Plans Underway at Belcourt Castle, Newport, RI, for Belmont Horse Stables Exhibition in 2009

Oct. 27, 2008 - PRLog -- Newport, RI – Belcourt Castle is refining its collection in order to increase its exhibition areas to visitors.  Harle Tinney, the owner of Belcourt Castle, announced plans to open the mansion’s horse stables to the public for the first time in more than 100 years.

Belcourt, the third largest mansion in Newport, was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, “the Dean of American Architects”, for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont.  The 60-room mansion cost 3 million dollars in 1894, a figure of approximately 75 million dollars in 2007.  Belcourt Castle is also the only estate in Newport which is both regularly open to the public and has a private owner in residence.

The entire first floor was designed to accommodate Oliver Belmont’s fine carriage collection and a stable with 30 luxurious stalls housing Belmont’s prized racing and show horses. Alva, Oliver’s wife, the former Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, later remodeled the first floor, befitting her luxurious lifestyle.

In 1956, the Tinney Family purchased the property and opened it as a museum in 1957.
For more than 50 years, the Tinney Family has dedicated itself to preserving the grandeur of Belcourt Castle by saving all the original work possible.

The wonders of Belcourt Castle have never been completely told but the increase of its exhibition areas will preserve this national treasure’s history for future generations.

For further information contact Harle Tinney at 401 846 0669 or harletinney@belcourtcastle.org.

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Belcourt Castle is a historic mansion museum in Newport, Rhode Island which features guided tours and events