Newport Casino
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The Newport Casino is located at 186-202 Bellevue Avenue Newport, Rhode Island (41° 28′ 58″ N, 71° 18′ 29″ W). It is a National Historic Landmark.
Buildings
The complex was commissioned in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., who hired the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White to design the facility. The builder was Nathan Barker. It stands today as one of the finest examples of Victorian shingle-style architecture in the world. The buildings are generally well preserved, except for the Theatre which is in poor condition.
The complex includes:
- The Casino (shops, a restaurant, offices, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame)
- Horseshoe Piazza and Court
- Bill Talbert Stadium
- Court Tennis Building (reconstructed)
- Theatre
- Indoor tennis courts (modern)
- Various grass tennis courts
Sports
The club was never a public gambling establishment. Originally casino meant a small villa built for pleasure. During the 19th century, the term casino came to include other buildings where social activities took place.
In its heyday in the Gilded Age, the Newport Casino offered a wide array of social diversions to the summer colony including archery, billiards, bowling, concerts, dancing, dining, horse shows, lawn bowling, reading, real tennis, tea parties, and theatricals. It was best known as the home of American lawn tennis. It hosted the 1881-1914 National Championship, later called the U.S. Open.
Today there is still an active grass-court tennis club, as well as an indoor tennis club.
The Court Tennis Building burned down in 1945, but was rebuilt in 1980. It is home to the National Tennis Club.
References
- Historic American Buildings Survey No. HABS RI-331
