1998 Aquidneck Park Annotated History

A BRIEF ANNOTATED HISTORY OF THE EDWARD KING RESIDENCE AND GROUNDS flATER AQUIDNECK PARIO. NEWPORT. RT Prepared by: Lucinda Brockway September 28, 1998 The Edward King Residence overlooks a seven acre parcel of landscaped grounds in the heart of Newport, occupying an entire city block bounded by Spring Street, Golden Hill Avenue, King Street, and Bowery Street. Built between 1845 and 1847 for Edward King, the property has consistently played an active role in the private and public face of downtown Newport.

The house was designed by Richard Upjohn, a prominent English architect who was wellknown in Newport by 1845. Born Shaftsbury, England in 1802, Upjohn emigrated to America in 1829 after having trained in England as a cabinetmaker, carpenter, surveyor, and draftsman. Upjohn came to Boston in 1834. and received his first public commission in 1836 for the design of St. John's Church in Bangor Me. His successful use of the Gothic Revival, with its inspirational, transcendental and physiological imagery, brought him other church commissions, the most well-known of which was the design for the renovation and enlargement of Trinity Church in New York City (1839-1846). Though Upjohn is best known for his churches, he designed several important residential structures in his ornate Gothic Revival style, including George Noble Jones' summer villa, later known as Kingscote, which Upjohn designed in 1839. The King villa, built in the Italian style six years after Kingscote. shows both the diversity of Upjohn's architectural skills, and the divergent architectural styles which were becoming increasingly popular in the 1840's.

The asymmetrical Gothic style for residential architecture was a drastic departure from the balanced, classical proportions of the Greek Revival which dominated American architecture during the first decades of the nineteenth century. Alexander Jackson Davis transformed this American residential architecture scene at the same time that the Hudson River School transformed American paintings, and Andrew Jackson Downing transformed American landscape design. All three movements, born and bred in the womb of the Hudson River Valley, brought buildings into the landscape, and the landscape into a celebration of the sublime, the picturesque and the beautiful. Between 1834 and 1838. Alexander Jackson Davis designed three houses on the east bank of the Hudson River north of New York City in the new Gothic style. In 1837, Davis published Rural Residences, the first book published in this country which broke from the traditional "builders guides," and offered building designs "for the improvement of American country architecture. The book contained designs for a variety of building types including "cottages, farm-houses, villas and village churches." ÂŤ

Past

Designs

9/28/98

Page

1

With the publication of Rural Residences, Davis offered the American public ideas about the shape a building should take rather than how it should be ornamented. He included complete house plans, a brief description of the style and the arrangement of the rooms, an estimate of cost, and a summary of materials and construction. Davis embraced the idea of the "Villa" a term promoted by English landscape gardener John Claudius Loudon as "a country residence, with land attached, a portion of which, surrounding the house, is laid out as a pleasure ground...with a view to recreation and enjoyment, more than profit...the end in view, in forming a villa, is to produce a healthy, agreeable, and elegant country residence. Another fan of Loudons, Andrew Jackson Downing, espoused Loudon's landscape ideals in ,4 Treatise on the Theory and Practise of Landscape Gardening adapted to North America, which Downing published in 1841. Downing's Treatise was the first book published in this country to treat the art of landscape gardening in both a scientific and philosophical way. He featured the designs and drawings of his friend, Alexander Jackson Davis in this first volume. His writing reveals that at the heart of every planned landscape is the house, and his literary career came to embraced his philosophies regarding both the treatment of the house and its landscaped grounds.

Close friends and associates, Downing and Davis built a close relationship in the Hudson River Valley which was articulated to the American public through their publications and their private commissions. In 1842, they collaborated again in Downing's book Cottage Residences, Rural Architecture and Landscape Gardening. Eight years later, Downing featured the architectural designs of Davis, John Notman and Richard Upjohn in his architectural discourse. The Architecture of Country Houses, published in 1850.

According to Downing, "The villa should, indeed, be a private house, where beauty, taste, and moral culture are at home...The villa is the most refined home of America - the home of its most leisurely and educated class of citizens. Nature and art both lend it their happiest/influence. Amid the serenity and peace of sylvan scenes, surrounded by objects of universal beauty and interest - objects that touch the heart and awaken the understanding -it is in such houses that we should look for the happiest social and moral development of our people." The most popular architectural design inspirations for the new American villa, according to Downing, were drawn from the English Gothic and the Italianate. As such, the juxtaposition of Kingscote and the Edward King Villa, set back to back in Newport in the 1840's and both designed by Richard Upjohn, illustrate both the popularity and the stylistic differences of these two design styles.

