"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

http://issuu.com/acanthus_press/docs/main_line_counry_houses

 "The Italian-Renaissance styled 'Lauranto' stood atop a bluff overlooking Little Darby Creek from 1901 until the early 1980's. Designed by Peabody & Stearns, 'Lauranto' was the home of Drexel grandchild, sportsman Craig Biddle, and his wife, the former Laura Whelan.

    Following the death of their mother in 1883, four-year old Craig Biddle and his brother Livingston were raised as wards of George W. Childs Drexel. Under the terms of Anthony J. Drexel's will, each of the Biddle brothers would receive a million dollars upon reaching age 21. The lavishly decorated 'Lauranto', with 113 acres landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers, was a wedding gift to Craig Biddle from his Drexel guardians, a similar gift being made to Livingston Biddle upon his marriage.

    Lauranto's interiors were furnished largely with European purchases, including antique marble mantelpieces, classic statuary, and Aubusson tapestries from dealers in Rome and Florence. The vaulted, two-story hall, with Palladian arched windows overlooking the valley, occupied the center of the house with reception, dining, library and sitting rooms arrayed on either side.

Craig Biddle - 1918

     A champion polo and tennis player, with a penchant for lavish entertaining and investing in  Broadway musicals. Craig Biddle quickly ran through his inheritance and was compelled to sell 'Lauranto' in 1911 to banker-broker Archibald Barklie. Renamed 'Inver House', the property was sold again in 1936 to Simon Neuman, President of Publicker Industries.

    By the 1970s 'Inver House' was owned by the Roach Brothers real estate firm, which announced plans to adapt the property for use as a retirement community. This scheme came to naught, however, and 10 years later, house and stable had been replaced by a large complex of luxury town houses."

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

HE mansion of "Laurento" looms majestically on its hilltop, rising high and stately above the surrounding trees and shrubbery, quite dominating the landscape for many miles around. And a most agreeable landmark, it is, designed in a quiet Italian style by Messrs. Peabody & Sterns, architects, of Boston. It is a large house with spacious fronts, whose length is emphasized by the strong string-course between the first and second stories, and by the low, sloping broad roof with which it is surmounted. It is built of light-brown brick, with terra cotta trimming of a nearly white tone.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania 1902

Nothing remains of it now except for the gate and driveway leading nowhere.

On the top of each pillar under the lions, one can see very clearly the inscription "Inver House".

    The situation is superb, standing on the summit of a hill that rises sharply above the road by which it is usually approached, but with an ample plateau on the inner side, toward which the entrance front is faced. On the roadside the base of the hill is enclosed within a low stone wall, that presently will be thickly covered with vines. 

Roadside Watering Trough. Designed by Peabody & Stearns - wall to extreme right constructed under the Supervision of Mr. Brown with suggestions from the Olmsted Brothers. 1901

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    At one point, within a recess, is a water trough for horses; farther on is the entrance, high sandstone piers capped with standing lions and supporting a wrought-iron arch carrying a central lantern: a stately, handsome entrance, as effective as it is simple.

East front from turn in approach drive at which point the house is seen for the first time on approaching. 1901

Looking North West toward approach front of house - all plants on terraces were planted spring 1902 - except privet hedge which was planted  Fall 1901.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania 1902

    The road within approaches the house by broad curves, for the elevation is considerable, and a somewhat lengthy detour has been necessary to accomplish an easy ascent. On the left the hillside is thickly overgrown with wild shrubbery; on the right are open fields, with the farmhouse and barn— a massive, rough cast structure—quite down in the hollow. The roadbed is fine, with young trees growing on the outer edge, and at frequent intervals are rustic posts carrying wrought-iron lanterns, square in form, and as ornamental by day as they are useful by night. Farther on, but at some distance below, the road overlooks the vegetable garden. 

The Entrance Front Is a Dignified Composition in the Italian Style

    Then the shrubbery on the left gives way to open land, and the house, which hitherto has been completely hidden, comes into view. A broad field contains a flock of sheep and the planting becomes more formal; great clumps of shrubbery are massed in beautifully kept lawns. The house has no great trees near it, those in its immediate vicinity being young. The kitchen entrance is hidden behind a fine planting of evergreens.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

The Porte Cochere Is Built of Terra Cotta and Is Directly Before the Main Entrance

    A stately porte cochere, built wholly of terra cotta, is erected before the main doorway. It has four great piers, with round arches on the side, and two columns to support the entablature on the front, whence a ravishing view can be had of the magnificent lawn that stretches away from the house, and of the hilltops in the far distance.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania 1901

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    In design this house is thoroughly distinguished. The plan may be roughly described as cruciform; that is to say, a great central body to which are applied wings, right and left. of pilasters, support the simply molded archway. The reason for the thickening of the wall is now apparent, for it gives greater depth to the arch, and transforms what might have been a purely ornamental feature into a monumental one. In the spandrils are two carved disks, which, with the monumental stairway at the base of the arch, complete the structural features of this fine centerpiece. Within, the archway has a double treatment of door and window, the doorway being in the exact center, below a broad horizontal cornice, while the window rises in majestic proportions above it, wholly filling the enclosed space.

