Chateau-sur-Mer: A House Above the Sea
Chateau-sur-Mer: A House Above the Sea
The first stone mansion constructed on Bellevue Avenue, Chateau-sur-Mer is older and the interior significantly darker than most of the other 'cottages' erected years later. In 1852, when William S. Wetmore spent a large chunk of the cash he earned from Chinese imports, Bellevue Avenue was a sandy dirt road that meandered along the cliffs overlooking the shimmering silver of the Rhode Island Atlantic.
Even in the 1870s, when Richard Morris Hunt made several additions to the home, it was nearly unimaginable that Bellevue Avenue would ever be the playground of New York society that it became in the Roaring Twenties. It's entirely likely that Mr. Wetmore simply wanted a nice, relaxing beachside home and built one for himself, quite unaware that he was, in fact, ushering in Newport's Gilded Age of opulence and style. By the early part of the 20th century, the chateau stood in the elegant company of such hoi-polloi as the Astor and Vanderbilt families of New York.
Chateau-sur-Mer may not look as outwardly impressive as the other mansions on the block, but its historical significance makes it a worthwhile tour stop. That's probably why it's now an informative, entertaining museum where you can learn how Newport came about. Actually, the Chateau serves best as the initial stop of your tour. Seeing the first of the Newport 'cottages' lets you see how styles evolved into the over-the-top excesses of the Gilded Age. Yes, the interior is very dark, due in great part to the extensive use of dark woods, which was quite in style circa 1850s New England. The 45' stained-glass skylight in the main hallway casts colorful confetti on the inside walls in homage to a festive time gone by.
