Abstract
The Edward King House was the largest and most lavish mansion built in Newport during the city’s rise as a leading American resort just before the Civil War. A Newport native, King made his fortune as a young man in the China trade, a major source of Newport’s wealth during its economic recovery after 1830. King purchased just over eight acres of land overlooking the harbor on a hillside above Spring Street, between West Bowery and Golden Hill Streets. A leading American architect of the day, Richard Upjohn (1802-1878), designed and built King’s mansion between 1845 and 1847. The Edward King House created a fad in Newport for the Italianate style, beginning with new estates built in the neighborhood but quickly spreading down the entire length of Bellevue Avenue as it was extended to the south shore during the early 1850s.
Recommended Citation
Yarnall, James L.
(2010)
"Inside and Outside the Edward King House,"
Newport History: Journal of the Newport Historical Society: Vol. 79:
Iss.
263, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/newporthistory/vol79/iss263/3