"Laurento", the Terrace Front and Its Arch of Triumph

    The steps at the base of the arch descend upon a spacious terrace, which is built out upon the hillside, with a broader flight of central steps to the slope below. On each side of the Mobility is given to the center by slight projections: at the ends on the entrance front, in the center on the terrace front. The detailing is extraordinarily fine, very well conceived, and applied with admirable judiciousness. The large windows are sufficiently spaced, those of the first story having more elaborate frames than those of the second. The cornice at the top is high and flat, with pierced openings over the windows, and then the projecting eaves to the low roof, whose simple outline is broken only by the chimneys and the three dormers on the entrance front.

Terrace Front of "Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., at Wayne, Pennsylvania

    There is more pronounced enrichment and more variety in the terrace front. On that side the center is projected far forward beyond the wings. In the center is a triumphal arch, rising high to the crowning cornice which its keystone just touches. Roman Ionic columns, with an accompanying pair center of the house are loggias which connect with the wings, each with its own steps, descending at right angles to the central flight to the great lower terrace. 

Flower garden during construction. 1901

Flower Garden and North Pergola. 1902

    The loggias are built of terra cotta, with piers and columns, and, furnished with rugs, tables, and chairs, are most delightful lounging places. The outlooks over the countryside from any of these parts are of rare beauty; immediately below is the deep valley and the road, which the house seems almost to overhang; beyond are fields of rich grass, trees and woods, hills and valleys, a lovely country outlook, perhaps nowhere so enjoyable, or so beautiful, as from the doorway beneath Mr. Biddle's arch of triumph.

"The Main Corridor Looking Toward the Billiard-room

    The entrance door leads to a small vestibule, wholly paneled in wood painted white. Its glazed doors admit to a space of similar dimensions and treated in an identical manner. This is without inner doors, but open on to the broad corridor that runs across the house from right and left. Curtains of red damask on three sides convert the center of the corridor into a sort of antechamber beyond which is the great central hall. Quite from the outer door the spacious splendor of this apartment has been visible, for the whole of the center of the house is brilliantly illuminated by the flood of light admitted by the vast window under the arch of the terrace front.

The Main Hall Is Flanked with Aisles, in One of Which Is the Fireplace with a Mantel of Carved Stone

    The hall is of regal proportions, rising to the full height of the second story. Ionic columns, on either side, divide it into three bays. It is thus basilical in plan, with aisles on each outer edge, while the central space is supported by the columns and pilastered piers in the corners. 

The Main Hall Looking Toward the Vestibule. It Is a Splendid White Apartment, Two Stories High

    Above the entablature are arches enclosing balustrades, and which surround a corridor carried around three sides of the hall at the upper story. Oriental rugs are laid on the marble floor. At the great window arch are curtains of green damask lined with white silk; at the entrance is a green curtain, and at the four doors on the sides, which lead to the other apartments, are the door and window curtains. The woodwork is mahogany, the mantel, with a facing of green marble, being of the same wood and very richly carved. The hardwood floor has a large Oriental rug, and the furniture is covered with red velvet. The white ceiling and cornice are elaborately molded and detailed. The bookcases which surround most of the lower part of the walls are of mahogany, carved and molded; they are enclosed within leaded glass doors of beautiful design. The room is lighted by side brackets. Immediately adjoining is Mr. Biddle's den, a small room in green, with green walls and green curtains over lace curtains at the single window.

    The billiard-room is at the end of the corridor, and completely fills this farthest end of the house. It is treated throughout in warm brown. The floor is formed of large dull-red bricks, on which are many small Oriental rugs. It is paneled in wood to the frieze, which is of carved leather depicting hunting scenes. The ceiling has wooden beams, corresponding with the rest of the woodwork, the panels being filled with leather, of the same beautiful warm-brown hue which characterizes the whole room. The curtains, both for tapestry curtains of blue and yellow tones. On the left, within the aisle, is a handsomely carved fireplace and mantel of white stone; on the opposite wall, in the aisle, is a superb piece of tapestry. In the center is a green marble table with white marble feet: it supports a richly carved vase. In the corners by the entrance are marble statues.

