The Elms is currently closed to the public. Open daily starting May 27.
Tours of The Elms are self-guided using the free Newport Mansions audio tour app. For the best tour experience, download the app before your visit and bring your earbuds! Guests without a smart device will be provided with a paper tour script.
Dining Options
Free parking available.
Due to the current COVID guidelines, elevator is not available. The Elms is NOT accessible.
Starting May 27: The Elms Servant Life Tour, guide-led daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Includes servant areas, not entire house.
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, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a 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.
The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds were developed between 1907 and 1914. They include
terraces displaying marble and bronze sculpture, a park of fine specimen trees and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden and carriage house and garage. These gardens were recently restored.
Mrs. Berwind died in 1922, and Mr. Berwind invited his sister, Julia, to become his hostess at his New York and Newport houses. Mr. Berwind died in 1936 and Miss Julia continued to summer at The Elms until her death in 1961, at which time the house and most of its contents were sold at public auction. The Preservation Society of Newport County purchased The Elms in 1962 and opened the house to the public. In 1996, The Elms was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Check the operating schedule.
Please note: The Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff and Green Animals Topiary Garden are partially wheelchair accessible. For detailed information about access for visitors with special needs, please call (401) 847-1000 or email info@newportmansions.org.
The Elms Servant Life Tour
This tour is not currently available. The Elms is closed to the public.
Click here for more information about the Servant Life Tour.
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