Belcourt Castle is the former summer cottage of Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, located in Newport, Rhode Island. Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (November 12, 1858, — June 10, 1908) was a wealthy American socialite and Congressman. ... A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront Newport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island. ...

Construction and the Belmont Years

Belcourt viewed from Ledge Road, near Lakeview Avenue

Located on Bellevue Avenue, Belcourt was designed by Richard Morris Hunt for the heir of August Belmont, a Prussian Jew who came to the United States in 1837 as an agent for the Rothschilds and accumulated enormous personal wealth as a banker. Oliver Belmont, at 33, was still a bachelor during the construction of his 60,000 square foot (5,600 m²), 60 room summer villa. Based on a Louis XIII hunting lodge at Versailles, Belcourt incorporated Oliver's love of pageantry, history and horses in its magnificent interior halls, salons and ballrooms. Belmont wanted Belcourt designed precisely to his specifications. Hunt was hesitant, but he concentrated on his guiding principle that it was his client's money he was spending. ImageMetadata File history File links Belcourt_ledge_rd. ... Statue of Liberty, Pedestal by Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827, Brattleboro, Vermont - 1895) preeminent figure in the history of American architecture. ... August Belmont (December 8, 1816 _ November 24, 1890), American banker and financier, was born at Alzei, Rhenish Prussia. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ... Versailles, formerly the capital city of the kingdom of France, is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and is still an important administrative and judicial center. ...

When construction finished in 1894, the entire first floor was composed of carriage space and a multitude of stables for Belmont's prized horses . Scheduled to open for July 4th of that year, Belcourt would remain closed for the summer season. Belmont was hospitalized in New York City, the victim of a mugging. It would be a full year until Belmont saw his completed mansion. 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...

The summer of 1895 witnessed the thirty servants of Belcourt preparing the vast estate for the arrival of its owner. Immediately, Belmont set out to inspect his extensive stables, which entailed the entire south façade. The building was formed of a large quadrangle, with two story wings connecting to a three-story main block (the north wing). The result can be viewed today in the form of a large, 80 by 40 foot (24 by 12 m) central courtyard with half timbers. The immense mansard roof is pierced by oval copper dormers and chimneys finished in the same manner as the walls. The symmetrical north façade is where the carriage entrances were located. A narrow wrought iron balcony stretches 70 feet (20 m) on the second floor. 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Mansard in architecture refers to a style of hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its four sides with the lower slope being steeper than the upper slope. ...

Inside the mansion was just as magnificent and somewhat eccentric. Belmont housed his vast collection of horses and carriages on the first floor, accessed by two huge carriage entrances on either side of the north façade. To the west of this vast area was Belmont's Francis I Renaissance-style Grand Hall and foyer which exited onto Ledge Road. The monumental Gothic rooms with their huge stained-glass windows were emblazoned with the Belmont coat of arms. The room's original damask, blood red in colour, has long since been replaced with the same fabric in gold. Francis I (French: François Ier) (September 12, 1494 – July 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (French: le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance, also known as Il Rinascimento (in Italian), was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Italian silk damask, 1300s. ...

Ascending the Grand Staircase, now a replica of the stairs in the Cluny Museum in France, guests reached Belmont's second floor Grand Hall. The details are exactly the same as those of its partner room below. The Musée de Cluny, officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge, is a museum in Paris, France, which houses a variety of important artifacts dating to the Middle Ages. ...

Belmont married Alva Vanderbilt, the former wife of William Kissam Vanderbilt, on January 11, 1896. Eager to reshape and redesign Belcourt, Alva made changes that morphed the already eccentric character of Belcourt into a yet more eccentric hybrid mixture of styles. Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont (January 26, 1933 - January 26, American socialite and a major funder of the womens suffrage movement. ... William Kissam Vanderbilt (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The Tinney Family

Oliver Belmont died in 1908, and surviving Belmonts sold their interest in Belcourt in 1940. Belcourt deteriorated, largely uninhabited under several owners, until the Tinneys, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, bought Belcourt in 1956 for $25,000. In addition to changing the name from Belcourt to Belcourt Castle, the Tinneys filled the house with their own collection of antiques and reproductions. Included are a coronation coach, which the Tinneys made, and an original copy of a Hyacinthe Rigaud portrait of Louis XIV. The centerpiece of the Tinney additions is an enormous Imperial Russian-style chandelier, which holds 13,000 rock crystal prisms and 105 lights, with 125 reflecting mirrors on the interior. The luminous treasure hangs a few feet above the floor of the banquet hall. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Cumberland is a town located in Providence County, Rhode Island, incorporated in 1746. ... State nickname: The Ocean State, Little Rhody Other U.S. States Capital Providence Largest city Providence Governor Donald Carcieri (R) Senators Jack Reed (D) Lincoln Chafee (R) Official languages None Area 4,005 km² (50th)  - Land 2,709 km²  - Water 1,296 km² (32. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Hyacinthe Rigaud (July 20, 1659 - December 27, 1743) was a French painter. ... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ...

Belcourt Castle is the third largest mansion in Newport, after The Breakers and Ochre Court. The Breakers as seen from the lawn leading down to the sea The Breakers is located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island (41° 28′ 11″ N 71° 17′ 55″ W). ...

Materials

• Foundation: concrete and cut stone
• Walls: brick, rough cast, Westerly granite, stucco and half timbers
• Roof: slate and copper (flashing and flat areas)
• Other: wrought iron (gates and railings), stone (pilasters and estate walls)

Stucco is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water which is applied to a surface in a paste-like consistency when wet and when dry becomes hard. ... Alternate meanings in Slate (disambiguation) Slate Slate is a fine-grained homogeneous sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed (foliated) in layers (bedded deposits). ... Wrought iron is a very pure form of commercial iron, having a very small carbon content. ...

External links

• Belcourt Castle (official site)
• Belcourt Castle - The History of a Newport Mansion
• Legal battle over ownership