    The rooms on either side may be reached from the central hall, but it will perhaps be more convenient to visit them from the main corridor. Like the hall and vestibules this is floored with white marble, spread with rich Oriental rugs. On the right it leads to the billiard-room, situated at the extreme end of the house; and on the left it connects with the servants' quarters. It is so broad, and high, and spacious—as are all the apartments on this floor—that it has a true monumental character. Its chief decoration is a series of busts of Roman emperors, of which six are in the right hall, while two stand in the farther corners of the left extension. These sculptures are nobly placed, and add immensely to the monumental effect of the corridor.

The Library Is Finished in Mahogany with Walls of Red Brocade

    The first room on the right is the library; it is also directly entered from the great hall. The walls are covered with red striped damask, the same rich material being used also for the doors and the windows, are of brown leather with green and gold bands. The spacious mantel is of wood and is a part of the wainscot. The facings are of red brick similar to the floor; immediately above, in the center, is a large deer's head. The windows have white lace curtains within the leather curtains. At either end is a low platform with a builtin seat. The furniture is covered with light-brown leather. The great height of the ceiling adds immensely to the effect of this beautiful room.

The Reception-room, with Paneled Wails of French Gray, Is Louis XVI in Style

    The reception-room is opposite the library and faces the entrance front of the house. It is designed and furnished in the Louis XVI style and is a delightfully cool and charming apartment. The paneled walls are in French gray. There is a built-in mirror over the fireplace, which has facings of mottled-red marble. The curtains are of pink damask over white. The chairs are of French gray covered with tapestry, and the other furniture includes many fine old pieces of great beauty.

    On the left hand side of the entrance doorway are two rooms, both entered from the main corridor. That on the front of the house is the breakfast-room, treated wholly in yellow, with warm-yellow walls, and curtains of the same brilliant color. 

An Immense Slab of Green Marble Encloses the Fireplace of the Dining-room

The Dining-room Is Paneled in Dark Oak, Above Which Is a Frieze of Old Tapestry

DINING-ROOM
"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    The dining-room is opposite, and is one of the most sumptuous apartments in the house. The walls are paneled in dark oak to the broad tapestry frieze, a fine old piece of unusual beauty. The ceiling is cream color with decorated beams forming small square panels. The woodwork of the doors is enriched with carving, and there are elaborately carved tympanums in the arched doorways on the side. The fireplace is encased within a huge slab of mottled-green marble, to which a shelf of the same rich material is applied. The sideboard, on the opposite side of the room, is built in, and is designed in harmony with the decorative woodwork of the doors and mantel. The hardwood floor is covered with a green rug, and the curtains are of green velvet with gold braid bands. The oak furniture is very elaborately carved. The room is lighted by gilt sidelights applied to the panels of the walls.

The Massing of Foliage Plants and Trees Is Admirable

    One end of the house, the nearest end as it is approached by the entrance driveway, is wholly given up to the service. The planting here, as has been stated, consists of evergreens, arranged in picturesque masses. 

Looking down on flower (Italian) garden from a second story window of house. 1901

View of Long Terrace and Flower Garden. 1902

The Formal Garden of "Laurento" with Its Central Fountain and Encircling Flower Beds

    At the farther end is a small formal garden, the chief ornament of which is a marble fountain, placed exactly in the center, and formed of a charming group of children playing in a small marble basin. Concentric beds of circular segments are planted around the fountain, until the corners are filled out in squares. The planting is chiefly annuals, arranged in brilliant masses of color. The whole is enclosed within a hedge. At the farther extremity beyond the fountain the land dips suddenly, but the ravine is partly screened by the garden hedge. Beyond are hills, with trees and woods, a beautiful outlook over the many beautiful spots within and without the estate grounds.

Looking South East from Italian garden towards the Stable. All plants seen in photo except the trees in background were planted either Fall 1901 or Spring 1902.

Path south of the esplanade and looking east toward stable. All planting put in Spring 1902.

The Stable and Clock Tower - East front.

The Stable and Clock Tower - East front.

Welcome to Inveraray

INVER HOUSE GREEN PLAID

    Follow THIS LINK to see an aerial view from 1948 showing the estate standing.

September 19, 1908

Mr. Oelrichs said I never saw anything or anybody that came from Philadelphia that was any good and I can back up my words if you will step outside. Biddle was reported to have had his face smacked by Harry Oelrichs.


    "Harry Oelrichs was one of the most intimate friends of James Gordon Bennett," writes Edward Vizetelly in a London weekly. "Between them they introduced polo into America, and were familiar figures, side by side, in Broadway years ago, particularly after dark." SOURCE

"Castlewood " A Vast and Stately Building in the Georgian Style - Newport, Rhode Island

INDOORS and OUT 1906
S. W. R.

