Newport Mansions — Gilded Age Secrets

Your journey in Newport, Rhode Island, begins at the Touro Synagogue, consecrated in 1763. This first synagogue in the United States, still in use, is a Georgian building measuring 30m x 12m, housing a holy ark made of Massachusetts pine. It was the place of worship for the Jeshuat Israel congregation, founded in 1658 by Sephardic Jews. It was here, in 1790, that George Washington sent a letter affirming religious freedom, a fundamental principle for the young nation. Your investigation into the Gilded Age legacy begins, exploring the roots of tolerance that allowed Newport to prosper.

A short walk away, the Old Colony House, built in 1739, awaits you on Colony House Square. This three-story brick building, 24m x 15m, served as the seat of Rhode Island's colonial government until 1901. It was within its walls that Rhode Island's independence was proclaimed in May 1776, even before the national declaration. Sessions of the US Supreme Court were held here in 1790 and 1794 under John Jay. The interior, with its grand staircase and preserved courtroom, immerses you in the decisions that shaped America, long before the opulence of the Vanderbilts.

Your path then leads to the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, founded in 1747 by Abraham Redwood, the oldest lending library in the United States. This neoclassical building, designed by Peter Harrison in 1750, measuring 20m x 12m with a central dome, originally housed a collection of 8,000 volumes. It was even used as a hospital during the American Revolution in 1776. Here, a portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale has been on display since 1774, reminding you of the importance of culture and education in shaping American identity, a contrast to the new fortunes of the Gilded Age.

Continue towards Trinity Church, an Episcopal church built in 1725-1726, the oldest church in Newport still standing. Its 55m steeple, added in 1828, contains a bell cast in England in 1726. Its Baroque architecture and stained-glass windows imported from England the same year attest to uninterrupted worship since 1702 for the parish founded in 1698. This edifice shows you the continuity of religious and architectural traditions that endured in Newport, even as industrial fortunes began to redefine the city's landscape.

Finally, your journey takes you to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, located at the Newport Casino, built in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett Jr. This 7-hectare complex, with its 13 grass courts, hosted the first US National Championships in 1881 and is the oldest tennis club in the United States. The Victorian shingle style buildings, restored in 1954 for the Hall of Fame, even served as a backdrop for a tennis match in season 1 episode 8 of 'The Gilded Age'. This final stop, a National Historic Landmark, perfectly embodies the peak of the era you are exploring, offering a glimpse into the leisure and extravagance of Newport's elites.