Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
Deborah & William Hillyard
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Belcourt
Belcourt was built for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont between 1891 and 1894, as a summer cottage. It is the third largest of the Newport mansions. The design is predominantly French Renaissance and Gothic, with elements of English, Italian and German, based on the Louis XIII hunting lodge at Versailles. As built, it had 60 rooms in 50,000 square feet,but had only one bedroom and bathroom. Belmont did not appreciate overnight guests. It cost $3.2 million to build, equivalent to over 70 million in 2009. An inveterate snob, Belmont considered most of his neighbors on Bellevue Avenue to be nouveau riche, so placed the main entrance on the opposite side from Bellevue on Ledge Road, thus turning his back on the nouveau riche.
Belcourt from the corner of Ledge Road and Lakeview Avenue. Taken in 1895 soon after it was completed.
This photograh of the French gothic ballroom was taken before the Tinney Family purchased the castle in 1956. It is shown prior their furnishing and restoring it.
The courtyard before 1910, when Alva Belmont initiated a number of renovations that radically reconfigured the courtyard and the interior of Belcourt.
Some older pictures of Belcourt
As something of a horse lover, the entire ground floor comprised carriage houses and stables, with the living accommodation above on the second and third floors. Belmont married Alva Vanderbilt, ex-wife of William Vanderbilt, in 1896. She was keen to make her mark on the house, so one of her first changes was the conversion of the carriage room into a banqueting hall. Many other changes followed until 1940 when Belmont sold the house. It went through a number of changes of ownership until the Lorillards bought it in 1954 as a venue for the Newport Jazz Festival. Many concerts were held in the central courtyard.
Two years later, however, it was again sold to the present owners, the Tinney family, who renamed it Belcourt Castle, as the Tinneys son, Donald, had always wanted to live in a castle. The house was essentially empty and in very poor condition, so the Tinneys started renovating and installing their collection of antiques that span from the 10th up to the 20th centuries. The house has been open to the public since 1957, though the family continued to live in it. Donald Tinney married Harle Hanson in 1960; she had been a tour guide in the house. He died in 2006, and Harle Tinney, who continues to live in Belcourt, put the house up for sale in 2009. For contrast, the images below show how the house looked in earlier times.
Two years later, however, it was again sold to the present owners, the Tinney family, who renamed it Belcourt Castle, as the Tinneys son, Donald, had always wanted to live in a castle. The house was essentially empty and in very poor condition, so the Tinneys started renovating and installing their collection of antiques that span from the 10th up to the 20th centuries. The house has been open to the public since 1957, though the family continued to live in it. Donald Tinney married Harle Hanson in 1960; she had been a tour guide in the house. He died in 2006, and Harle Tinney, who continues to live in Belcourt, put the house up for sale in 2009. For contrast, the images below show how the house looked in earlier times.
Vacations -
Rhode Island- Newport Mansions
