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The Elms

The Elms

About
The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the coal industry. In 1898, as the Gilded Age was nearing its end, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a Newport house modeled after the mid-18th century French chateau d'Asnieres (c. 1750) outside Paris. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost reported at approximately $1.4 million. The interiors and furnishings were designed by Allard and Sons of Paris and were the setting for the Berwinds' collection of Renaissance ceramics, 18th-century French and Venetian paintings, and Oriental jades. In 1962, The Elms was saved by The Preservation Society of Newport County from almost certain demolition. A National Historic Landmark, The Elms is a fine example of the taste and style of the late Gilded Age. Several scenes from HBO's hit series "The Gilded Age" were filmed in The Elms.
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  • RandyRoss
    Ridgetown, Canada12,815 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So Glad it Survived
    The Elms is a wonderful house but I think the grounds are the crowning glory here. The 14-acre property with its gardens, its folly and all of the fountains and statues is fantastic. It's hard to believe that this property almost became a shopping center but it seems that only an economic downturn that forced the developer to sell the property to the Preservation Society kept it standing. We would have lost so much! At 31,401 square feet, it is the 19th largest historic house in the United States and the 3rd largest of Newport's "cottages" behind The Breakers and Ochre Court (now the main administration building for Salve Regina University).
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written November 21, 2023
  • RYC88
    Centreville, Virginia1,322 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Another incredible mansion
    It's hard to picture the actual use of all these Newport mansions when you are touring them, but it must have been an incredible sight to see a party at one of them. The Elms, like all the others, is decorated to the hilt and it's a bit overwhelming to see all the art and furnishings and take it all in. It's easy to book your tickets ahead of time and you can bundle all the mansions together on one ticket.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written April 20, 2024
  • RICART75
    Peru, Indiana2,423 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Artistry and craftmanship....
    Though it's been 2-3 decades since our last visit here; it didn't take long to rekindle memories of the impact we felt the first time we experienced this level of artistry and craftmanship. It's maybe not as intensely opulent as The Breakers; but it is still a magnificent "cottage". One may debate the issues surrounding the accumulation and/or ostentatious presentation of wealth; but there is no disputing the result of letting skilled artists/ workers have the resources to achieve their best work. One change we really appreciated from our last visit, was the availability of a self-guided audio tour; allowing one to immerse in each area, for as long as desired. If one has mobility issues, as we do, it's nice not having to keep pace with a guided group; and being able to rest as needed. We also enjoyed strolling the grounds, and talking with one of the grounds keepers; learning about the efforts needed to maintain the beautiful landscaping. This location is one more example of the deep well of architectural splendor concentrated in the Newport area.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written June 6, 2024
  • bolkin
    New York City, New York222 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely and less crowned mansion
    This was the third of three mansions we visited (The Breakers and Marblehouse being the others.) We really enjoyed the house, but were mansioned out. I'd recommend not going to more than 1 mansion a day, if you have the time to split them up into multiple days.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written July 5, 2024
  • mariedesjardins
    Prince George, Canada7,314 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Exceptionally beautiful mansion in Newport
    It was a rainy day when I visited the elms after taking the ferry from providence. Newport’s mansions provided an excellent escape for the rain. You take the free buses from the aquarium building. The visitor centre in a complex across the street from the harbour has maps. The Elms ornate marble, gold-accented, and hardwood decor were a pleasure to behold. The gardens were beautiful, but not much time was spent did the rain.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written September 15, 2024
  • Edwelsh
    North Canton, Ohio7,282 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An hour is not enough
    The tour of The Elms was included in our Newport Mansions tour. By the time we got here, as our last stop, we had an hour to rush through the mansion and gardens. It was not enough time, this “cottage” is huge and there are stories in every room. The Preservation Society of Newport County saved the building at the last minute before it was to be demolished and turned into a parking lot. The furnishings were auctioned off only to be donated back once the Preservation Society took it over. The rooms are large, the ceilings high, the staircase impressive with marble everywhere. Downstairs you will find the huge kitchens, I could imagine the staff members buzzing around like a beehive during a lavish dinner party. Don’t miss the gardens, out beyond the huge group of European Beech trees, it’s gorgeous.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written September 16, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,911 reviews
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1,450
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403
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Dave D
Norton, MA2,141 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
The Elms House is quite the sight to see. The only downside is, their WiFi can not handle a number of people downloading their app for an audio walkthrough tour. After logging onto their WiFi (as recommended) and downloading their app, it took far too long to THEN download the English audio for the walk through. If you are going to recommend your guests download the app, please update the capacity and speed of your WiFi, or create a separate network just for that.