   Louis Bruguiere was the son of Josephine Frederikke Sather Bruguiere. It was her money that built "Castlewood".

Dominating the highest point of land at Coddington Point, this white-trimmed brick Neoclassical style villa was visible from all of southern Narragansett Bay. The interior featured high-style French reception rooms in Renaissance and Louis XV taste. AHAG1908 = Photo  

  
   FAR-FAMED Newport, adorned as it is by many sumptuous homes, still offers to new comers plenty of undeveloped land. Back into the Rhode Island peninsula one may go to build and still be within easy automobile reach of all the gayeties of the summer village. And these hitherto undeveloped sites are not lacking in the glorious water views one associates with Newport; they have also a bit of rural charm.   Text - IAO1906

Birds Eye View of Newport circa 1878 - Golt & Hoy
To save money, Josephine chose a site on the outskirts of the city, far from the fashionable districts.
Bellevue Avenue is the first road from the bottom running longitudinally down the center of the map.  Coddington Point  and Sunset Hill are located at the top tight corner. "Fairholme" and the original "Breakers" are at the center bottom.

   Converting a formless pasture into a beautiful estate is an undertaking that has been carried out in two years on the land known as Sunset Hill overlooking the bay of Newport and the hillsides that partially enclose it. A few years ago Mrs. Emeile Bruguiere of California searched for a site upon which to build, and found none to equal this. Here she has reared her palace, for such it must be called, although in Newport all residences whether costing thousands or millions, are called " villas." Friends discouraged her selection of the spot, but her artistic eyes saw possibilities theirs could not; and now that stubble and wild brambles have given place to velvety lawns, ornamental trees and Italian gardens, her perspicacity has been proved.

   The rough pasture was ploughed as soon as it was purchased, and the sod allowed to decay with exposure. Roads were laid out and the entire fourteen or fifteen acres staked out in a systematic way to set the residence off to the best advantage. The lack of large trees, which had been a drawback to the site, was met at once. Beautiful specimens of larch, beech and maple — some with trunks fifteen inches in diameter — were selected in the neighboring country, taken up in winter with large balls of earth about their roots and planted at points which would preserve views for the house and yet provide an elegant setting. Vegetable gardens were started and flowers planted.  IAO1906

"Castlewood " A Vast and Stately Building in the Georgian Style

American Homes and Gardens 1908
Barr Ferree

T IS no new thing to build a palace on a vacant piece of ground—vacant in the sense of possessing no beauties of its own, vacant in its desolation, vacant in the sense of giving, as its most distinguished quality, a profound impression of unsuitableness for decorative treatment and for habitual use. There are many, and, now that they have been carried out, quite justifiable precedents for such procedure. Even in America examples of the complete transformation of site to meet the exigencies of new conditions are by no means rare; but it is not often that a site so unpromising at the outset as that chosen by Mr. Bruguiere for his villa "Castlewood", at Newport, has been selected for the erection of a vast house and all the appurtenances of a large country estate. The word large is, of course, used in a relative sense; for the Bruguiere property includes but fourteen or fifteen acres— not large literally, it is true, but quite spacious measured by the Newport standard. For Newport, while a city of great houses, gives but small space to many of the most sumptuous of them, and a property of fourteen or fifteen acres is, therefore, quite exceptional in point of size.

   This, however, is far from being the chief merit of "Castlewood". That originally the site possessed few natural advantages, save the outlook it afforded over the sea, has already been hinted. The knowledge of its previous condition is now immaterial. Where once were neglected and vacant fields are now spacious lawns, full-grown trees, and smiling gardens, while as the crown of the whole is the spacious and palatial dwelling that, in accordance with the local nomenclature, is designated a "villa". To the historian it may be a matter of some interest to know that the whole of this property is new—very new indeed—though the superb lawns and even the stately trees—brought here expressly for the beautification of the grounds—give no hint of recent origin. Very elaborate, and, it must be admitted, most costly, have been the works carried out here, although the result, even now at the beginning of its new growth, has fully justified every expenditure made.

   The house is, of course, the chief object of interest on the estate, which was created to give it an appropriate setting, and for no other purpose. It is a vast and stately building designed in the Georgian style by Mr. E. P. Whitman, architect, of Boston, and being placed on an eminence, and being quite isolated, having—for Newport—an individuality almost wholly its own. It is a rectangular structure, twice as long as it is wide, and with the longer front overlooking the sea. The dimensions are quite regal—one hundred and ten by fifty-four feet—and the opportunity thus presented to the architect to design a house at once stately and ornate has been availed of in a very handsome manner. The result is so fine that it must be a source of constant satisfaction to the owner and the designer.

