and of course, call buttons for the maid, the pantry, etc. Even the guest room was fully furnished with a desk supplied with stationery. Here also, the bathrooms were huge and there were four taps on the bathtub; for hot and cold water, and hot and cold saltwater. The saltwater came through silver pipes, as it would corrode iron pipes. We walked through the upper loggia with a great view of the ocean, with a simple tile mosaic floor where they kept carpets and furniture outdoors. Went to several more bedrooms, including those of Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt. The Mrs had a French marble bathtub they had to fill three times to keep the water warm enough. Back downstairs we went through the library with alcove, music room which was built in France and transported in pieces, living room (so to speak), and great hall with a huge fireplace to the billiards room, past the fountain under the stairs and into the immense and ornate dining room that could seat 34 people. Typical of the architecture was the symmetry with false doors to balance real ones, and mirrors placed to reflect endless rows of chandeliers. The pantry was two stories of storage space with a walk-in safe for the silver, meal warmer oven, and a wine cooler (the wine cellar being below). The large echoing kitchen (as big as a two-story house!) was full of copper pots, where a minimum of 120 meals per day were made, just for family and service staff. The basement had refrigerator and ice rooms. Finally to the women’s reception room, an 18th-century room brought from France, which was a gift from Marie Antoinette to her god-daughter.

View of the Breakers through its gate

We left and found my car stank from rotting crab claws! We threw away the offenders, but the car still smelled! We continued to The Elms and drove up the circular driveway to the parking lot. This mansion was equally impressive, designed by Horace Trumbauer for Edward J Berwind, a coal magnate. It was a copy of the 18th century Château d’Asnières near Paris. The house is called a museum of antique furniture and art objects. There were cabinets of porcelain and old fans, including one from Marie Antoinette, and Wedgewood. Chinese vases stood on tables in the front hall. There were tapestries, including copies of portraits (such as by Van Dyke), done by Russians. We climbed the grand staircase (here also 40 steps) to see an inlaid stone table, and several bedrooms and sitting rooms. The bathrooms had huge screwheads in the floors (the drain coverings). In the mistress’ bathroom was a time clock to see how long it took the maid/butler to respond to the call button. Back downstairs we went through the library, arboretum, a parlor with reflecting mirrors, ballroom, and the Chinese dining room.
It was about 16:15, so we went back to my place to prepare a typical American meal (as we had done in Italy!), this time for Kent. So we had tuna noodle casserole with salad, and a dessert of chocolate pudding with ladies fingers and whipped cream. We did the Nichols School (Buffalo, NY) general knowledge quiz, together scoring a 69 (the highest score at the school was 61).