Isaac Bell House, 70 Perry Street, Newport, Newport County, RI

Significance: This large house, built as a summer "cottage" in 1882-1883, is an early work of the architects McKim, Mead, and White. It is a typical example of the Shingle Style, and it is distinguished by the extreme open character of its planning.

Designed for Isaac Bell, a wealthy cotton broker and investor, the house passed through a succession of owners until the Preservation Society of Newport County bought it in 1996. The Society tours note that the Isaac Bell House was "remarkably innovative when it appeared in 1883. It is a combination of Old English and European architecture with colonial American and exotic details, such as a Japanese-inspired open floor plan and bamboo-style porch columns."

Survey number: HABS RI-308

Building/structure dates: 1882-1883 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: after 1996 Subsequent Work

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 97001276

houses shingle style architectural elements open plan buildings gables turrets towers wraparound porches porches inglenooks historic house museums rest homes newport isaac house isaac bell house perry perry street newport county samuel barger james gordon bennett historic american buildings survey mead and white mckim preservation society of newport county p e read photo ultra high resolution high resolution rhode island library of congress national register of historic places

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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