   Stately and ornate are qualities not always the complement of the other. This is particularly true of the ornamental qualities of a design, which may be ornate in the most elaborate sense of the word, while the result may be anything but stately. The Georgian, fortunately, is a style that permits few liberties, and it is difficult, unless refinement of detail is neglected, to go astray in it. On the contrary, its own inherent qualities are so fine and good that stateliness may almost be considered as inseparable from it. In any event it affords fine opportunities for the designer who looks to the creation of ornateness and stateliness. And both these qualities are finely and very amply illustrated in Mr. Bruguiere's house.

   Long, strong, firm lines dominate the structure. It is almost a perfect rectangle, a slight extension of the service wing being quite subordinate to the main lines of the house. The bringing forward of the center of the entrance front is a thoroughly legitimate architectural device for breaking up the long lines of a facade, and the addition to the bulk of the house thus made is slight enough and is actually compensated for by the recessing of the center of the water front, where the opening thus created is filled with a stately colonnade.

   Symmetry and sobriety thus characterize this design as fundamentals; it is true one end has a covered porch, the other a one-story addition to the service rooms, as well as an enclosed service yard. These features, however, are subordinate to the real structure of the house itself, and in no way detract from the general symmetry of the design. AHAG1908

 IAO1906 - The house is built of red brick and beautiful glazed terra cotta, nearly white in color, and is some 110 feet long by 54 feet wide. It is Georgian in style, and therein differs from other villas at Newport as it differs from them in its high and commanding isolation. In leaving the town and entering the country by way of Coddington Avenue or from boats on the Bay, it can be seen from afar, the embodiment of architectural dignity. AHAG1908

   The house is built of red brick, with details and trimmings in glazed terra cotta, so nearly white as to practically approximate that color. These materials imposed no difficulty in their use, for they fit quite naturally into the chosen style. Great square pilasters, deeply channeled, and with rich Corinthian capitals, stand at each angle; on the corners of the house, at the angles of the central projection, at the opening of the recess on the water front—pilasters of generous size, quite ample to perform their apparent task of buttressing the walls between them. They support the cornice, which is carried uninterruptedly around the building on them, and which is also of terra cotta, save the space technically known as the frieze, in which the red brick of the lower wall reappears. The whole is crowned by a fine balustrade, very beautifully proportioned to the structure it surmounts, in which brick piers, with terra cotta bases and cornices, alternate with terra cotta balusters.

   These features form the framework of the design, within which are disposed the walls and window openings. The windows in the first floor throughout the house are round arched, spacious windows, admitting ample light within, and strong, well marked features without. They are without side frames, but their sills rest on slightly recessed pieces of walls, built of plain brick; a string course, which is continued across the intervening space, serves as the base for the arch moldings, which extend beyond the main wall, as do the high and somewhat narrow keystones which rise above the crown of the arches. Above each keystone, and midway between the windows of the first and second floor, is a circular terra cotta relief. The windows of the second floor are rectangular, without external frames, but with sills supported on simple consoles. A third story is completely hidden within the cornice and balustrade. AHAG1908

The Entrance Facade
 With Glazed Vestibule and Richly Wrought Marquise. IAO1906

   The entrance front is necessarily the more formal part of the house. In this great dwelling, standing in the midst of its own grounds, there is no need for fencing and enclosures, save for the service yard. The social side of the house— the gayer and more intimate—begins immediately on the left end, with a porch reaching from front to front. Its structure is similar to that of the entrance front—that is to say, channeled Roman Doric columns upholding an entablature which carries a balustrade. The porch is built completely of terra cotta save for the piers of the crowning balustrade, which are of brick. AHAG1908

The Water Front of "Castlewood"
With its Stately Terrace reached from the Living-Room and commanding the Bay. IAO1906

   The water front is, of course, the "facade d'honneur". The treatment of the house wall is exactly identical with that of the other fronts, but the center, as has been stated, is occupied with a magnificent colonnade formed of great Corinthian columns and pilasters, rising the full height of the two stories. These form five bays, with windows in each of the two outer ones, but the central one, being occupied by the fireplace of the living-room within, is closed with brick. AHAG1908

IAO1906 - On the north side, facing the water, extends a terrace. It is accessible by means of graceful steps or from the French windows of the living room. Here the four hundred of Newport will pass to sip afternoon tea or promenade after a dance, and the lounger on antique benches can scan, under sun or moon, the Middle and West Passages of Narragansett Bay, Mt. Hope Bay in the distance, and in front of him the low bulwark of Conanicut Island. AHAG1908

