The Museum of Newport History is a

history museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

in the Old Brick Market building in the heart of Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is owned and operated by the

Newport Historical Society The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history. History of the society Although the society ...

at 127 Thames Street on Washington Square. The building, designed by noted 18th-century American architect Peter Harrison and built in the 1760s, is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Description

The Brick Market is a three-story brick structure with a low hip roof. Its ground floor has round-arch openings, which were historically open but have mostly been glassed over. The upper level bays are separated by large pilasters with Ionic capitals, with a dentillated cornice below the roof. The second floor windows are rectangular sash, topped by alternating gable and segmented-arch pediments. The third floor windows are square, with a simpler molded surround. The interior has been extensively altered over time, with little historic material surviving.

History

The Brick Market was designed by Peter Harrison, a major architect working in the British colonies during the 18th century. Harrison based the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

design on a part of the 17th century design of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

, altering the building material from stone to brick, and replacing Jones' Corinthian capitals with those of the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

. Construction of the building was authorized by the city in 1761 and begun in 1762, but the merchant proprietors ran out of money after finishing just the first level, and the city took the project over, roofing that level. The building was not completed until 1772. As a traditional British style

market house A market house is a covered space historically used as a marketplace to exchange goods and services such as provisions or livestock, sometimes combined with spaces for public or civic functions on the upper floors and often with a jail or lockup ...

(like Boston's

Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...

), the building's first level was an open-air arcade that served as a marketplace for various goods. Profits from the building went into a city fund for the establishment of a granary. The upper levels of the hall have seen a variety of uses. In the later years of the 18th century it housed a printing operation, and was eventually converted into a theatre. In 1842 it began to be used as town hall, and the third floor was removed, replaced by galleries around the sides and rear. It served as Newport's city hall between 1853 and 1900. In the late 1920s the building was subjected to an extensive rehabilitation under the auspices of restorationist Norman Isham. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1968, and designated a

in 1968. It is also a contributing element of the Newport Historic District, also a National Historic Landmark. The building is now owned by the

. It houses a museum detailing Newport's history from pre-colonial times to the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

and beyond. Exhibits include the printing press of James Franklin, the figurehead from the yacht ''Aloha'', and a sword given as a gift by the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

Daniel Lyman Daniel Lyman (1756–1830) was a New England soldier, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and member of the secessionist Hartford Convention. Lyman was born in Durham, Connecticut to Thomas Lyman. While attending Yale College, Lym ...

References

External links

* *
Official Shop Website
*

Images

File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Jack Boucher, Photographer, June, 1971 VIEW OF SOUTH FACADE FROM SOUTHWEST. - Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, Newport County, RI HABS RI,3-NEWP,26-2.tif, View of the South Facade in 1971 File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Jack Boucher, Photographer, June, 1971 VIEW OF EXTERIOR FROM SOUTHEAST. - Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, Newport County, RI HABS RI,3-NEWP,26-3.tif, View of Exterior from Southeast, 1971 {{DEFAULTSORT:Museum Of Newport History Market houses Museums in Newport, Rhode Island History museums in Rhode Island Historical society museums in Rhode Island Commercial buildings completed in 1762 National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island Landmarks in Rhode Island Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Georgian architecture in Rhode Island Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport, Rhode Island Historic district contributing properties in Rhode Island

Description

History

See also

References

External links

Images