A New England Mansion: Belcourt of Newport
The stately Belcourt of Newport stands proudly in its regal splendor in upscale Rhode Island as it has since the 1800’s, despite its various owners and rich history.
The Estate
Belcourt was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt for socialite and New York Representative, Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. Construction began in 1891 and continued until 1894. The residence was originally intended to be used as a summer cottage for Belmont, who planned to use the estate for only six weeks of the year.
Upon completion, the home totaled a massive 50,000 square feet spanning over three floors at a cost of $3.2 million (or more than $80 million in today’s economy). The estate, which was designed to resemble Louis XIII’s hunting lodge at Versailles, drew inspiration from a melting pot of styles and time periods such as the French Renaissance, Gothic, and Italian Renaissance. They all combined to create this extraordinary estate.
As far as first impressions are concerned, Belcourt has it covered. Iron and copper gates greet you outside before you reach the estate, where the impressive exterior was created through the use of stucco, brick, and stone work with a completely slate roof to top it off. Upon entering the residence, the opulence not only continues, but it is magnified with hand-carved oak, pure silk damasks on the walls, and hand-painted ceilings.
In the original build, the entire first floor was used as a carriage house for Belmont, who was an enthusiastic equestrian, his own father having the Belmont Stakes named after him. Carriage spaces and stables comprise the first floor, where it was said that horses would sleep on 100% silk sheets and fine linen adorned them.
In the floor above, a bedroom and bath with wall murals depicting the life of noblemen. The rest of the estate stretched through the “quadrant” of towers, forming four definitive wings of the property with a rectangular courtyard in the middle of the property.
The west wing featured the great hall and grand foyer, where guests would enter the estate and be greeted by the grandeur. A massive staircase leads up to the second floor great hall that leads to a maze of different formal rooms and galleries designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt. The home remained in good condition until Belmont married Alva Vanderbilt in late 1896. She changed the courtyard structure and added a ballroom to the first floor, relocating the horses that used to reside on the first floor.
In total, the 60-room estate had only one bedroom and one bathroom with no kitchen until Alva redesigned one of Oliver’s libraries to make a bedroom of her own. The estate was to stay in this condition until Oliver and Alva Belmont passed away and the estate changed owners.
Belcourt After Belmont
After Alva Belmont passed away in 1933, Belcourt was inherited by the Oliver’s oldest brother, Perry Belmont, who kept the estate until 1940, although never staying there during the time of ownership. In 1940, Belcourt was then sold to entrepreneur, George Waterman, who had plans to turn Belcourt into an antique automobile museum. It wasn’t until after he had purchased the property for $1,000 that he was made aware that zoning would prevent him from achieving his dreams.
Upon hearing that news, Waterman sold Belmont in 1943 to Edward Dunn, who owned the property until 1954, although he never stayed there himself. Instead, he rented out the stables during the war for armies to repair their equipment. Dunn then sold Belcourt for $22,500 to Louis and Elaine Lorillard, who also had big dreams for the equally large estate, hoping to turn it into a massive music venue. Those dreams were dashed when they were confronted with the mostly derelict building, which had neither been inhabited nor renovated in over 20 years.
Then, in 1956, Belcourt was sold to the Tinney family, and things began to look up. Following the $25,00 purchase, the Tinneys changed the name from Belcourt to Belcourt Castle, and renovations began in earnest. The renovations included adding a chapel and raising the ceiling height in some rooms. They also added eight bedrooms to bring the total to 10, 10 more bathrooms to bring the total to 11, a 40-foot wide dining room that could seat up to 250 guests, a music room, an English library, a loggia, and a gallery. The home was completely furnished with the Tinney family’s many antiques and priceless pieces of art and artifacts.
The Tinneys would offer tours of the castle to the many who longed to take a peek into the palatial estate. This would continue until 2009, when Harle Tinney, the last surviving member of the Tinney family, put the home up for sale. The house stayed on the market for three years before being sold in 2012 for over $4 million dollars to Carolyn Rafaelian, who is in the middle of renovating and restoring the Belcourt which was then renamed as Belcourt of Newport.
Loving owners such as the Tinneys and Rafaelian will ensure Belcourt’s place as one of the largest estates in Rhode Island for many more generations to come.
