The Atlantic House Hotel
In 1844, William T. Potter purchased 141 Pelham Street, Newport, RI and built the Atlantic House Hotel in a Greek Revival design with a wrap-around deck on three sides which opened in 1845. The hotel stood four stories tall and could house up to 250 guests. It was called “a harbinger of musical delight” as concerts, balls, and dances were regular occurrences.
The US Naval Academy
From 1861-1865, during the Civil War, it was home to the US Naval Academy. The academy was moved temporarily from Annapolis, MD to Newport to protect it from confederate forces attacks.
After the war ended, the new owners of the Atlantic Hotel tried to reopen the hotel. In 1866, they installed the first roller skating rink in the United States. Unfortunately, the hotel never returned to its former glory and was closed. In 1877, the hotel was torn down and Parkgate was erected 1879-1881 for Seth B. Stitt, a wealthy woolen manufacturer, of Philadelphia. Parkgate’s design is “typical of the “Queen Anne” style featuring the asymmetrical façade and the wrap-around front porch. The overhanging eaves, and polygonal tower are also grand gestures that are typical of the style. Even the small details are indicative of the Queen Anne Revival Style. The dentils, spindle work and painted balustrades that are seen in Parkgate show off the ornate intricacy of this Victorian Era Style.”
George Champlin Mason was the architect of Parkgate. He was born in 1820 in Newport, RI and was the nephew of Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew C. Perry. Mason designed nearly 150 buildings: Belmont’s By the Sea, Aleta Morris bequeathed Chepstow to the Newport Preservation Society, and Eisenhower House at Fort Adams, to name a few, that are still standing today.
PARKGATE estate
Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
In 1894, Papal Countess Annie Leary purchased it and used it as her summer residence. She was a remarkable woman, one of the wealthiest in the country at the time and a grand philanthropist. She was the first woman in the United States to be given the Papal title.
Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
After Annie Leary's passing in 1919, her estate sold the building to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks who enlarged it to its current configuration by 1939.