The Elms

Beautiful mansion. I heard from eavesdropping to the tour that it was built to become a competition to the breakers. But this is not the same size as the breakers

Further and comprehensive info at newportmansions.org

Technology filled The Elms which was built for Edward and Sarah Berwind at a cost of $1.5 million dollars. Although they never had children, their nieces and nephews spent time at the mansion and its grounds. Inspired by a French château, Château d'Asnières, the summer cottage is really beautiful.

Coal baron Edward Berwind was very interested in technology. The Elms was one of the first houses in America to be wired for electricity without any backup system. The "summer cottage" also had one of the first electrical ice makers as well indoor plumbing. Although it never had washers or dryers, it was still quite advanced for its time.

The original carriage house and stables was replaced in 1910 with a garage for their new automobiles. The new garage was 125-foot long by 70-foot deep, one of the largest private garages in America. It sported a central indoor track and two gasoline tanks. As the automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages, the Berwind's head coachman became the chauffeur. Since he was unable to back out of the garage, an automobile turntable had to be installed.

After Sarah died, Edward invited his sister Julia to run the home. She liked to invite the children of working-class families over for milk and cookies and drive herself around Newport in a luxury car. After her death in 1961, none of the family was interested in living at The Elms.

Initially, the home and contents were auctioned off and slated for demolition. In 1962, The Elms saved from destruction by the Preservation Society of Newport County for a cost of $116,000.

Today you can visit The Elms and its beautiful grounds. Lots of parking is available. Download the app to learn more. Tickets are $29 for one home or $46 for three. We used our NARM reciprocity passes for reciprocal benefits for entry.

PROS: beautiful home with a nice staff and good proportioned back yard. They had the typical field in the backyard, followed by a weeping willow, then a garden/fountain area.

CONS: this place closes early and is not as elegant, large, or luxurious as the other mansions. Also doesn't have a good view of anything

OVERALL: this is a good house to see, the lot is on their property so that's convenient. However, it is not as good as marble or breaker house

Just beautiful! This mansion brings such historical elegance and is the perfect place to step back in time. I hadn't visited since I was young and it was a pleasure to be back here to reminisce childhood memories while also really being able to take in it's beauty and rich history- pun intended. The grounds are beautifully decorated with art and pristine greenery. A must when visiting Newport. The self guided tours are a wonderful addition to the mansions, making it super easy to go at your own pace and be able to appreciate every ounce of the properties.

Beautiful mansion. Horrible to think it was going to be torn down for a parking lot.

So amazing to see the rich peoples "summer home" in all its glory.

You can download a free audio tour to help as you walk through. There is a written brochure if you do not have the ability to download.

This was our favorite mansion on the tour. We purchased a summer pass so we could see all the open mansions.

The history of want went on in this home during the summers was excellent listening.

I download the app and plan to listen again on our rind home.

If you're picking and choosing which houses to visit, definitely have The Elms on your list. While it's not the biggest of the houses you can visit, they have it fully decorated and there is plenty to see. I enjoyed visiting this house.

I was so excited to visit the "cottages" in Newport! Only 3 of the houses are currently open due to Covid and staff shortages. The Elms is one of the smaller mansions and not as opulent as the Vanderbilt mansions although it's still a luxurious home. The 1st and 2nd floor were open but lots of rope barriers. The main rooms were beautifully decorated for Christmas! The bedrooms were also decorated. Seeing the rooms and period furniture really let you see life in the Gilded Age. The kitchen where the staff prepared meals was also open for viewing. Although the staff were treated well, it was a quite different life!
The grounds are large and beautiful. In the back is a tree that is actually 4 trees growing together. It was my favorite part of the property!
The house has a self guided tour. An audio tour is available for no extra charge. It took us about an hour to see the house and grounds. The elevator wasn't working when we were there.

The Elms is one of our favorite Newport Mansions. The house and property are beautiful and cannot be missed. If you love The Breakers and The Marble House, you will enjoy The Elms.

Recommend buying a multi-house tour ticket as it's the best way to visit the homes and save money!

Photos are allowed to be taken without flash.

One of two mansions opened during pandemic in July. We have visited it during our stay in Newport after previously seeing the Breakers therefore we had a comparison. The space is huge! They managed to keep the area accessible and safe to all visitors who wanted to see it. Some rooms were closed because of limited space but you could still admire the opulence of the house. Personally I would put sights with names outside of each room because the guide got me a bit confused. Definitely worth a visit.
If visiting during the pandemic be prepared to wear a mask.