    The whole of this front gives upon a terrace, very spacious in dimensions, very splendid in effect. The center projects into the grounds a considerable distance beyond the house wall, and flights of steps at the center and at the ends lead to the lawns below. Bay trees stand on the steps to the colonnade, and vases of gay blooming plants are disposed on the piers of the enclosing balustrade. Very beautiful it is here, with the shining waters of the bays below and in the distance; and very fine it is too, when my lady gives a tea, or her handsomely gowned guests seek respite here from the gay doings at the ball within. I have already used the word regal in referring to this house, and must do so again, and especially here; for behind and above one is its truly regal and quite superb facade; to the right and left and in front, the ample areas of the terrace; below is the beautiful new green grass; and beyond are the myriad delights, natural and human, that form so potent a part in the charm of Newport. Here, indeed, is a rare exterior, stately, ornate and splendid, a truly fitting background for the gayest sort of festivity and the most princely hospitality. AHAG1908

IAO1906 - The main entrance is on the south side and is protected by a wrought iron marquise of beautiful design hung from the walls by heavy chains. The vestibule is formed of wrought grill work, back of which is heavy plate glass. Both are confined within Doric columns which, surmounted by entablature and balustrade, form the central ornament of the facade.

   Such are the chief items of the exterior, but there still remain some important matters to be noted. The porch of the entrance front is a small rectangular structure applied to the main doorway. It is, in truth, an outer vestibule, its roof supported by Roman Doric channeled columns and its side and front enclosed within elaborate screens of wrought ironwork lined with plate glass. A marquise hangs before the porch, covering the steps and a portion of the driveway and fulfilling the function of a porte cochere. This porch constitutes the single ornamental feature of the entrance front. Mention should, however, be made of the wall enclosing the service yard which is placed to the right; it is divided into rather narrow bays by piers, each of which carries a ball above the crowning cornice. The bays on the front contain oval openings, with heavily blocked frames. AHAG1908

IAO1906 - From the vestibule the visitor enters a space, measuring 25 x 50 feet, known as " the grand hall".   This is the most costly room in the house. Eight Ionic columns of richly veined marble support a boldly panelled and ornamented ceiling. The walls are made of white cement and panelled by means of inlaid bands of verde antique marble. AHAG1908

   But although the terrace is, in a sense, the culmination of the house, there is much within to see of interest before its supreme attractiveness will be learned. AHAG1908

The grand staircase is of white Italian marble up to the base of a richly wrought balustrade in which garlands of roses and leaves, done by deft strokes in iron, intertwine between the architectural scrolls of a typical French design. The stairway is formed somewhat like a flying buttress, arching from floor to wall, so that persons can pass underneath it, and permitting music to be stationed here, hid by palms, during entertainments. IAO1906

A Landing of The Grand Stairway The Walls of White Plaster inlaid with Verde Antique Marble. IAO1906

   The main doorway leads directly into the grand hall without any vestibule save the glazed external porch. This is a superb and palatial apartment, whose superficial area is perhaps twenty-five by fifty feet. The ceiling, which is decorated with great boldness and vigor in relief, is upheld by four pairs of coupled columns of richly veined marble with Ionic capitals. These are arranged somewhat toward each end, leaving a free central space. Pilasters of similar design are applied to the adjoining walls opposite to them. The walls are of white plaster, with panels formed by narrow bands of verde antique marble, while the door frames are of the same rich material as the columns. The stairway is on the right, rising without the columns at that end. It is continued to a broad landing, and then turns to the right and left; the left arm alone rises to the second floor, but a somewhat symmetrical treatment is effected by continuing the right arm to the outer wall on that side. The lower part of the stairway is supported on half arches, giving a free space below, which is available for an orchestra on occasions of entertainment. The stairs are of white Italian marble, and the handrail is a fine example of French wrought iron work. AHAG1908

Adjoining the hall is the living-room, paneled high with quartered oak in the old English style, and with a vaulted ceiling. The dining-room and library are nearly equal in size and are reached by wide doorways free of thresholds, so that when thrown together a perfectly even floor is had for dancing. IAO1906

   The living-room immediately adjoins the hall and occupies the other half of the center of the house. The walls are paneled throughout in quartered oak. The spaces over the door openings are arched, to correspond with the form of the windows, the main doorway, for its greater size, being necessarily surmounted with an elliptical arch. Four great windows in the opposite wall open to the floor and give upon the terrace. In the center is the chimney fireplace, arranged in a structure that projects well into the room. The ceiling has the form of a low elliptical arch, and from it depend two rich bronze chandeliers.

   There are two rooms in the left wing: the library, which faces the entrance front, and the salon, which looks out upon the water. AHAG1908

The Library at "Castlewood". IAO1906
The panel over the mantel is cut away for the insertion of a portrait of Mrs. Bruguiere.