Other than that, the house is amazing. It really gives you an idea of the vast amount of wealth and opulence there was. You are taken through several rooms ranging from the greenhouse, dining room, breakfast room, kitchens, bedrooms, etc. It is really interesting to see how they lived life back then and what day to day life was like.

Make sure you tour the grounds as well and check out the gardens. You can easily spend a couple hours here!
Written October 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sue M
Laconia, NH7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Friends
The Elms, although not the largest of most opulent “cottage”, was my favorite. The Berwind family collection of artwork, even though it’s only a portion of the original, was fascinating. We downloaded the tour from the Newport Preservation Society ahead of time so we knew what we wanted to see. We also included the Servants Life Tour which I highly recommend. Older children will enjoy. Little ones will like the gardens but it’s not a really kid-friendly place.
Written August 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Teammilitello
Des Moines, IA2,792 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
Since this home has less foot traffic than The Breakers, we took our time walking through. Guides in various rooms help explain the history of items. Gift shop at the end of the walk had friendly staff.
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Disneybus
Pittsgrove, NJ984 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
The grounds of The Elms no longer contain elm trees, as they succumbed to Dutch elm disease. Today, the Elms would be better called The Weeping Beeches. Before the tour, get the free user friendly App so you can follow along with your Airpods. As with all the mansions, the history is fascinating. Coal baron Edward Berwind, from Philadelphia, built his new "cottage" because his first Newport residence was too small for entertaining his friends, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. The Elms was one of the first in America to be wired for electricity. His wife Sarah would spend twenty summers there, and Edward would commute on weekends from New York. His sister Julia took residence when Sarah died, and was willed Elms upon Edward's passing. In 1961 when Julia died, The Elms was one of the last Newport cottages to be run in the fashion of the Gilded Age. Upon her passing, the estate was sold to a developer who was to demolish it before the Preservation Society stepped in and saved it. Some scenes from "The Gilded Age" were filmed in The Elms. Each room seems to offer more opulence than the previous. After your tour and a visit to the well stocked gift shop, be sure to tour the grounds as it's one of the best.
Written July 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Familien BL
Rungsted, Denmark88 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
This mansion wins especially by having a good audio guide with lots of details about society life in the gilded age. There is free internet in the house, so bring your hearing phones and listen through the house. It is worth spending some time dive into some of the extra stories too, to get a little more detail on.

We spent about 90 minutes and had good time for the garden too. Not as crowded as The Breakers.
Automatically translated
Written July 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RYC88
Centreville, VA1,322 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
It's hard to picture the actual use of all these Newport mansions when you are touring them, but it must have been an incredible sight to see a party at one of them. The Elms, like all the others, is decorated to the hilt and it's a bit overwhelming to see all the art and furnishings and take it all in. It's easy to book your tickets ahead of time and you can bundle all the mansions together on one ticket.
Written April 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steve M
Pulaski, TN583 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
This is our fourth and final house that we toured. It is a beautiful house but not as elegant as the other houses in the area. I wish the front did not have all of the trees blocking the beauty. The back of the house is gorgeous but they were doing renovations so scaffolding blocks the beauty of any pictures taken. The inside wasn't what I expected not as pretty. After seeing other houses this is my least favorite.
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard A
Jakarta, Indonesia2,549 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021 • Family
The Elm is one of the 3 most commonly visited mansions on Newport. It doesn’t open for visit all year so make sure to check newport mansion website before visiting. I would recommend to join the tour as this is the best way to understand and appreciate the Elm mansion, is slightly different with the Breakers or Marble House where we can just explore them our own. Visit this mansion and join the tour while you’re in Newport!
Written February 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Thomas L
Hartford, CT146 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
The Elms has one of the prettiest facades in Newport. The grounds are beautiful with several weeping beaches. If you have never seen a weeping beach, that alone is worth the tour. The interior unfortunately suffered through the great depression and the 50's and 60's when Newport mansions were neglected, torn down or sold as condos. Fortunately, the Elms was picked up by the Preservation Society before it was torn down but after almost all of the furniture and artwork was sold. The current mansion is a bit threadbare and lacks most of the original furniture. Each room has a card from which one can read descriptions. The descriptions provided very little information not at all like the live guides they used years ago.
Written September 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Debra B
Arizona291 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Friends
The Elms and the Breakers are the only mansions currently open in Newport due to restrictions.
While I would have lived to have the opportunity to see them all, The historical society has done a great job in choosing the Elms as the other home to open.
The grounds are beautiful as well.
Give yourself plenty of time to listen to all the information on the Newport Mansions self guided tour app.
Written July 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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THE ELMS - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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