Chinese Tea House
Marble House
At Marble House, Alva Belmont—formerly Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt—transformed the Chinese Tea House into a powerful stage for social change. Opened in the early 20th century, the Tea House debuted with a gathering of supporters from the Political Equality Association, the suffrage organization she founded in 1909. In the years that followed, it became a vibrant setting for rallies, lectures, and events advocating for women’s rights.
Designed by Hunt and Hunt at a cost exceeding $100,000, the Tea House stands as both an architectural gem and a symbol of progress.
Today, this beautifully restored landmark invites guests to enjoy a unique dining experience set on the grounds of Marble House above the historic Cliff Walk. Recently reopened for the season, we have partnered with Stoneacre Restaurants to offer an elegant prix fixe brunch and afternoon tea featuring seasonal ingredients and artisan purveyors. With a welcome beverage, a refined tea tower of savories and sweets, and a choice of entrée—served, fittingly, on “Votes for Women” china—it is an experience that seamlessly blends history, elegance, and occasion.
To learn more and make your reservation, click here.
Richard Fleischner, aerial photograph of “Sod Maze” in winter, Newport, Rhode Island, 1974. Courtesy of the artist
Full Circle: Richard Fleischner with David Smith, Christo, Claes Oldenburg, Barnett Newman, & other Monumenta Artists
February 6 – May 3, 2026
Rosecliff
Fifty-one years after “Monumenta” transformed Newport with one of the world’s first large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibitions, Full Circle revisits that groundbreaking moment through the work of Richard Fleischner, one of the last living participating artists, and his contemporaries.
Centered on Fleischner’s enduring site-specific “Sod Maze” at Chateau-sur-Mer, the exhibition presents original sketches, notes and archival materials that illuminate his early career alongside influential figures such as Christo, David Smith, Claes Oldenburg, Alexander Liberman and Barnett Newman.
Complemented by encaustics and works related to Fleischner’s ongoing Rowdy Meadow earthwork – home to contemporary masters like Richard Serra, Anish Kapoor, and Andy Goldsworthy – the exhibit traces a compelling arc from the pioneering vision of “Monumenta” to the continuing relevance of modern art and contemporary sculpture today.
To learn more, click here.
Installation view of Yu-Wen Wu’s Lanterns
Illuminating China’s Contributions to Newport
Chinese Tea House
Marble House
These contemporary lanterns, created by artist Yu-Wen Wu for The Celestial City: Newport and China exhibition at Rosecliff (2023-24), have found an appropriate new home in the Chinese Tea House at Marble House.
Each lantern has a theme – Entrepreneurship, the Exclusion Act, Arrivals, Trade and Women’s Suffrage – illuminating the contributions of Chinese and Chinese American individuals to Newport and the U.S. more broadly. During the Gilded Age, more than 60 Chinese businesses operated in Newport, while Chinese immigration was banned by federal law in 1882, with race- and nationality-based quotas not eliminated until 1965. Chinese workers made significant contributions to the nation’s prosperity in the 19th century, particularly in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Newport merchants—including the Wetmores of Chateau-sur-Mer and the Kings of Kingscote—profited from trade with China in commodities such as tea, silk, and opium. Chinese American women, such as Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and Grace Yip Typond, played vital roles in the women’s suffrage movement and may have inspired Alva Belmont to build the Tea House, which she opened for a major suffrage conference in 1914.
To learn more about this fascinating exhibition, click here.
NEWS
We are proud to announce that The Celestial City: Newport and China, groundbreaking exhibition at Rosecliff from September 2023 to February 2024, has been honored by the American Association for State and Local History with its Award of Excellence.
The exhibition and accompanying programming shed light on a little-known aspect of Newport’s history: the contributions of Chinese and Chinese American individuals to life in Newport from the 18th century through the Gilded Age.
This prestigious award is a tribute to the thorough and thoughtful work of our Curator of Collections, Dr. Nicole Williams, and staff researchers who uncovered information and stories that had been untold for decades. Bravo!
To learn more about this exhibition, click here.
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks–span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.
