The Elms

The Elms is a Gilded Age mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, built as the summer home of coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife. Completed in 1901, it was modeled on a French château and holds collections of French and Venetian paintings, Renaissance ceramics, tapestries and Oriental jades. An audio tour covers the formal rooms and the contrast between life upstairs and the work of the household staff. Outside, explore the formal gardens, with fountains, terraces, marble pavilions and sculptures.

A French château in Newport

The Elms was built as the summer residence of Edward Julius Berwind, a coal magnate, and his wife, Herminie. Designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, the house was completed in 1901 and modeled on the Château d’Asnières near Paris. Its French château-inspired architecture gives the estate a different character from Newport’s other grand summer houses.

The mansion has 48 rooms and a balanced exterior, with a rounded central section flanked by wings of equal size. The formal design continues across the grounds, where terraces and gardens extend the house’s orderly layout. The Elms is a National Historic Landmark and offers a view of the scale and domestic life associated with Newport’s Gilded Age summer estates.

Art and furnishings inside

Berwind’s collection included Renaissance ceramics, 18th-century French and Venetian paintings, tapestries and Oriental jades. Many of these objects remain on display in the mansion. Look closely at the furnishings and architectural details as you move through the rooms: the interior’s art and decoration are part of the story, not just a backdrop to the house.

The audio tour adds context to the formal spaces and explains the contrast between the family’s high-society life and the work that kept the household running. The Elms was among the first Newport mansions to have full electricity, a modern amenity for its time.