In their landmark architectural history, The Architectural Heritage of Newport Rhode Island, Antoinette Downing and Vincent Scully compare Kingscote and the King Villa has hallmark examples of these design philosophies: "where Upjohn in Kingscote strove for lightness of scale and a breaking up of mass, Upjohn in the Edward King house attempted massiveness, monumentality, and plastic weight. ...The King house, although Past

Designs

9/28/98

Page

2

designated as an "Italian Villa," is actually a mid-century experiment in the composition of freely developed masses, asymmetrical, threedimensional, plastic. Its smooth red brick walls with matching mortar joints form smooth hard planes which yet give a feeling of weight and density. Sharply cut masses are organized asymmetrically around the central entrance loggia and are capped by projecting roofs on heavy brackets, while a lower mass with a gabled roof projects at the side....interior rooms are high, the moldings simple and heavy, and the space pushes sluggishly out of the academic cube into that freer and more irregular arrangement which is echoed by the massing of the exterior.

There is a multiplication of spaces, shapes, and relationships. This greater freedom of interior space and exterior massing is the result on the one hand of a desire for amore useful, varied and flexible living area, and on the other of a desire for general picturesque composition. In this the Edward King house relates to Kingscote, but differs from Kingscote in its weight and mass.

To put the Edward King Villa and Kingscote in a broader Newport context, let's look at the properties under construction during this same period, and their designers: DESIGNER Richard Upjohn Kingscote Alexander Jackson Davis Malbone Richard Upjohn King House Alexander McGregor Swanhurst Seth Bradford Chateau-sur-Mer Calvert Vaux (& Downing) Daniel Parrish House Charles H. Russell House Richard Upjohn Hamilton Hoppin House Richard Upjohn The Cedars (Elm Court) ?

Beaulieu "' ?

HOUSE

LANDSCAPE DESIGNER ? ? ? ?

Grant Downing?

?

Mich. Butler Mich. Butler Eugene Bauman

J2AIK 1841 1848-49 1845-47 1851 1851-52 1851-53 1851-52 1856-57 1852 1856

Every one of these properties was published and promoted, for its architecture or its landscape architecture during the period of its construction. Jacob Weidenmann featured three of these properties in his Beautifying Country Homes (1870). Downing featured the King Villa in his Architecture of Country Houses in 1850, noting "It [King Villa] is one of the most successful specimens of the Italian style in the United States and unites beauty of form and expression with spacious accommodation, in a manner not often seen."

Though the architectural styling of the buildings drew on both the English Gothic and the Italianate, it was the English Landscape School that inspired their landscape architecture.

We do not know a lot of specifics regarding the early landscape design for the King Villa.

In some instances, the architect produced the site plans so that the dwelling could be properly situated within the landscape. In other cases, trained landscape gardeners developed and installed the site plans, based on their knowledge of English gardens and Past Designs 9/28/98

Page 3

landscapes, and their talent for horticultural composition. Nevertheless, a reading of the design philosophies espoused by Loudon, Downing, Weidenmann and others provides significant insight into the early landscape design for the King Villa, and the plans for the Cedars, Beaulieu and the Hoppin/Van Renssalear houses featured in Weidenmann's book provide good examples of the stylistic setting for these important buildings.

In all of these landscape designs, the approach to the house is carefully considered. The approach drive meanders up to the house via an undulating drive which allows the visitor to experience the house within the landscape before arriving at the front door. Often, the drive returns to the street via another egress, or a wide landscaped turn-around allowed horse and carriage to turn around at the front door before returning down the entrance drive. Pedestrian paths often meander along the edge of the property, skirting in and out of deciduous and evergreen plantings which provided the appropriate balance of sun and shade, view and mystery, as you wandered the full extent of the property. Downing encouraged the gardens, fruit orchards, barns, stables and other domestic utility "departments" to be located behind the house, out of site of the pleasure ground. In this manner, the pleasure ground could dominate the most public views of the property, and could provide enhanced, picturesque views of the house within its landscaped setting.

In 1875, George Champlin Mason wrote of the King Villa in his Newport and Its Cottages with its " Noble growth of trees more like an English Park than any other estate in Newport." Downing wrote in his description of the King Villa: "In the long vistas the dark leaves of the purple Beech mingle with those of Maple and Oak; the Linden and Chestnut, the Cypress and Holly all find ample space to grow and expand on the broad acres set apart for their culture."