The Library Is Finished in French Walnut, Beautifully Carved and Paneled. AHAG1908

Bookcases, skilfully included in the architectural scheme, extend from floor to ceiling, and there is a stately fireplace giving cheer. IAO1906

   The library is paneled throughout in French walnut, with built-in bookcases. Both the shelves and the paneling form a part of a continuous design, the salient feature of which is the pilasters, erected on a plain dado, and arranged singly or in pairs as emphasis and situation require. All around the room, and still a part of the interior woodwork, is a carved frieze of rich scroll design. The fireplace is of Caen stone, lined with brick. The panel over the mantel is cut away for the insertion of a portrait of Mrs. Bruguiere; a festooned decoration is arranged above and around it. The ceiling is plain white plaster. AHAG1908

IAO1906 -The salon, leading out of living-room and library is designed in the style of Louis XVI. Mirrors form the walls to balance windows, and all of the decorative work is composed of roses modeled in plaster. The beautiful crystal chandelier, picked up abroad, seems to grow out of a mirror cleverly set in the center of the domed ceiling. AHAG1908

The Salon
The Crystal Chandelier hung from a Mirror. IAO1906

   The salon is a beautiful apartment designed in the style of Louis XVI. The arches of the windows form the keynote of the design, for arches of less dimension are continued around the walls. Paneled piers support the frames and arches; the latter, however, are without molded frames, but are surrounded with garlands and bands of roses modeled in plaster. A similar floral treatment is given to the panels of the piers, which carry a cornice supported on small modillions. And everywhere, save where there are windows, are mirrors—mirrors in the arched openings on each side of the doorways; mirrors in similar openings on each side of the fireplace; a large mirror over the mantel shelf, and still smaller ones, rectangular in form, in the spaces between the larger panels. The ceiling is domed, with a mirror in the apex, from which descends a rich and beautiful crystal chandelier. It is a room brimful of light and gaiety, conceived in a very happy way and carried out in a thoroughly successful and charmingly playful manner. AHAG1908

The huge mantel, 16 feet high and 17 wide, of this material dominates the entire room by its contrast of color and carving in high relief. In the central panel are the arms of the family. IAO1906

IAO1906 - The ceiling is double vaulted; and at the junction of the two curves is a garland of fruit done in plaster, behind which are the electric fixtures. AHAG1908

The dining-room is paneled with solid mahogany finished dark but the door trims are of the rich buff marble from Siena. IAO1906

   The dining-room is on the opposite side of the house, and is larger than either the library or salon, but not so large as the two together; some space is needed here for the ample service requirements, which face the entrance front, the dining-room being on the sea front. The walls are paneled in solid mahogany in plain, simple, rectangular panels that rise to about the height of the doors. The door frames are of buff Siena marble and are quite monumental in character; the richness of their material offsetting, in a measure, the sobriety of their design.  At one end is the fireplace, incased within a chimney-piece of Siena marble, a vast and elaborately designed structure that quite dominates the room. The family arms fill the central panel. The ceiling is supported by a double cove. The lower one rises immediately above the summit of the paneling, and against it are finished the crowns of the door frames and the chimney-piece. A band of foliage, behind which are concealed the electric lights which illuminate the room, separates the lower cove from the upper one, which is smaller and merges immediately into the flat surface of the central ceiling. AHAG1908 
  

The Fireplace of a Boudoir
 All of the bedrooms are very large, most of them being connected with private bathrooms. Some have adjoining sitting-rooms and boudoirs as well. The closets on this floor are immense in size, several being large enough to contain a single bed comfortably. IAO1906

   The main hall on the second floor is one hundred feet long and twelve feet wide and has Doric columns and pilasters its entire length, between which is paneling five feet high.

   In the basement are the kitchen, the servants' dining-room, scullery, ice chest room, laundry and drying-room, wine-rooms, gas plant and heating plant. On the third floor, hidden from the grounds by the balustrade on the roof, are the commodious servants' quarters and baths. As a whole,the house is extremely beautiful and convenient, a model for entertaining and a pleasure to look at, largely on account of its lack of "ginger-bread work". IAO1906

Incorporated into the gardens were the remnants of an eighteenth-century battery thought to have been erected by the Comte de Rochambeau.  AHAG1908

Plan de la ville, port, et rade de Newport, avec une partie de Rhode-Island occupée par l'armée française aux ordres de Mr. Le comte de Rochambeau, et de l'escadre française commandée - 1780

    A Louis XV-style paneled room was removed and incorporated into a contemporary French house on Ocean Avenue. Which room or Ocean Avenue house I do not know???

THIS LINK shows the house still standing in 1938.

