Anna Staniszewski

Over the weekend, the husband and I headed down to Newport, RI for a change of scenery. Winter is actually a good time to visit this adorable town since it’s not nearly as busy as usual, and there’s still a lot to see and do. We’d already gone to the most famous mansion during our last visit, The Breakers, so we decided to see another estate this time: The Elms.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photographs inside, but you can see from the outside how beautiful this mansion is. It was modeled after a French estate and is an interesting blend of classic design and modern technology. But what I found the most enchanting about this mansion was its somewhat odd history.

In the early 1960s, the family could no longer keep up the mansion and decided to auction off all the furniture and artwork. However, much of it was never actually taken off the property. That’s because many of the paintings on the walls and ceilings were practically cemented in place, so the new buyers couldn’t figure out a way to remove them. And a giant, marble table in the upstairs hall was sold but also left behind because no one could figure out how to get it out of the house (it weighs literally tons and was  originally brought into the house in pieces).

The designer of the mansion was a symmetry nut, so there are many fake doors throughout the house to make the rooms seem symmetrical and balanced. Can you imagine living in a house where every-other door is fake? I know I’d constantly be pulling on faux doorknobs and wondering why they weren’t working. The service entrance to the mansion was covered entirely with wisteria, so when it was in bloom, it was possible to make a delivery to the Elms and never actually see the house. How’s that for mysterious?

The mansion was actually scheduled to be torn down in the early 1960s; the land had been sold to a developer and was going to be the site of a strip mall or a housing development. Luckily, the Newport Preservation Society stepped in and bought the property, mere weeks before the wrecking ball was scheduled to do its work.

After our tour, the husband and I left utterly amused by the strange history of this place. Knowing all the quirky goings on of the mansion gave it a personality that added to its lovely decor. In fact, it seemed like the perfect setting for a book because the house itself is a character. As we were wandering the grounds, I couldn’t help thinking how much more vivid places become when you know something about their history. The more unexpected and offbeat that history is, the more memorable the place becomes. Something to think about in writing, isn’t it?

• Categories: A Closer Look, Craft, Random Fun