In November. 1906. George Gordon King, the next generation to own the King Villa, requested that the Olmsted Brothers visit the King property saying he would "like to consult you about the old family place here which has the finest trees in Newport." He wanted the firm to advise them on the pruning and care of their trees, help with improvements to the garden, the lawns, the site drainage, and the construction of a tennis court. It is with the first visit of Henry Hubbard from the Olmsted office, that the sixtyyear old plantings of the King Villa become better known. He describes the site at his first visit: Place of about seven acres, sloping gently to the west perhaps 1 1/2% slope. Very little shrubbery, and what there is, old and leggy. Trees beeches both white, copper & cut-leaved, and elms. Magnificent - some 4 1/2' through the butt. Perhaps 175 trees 2' to 4' diameter. House brick, 65' x 50' with a low L, built about 1860 I should judge, is being refurnished on inside and verandas replaced by terrace and pergola roof with rolling awning, by a N Y architect. Stable wood, not unpleasing, 46 x 32 with small L. Rectangular enclosed area to N. of house 200' x 150', terminated on N. by 15' whitewashed brick wall, remains of old

Past

Designs

9/28/98

Page

4

greenhouse. Very quaint and, owing to huge beech trees along of sides, very effective.

Mr. King, Mrs. King, Mr. Oglesby (private secretary) and Ramsay (gardener). Both Mr. and Mrs. King are, or consider themselves to be, in delicate health. They have apparently considerable means, and will, I think, be willing to spend money if assumed that they will accomplish what they wish. Ramsay, Scotchman of about 40, has been on the place for 15 years - rough but deferential good gardener for something by rule of thumb, vastly ignorant on others....

Went over ground. Agreed with Mr. K. that it would be well to cut three large trees; one of which blocks view from upper windows to harbor, other two block axial view across lawn from front door to 5' beech and break sweep of lawn. Marked also three other trees to come out which were sickly and not needed. A few more should be removed after make study. Agreed with Mr. K. that the fence should be planted out all around property. Advised trenching and manuring about boundary trees and in back for shrubbery. Mr. K. authorized preliminary planting plan estimate.

Discussed making "English garden" to N. of house. Mr. K. authorized preliminary plan. Authorized also getting bid from tree pruner for thorough going-over of all trees on estate. ...In p.m. measured proposed garden and boundaries of estate with Mr. Ramsay. Took tea at his house.

Walked to station. Took 5:00 p.m. train to Boston.

Mr. P.G. Simmons, from the parks department in Lexington, Kentucky (who was "east for the winter") oversaw the pruning and trimming of the trees, on the King property. He spent 5 weeks with 10 men working on the trees. At the same time, the Olmsted firm designed plans for the garden behind the house. They encouraged the Kings to re-align the central path for the garden, but this being too expensive, chose instead to work with the existing paths and redesign the planting plan for the garden to create the "English Garden" requested by the Kings. In addition to the plantings, the garden was furnished with a small "shelter," an arched seat, new entrance gate, rose arches, and rose ladders.

The "architect from New York" was, apparently McKim, Mead and White, because they mailed the Olmsted Brothers their plan for the redesigned terrace on the south side of the house (at the front door). In total, $2,000 was spent on grounds improvements, executed

by John H. Sullivan from Brighton MA, in addition to the work done on the trees by Mr. Simmons. The greenhouse was removed, but one wall, which was too strong to be completely removed, was "cement washed" and served as a backdrop for one side of the English garden.

Past

Designs

9/28/98

Page

5

Site drainage was improved to prevent the wash out of the end of the driveway at Spring Street, and to prevent the wash-out of the English garden paths. A brick dry well and drain were constructed beside the entrance drive at Spring Street and tied to the city catch basin at the corner of Spring and Golden Hill Street. The lawn was regraded west and south of the tennis courts, and a "rockery" was blasted and the stone removed 12" below grade on the lawn southwest of the stables. Once blasted and removed, the area was graded and seeded to lawn. The work was completed by September 11,1906, the date of the last correspondence with the Olmsted firm.

The Kings did not enjoy their new landscape improvements for very long. In 1913, they conveyed the house to the Trustees of the People's Library in Newport, and the garage and stable to the Civic League of Newport. The remaining acreage came to the City of Newport for a public park.

In 1922, Henry Hubbard wrote to Arthur Leland, superintendent, Board of Recreation Commissioners for the City of Newport, apologizing that since they only were making minor changes to the boundary plantings on the property, the firm did not execute a complete site plan (which Leland had requested).

During the Works Progress Administration, a portion of the buildings adjacent to the former garage and stable were constructed (or reconstructed?). In the 1960's the present Library building for the City of Newport was constructed at the south end of the former pleasure ground.

Since 1913. the King Villa and its pleasure grounds and gardens have served many needs for the citizens of Newport: public library, recreation center, parking area, park, and Senior Center. These needs, and their ever-increasing importance, are placing new demands on the site, and the open space which both separates and unites them. To more fully understand the impact of these pressures, we need to continue this historic evolution, evaluate the site, its uses, its neighbors, and its demands, and develop a comprehensive plan which compliments the design philosophies set forth by Richard Upjohn, Andrew Jackson Downing, Henry Vincent Hubbard of the Olmsted Brothers, and others as the site has evolved from an important private home to a significant public open space.

Past

Designs

9/28/98

Page

6