Josephine Frederikke Sather Bruguiere

Josephine Frederikke Sather Bruguiere was born about 1843 to Pedar Sather and Sarah Thompson of Connecticut. Pedar Sather had been the founder of the first bank in San Francisco and was a very wealthy individual. She married Emile A. Bruguiere, a wealthy Frenchman. They had one son Louis Sather Bruguiere, born on April 6th 1882.

The Bruguiere's New York City Townhouse

    The wealthy couple lived luxuriously in a large townhouse in New York City and rented cottages in Newport. When Emile A. Bruguiere died, he left Josephine a small fortune of $1 million and he left Louis S. another $1 million. 

    Upon inheriting her fortune, Mrs. Bruguiere decided she wanted a cottage in Newport, RI, where she and her son could reside in the summers with the rest of society, so she turned to architect Edward Whitman. Whitman would be working with a somewhat restrained budget of $200,000, with $75,000 of that going toward furniture. To save money, Josephine chose a site on the outskirts of the city, far from the fashionable districts. While construction was underway on her $125,000 chateau, Mrs. Bruguiere and Louis traveled the world collecting furniture, paintings, artwork, tapestries and valuable objects to furnish the home, they ran over their $75,000 furniture budget by $20,000.

   The budget of "Castlewood" had run over by $75,000 making the total cost of the house $200,000 and another $95,000 for furniture. Nevertheless it didn't matter to Josephine, who could not manage her finances very well, and she moved in promptly after it was finished. She opened the house with a lavish ball, costing $50,000. Guests marveled at the beautiful interiors and decorative details. Whitman had designed the interiors and the floor plan of the first floor around entertaining. The first floor housed the main rooms and the upstairs held the bedrooms.

    Within 2 years of moving in Mrs. Bruguiere became deep in arrears with her Newport accounts. She was spending more than her annual income monthly and was constantly renovating her two homes. By 1913 all she had left was less than $150,000 and she was silently selling her husband's art collection and statuary off to raise money to pay the bills. Her bills were astronomical and included, $15,000 on taxes for her New York City residence and $38,000 on "Castlewood"'s taxes, she spent $30,000 on her yearly wardrobe, $25,000 for staff payments and to upkeep both of her home, $7,000 yearly for the yacht she was renting and almost $100,000 on the yearly renovations she did to both of her homes. Her son, trying to help, married the enormously wealthy widow, Margaret "Daisy" Post Van Alen, and tried to use her fortune to help his mother.

   In 1913,"Castlewood" was taken by the bank and they auctioned off it's contents for a total of $100,000. Josephine had attended the auction and had bought a few of her things, such as the tapestry that hung at the top of the staircase and the rug in the salon. Josephine sold her New York City townhouse and sold most of it's furniture for a total of $350,000. Since she also sold a small part of her jewelry collection for some $100,000, Josephine was able to retain her apartment in Paris, but cut her the original staff that had attended her at her three homes from 27 to 6. She moved into a suite of rooms at the Sherry Hotel and continued to live in Newport, renting various homes and their contents for the seasons. Mrs. Bruguiere only did this for 2 more years, because on August 19, 1915, while traveling back from Europe, Josephine and Louis were on the ocean line "The Arabic" when it was torpedoed and sank. The Bruguieres were in their first class suite when it happened. Louis was dressing when he felt it hit, he ran to the closet, grabbed the lifebelts and ran into his mother's room. He strapped it on to Josephine, who was having breakfast in bed, and threw a fur coat on her. He did the same with her french maid and then they rushed to the boat deck. When they reached the boat deck, it had been 4 minutes since Louis had rushed into his mother's room but they were too late, all the boats were gone.

Sinking of the S S Arabic

   Josephine began to go back to retrieve her jewels but Louis made her stay. They were finally thrown from the ship into the water. Josephine's maid was thrown to her grave because as soon as she hit the water she was sucked under. Louis and Josephine stayed together, with Louis carrying his mother on his back, but he lost her when she was sucked under. Louis survived but Josephine was never found. James Seidelman  Her body later washed ashore September 24th in Ireland.

   By the terms of her will, she left "Castlewood" to Louis, but it had been seized the year before.


   Arnold Watson Essex then purchased the house from the Savings Bank of Newport. He was reported to be "a man of large means who does not care for society", making its distant location from the hubbub of Newport ideal . Mrs. John H. Hanan, who occupied the house as late as 1918, was its final private owner. "Castlewood" was subsequently converted into an orphanage, The Mercy Home and School, and demolished by the U.S. Government for World War II public housing for workers of the Newport torpedo and naval ordinance factories.

"Fairholme" and "The Breakers". Where "Ochre Court" now stands was located "Edgewater", the J. Frederick Kenochan "villa". Said to be one of the most elaborately decorated houses on the Cliff Walk. Next to Kenochan is "Cave Cliff". Between would be built "Vinlind".