''Beacon Rock'' dubbed the ''Acropolis of Newport'' was built in 1888-1891 for Edward Denison Morgan III (1854-1933) of New York shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Mary (nee Moran) (1860-1948). The Beaux Arts-style villa overlooking Newport Harbor and Brenton Cove was designed by Stanford White of the architectural firm McKim, Mead, & White; the landscape architect was Frederick Law Olmstead. Marion Eppley (1883-1960) and his wife, Ethelberta Pyne (nee Russell) (1867-1952), bought ''Beacon Rock'' in 1921 and had the property renovated extensively before taking possession in 1922. Captain Eppley, a Princeton graduate who served in both World Wars, was a physical chemist and research scientist(The Eppley Foundation for Research, Marion Eppley Wildlife Refuge). In 1951 the Eppleys sold the estate to acclaimed sculptor Felix de Weldon (1907-2003), who used the estate's carriage house as a studio for many years. Newport attorney Brian R. Cunha bought ''Beacon Rock'' in 1996 and as of 2012 still owned the property.
Below photos are from the 1930s.
Click HERE to see "Beacon Rock" at wikimapia.org.
Click HERE to see Captain Eppley's home in Oyster Bay, NY.
My parents had a late 1950s book with photos of this house that I absolutely adored. I thought it was so remarkable, even though I was a young child. I was an early admirer of MM&W!
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