Rosecliff
Gilded Age oceanfront mansion with Newport's largest ballroom, Bellevue Avenue, Rhode Island
Rosecliff is a 1902 Stanford White mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, with a Ballroom for up to 160, a Salon for ceremonies of up to 140 and an oceanfront lawn, hosting one event each evening.
Rosecliff is a Gilded Age mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, built between 1898 and 1902 by the architect Stanford White. Theresa "Tessie" Fair Oelrichs, a Nevada silver heiress, commissioned it and had it modelled on the Grand Trianon at Versailles. The Preservation Society of Newport County received it in 1971, and it now operates as a house museum above the Cliff Walk. It has appeared in more than a dozen films, among them The Great Gatsby and True Lies.
Weddings are held one to an evening. The Ballroom, forty by eighty feet and the largest in Newport, seats up to 160 for dinner and dancing. The Salon beneath its coffered ceiling seats 60 at table or is arranged for a ceremony of up to 140, and the Dining Room is set aside for a dessert buffet. Outside, more than eight acres of oceanfront lawn take ceremonies and tented receptions according to season. The heart-shaped staircase in the Grand Stair Hall is a favourite place for portraits. There is no kitchen on site, so couples choose a caterer from the museum's approved list, and guests stay in Newport's hotels and inns.
Rosecliff
Gallery
Images courtesy of Rosecliff
The Essentials
- Where
- Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island
- Capacity
- Up to 160 for dinner and dancing in the Ballroom
- Ceremony
- The Salon for up to 140, the Ballroom, or the oceanfront lawn
- Price
- On enquiry
- Exclusive use
- One event each evening
- Catering
- Approved caterers, no in-house kitchen
- Nearest airport
- Providence T.F. Green, about 45 minutes by car
- Parking
- Complimentary on-site parking
Built for Tessie Oelrichs
Stanford White designed Rosecliff between 1898 and 1902 for Theresa Fair Oelrichs, a Nevada silver heiress and renowned hostess. She had him model the house on the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of the French kings at Versailles, and held her all-white Bal Blanc here in 1904.
The Ballroom and the Salon
The Ballroom, forty by eighty feet, is the largest in Newport and takes 160 guests for dinner and dancing. The Salon, thirty by forty feet beneath a coffered ceiling, seats 60 or is arranged for a ceremony of up to 140.
The heart-shaped staircase
In the Grand Stair Hall, a divided staircase returns to the floor below in a heart shape found nowhere else in Newport. It is the setting for couples' portraits.
Oceanfront lawn and one event a night
More than eight acres of lawn run towards the Atlantic and hold ceremonies and tented receptions, season permitting. Only one event is hosted each evening, with the museum's own staff on hand throughout.
The Ballroom
Forty by eighty feet, the largest ballroom in Newport, with Corinthian pilasters, arch-headed windows and a run of chandeliers, for up to 160 guests dining and dancing.
The BallroomA Gilded Age Landmark
Built 1898-1902 by Stanford White for Tessie Oelrichs, modelled on the Grand Trianon at Versailles, the setting for her famous 1904 Bal Blanc.
The Story
The Heart-Shaped Staircase
In the Grand Stair Hall, a divided staircase returns to the floor below in a shape found nowhere else in Newport, the setting for every couple's portraits.
The StaircaseOne Wedding a Night
Rosecliff hosts only one event each evening, with its own Special Events Personnel present throughout, so every detail has the museum's full attention.
Exclusivity
Enquire about your wedding at
Rosecliff
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Rhode Island
Rosecliff stands at 548 Bellevue Avenue, above Newport's Cliff Walk and the Atlantic, among the city's row of Gilded Age "cottages". T.F. Green International Airport in Providence is about 45 minutes by car, with Boston Logan International around an hour and a half.
Rosecliff
548 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, United States
Parking. Complimentary on-site parking.
Things to do nearby
- The Cliff Walk
- Bellevue Avenue
- Downtown Newport
- T.F. Green International Airport
- Boston Logan International Airport
Getting there
- Providence (PVD)
- Boston Logan (BOS)
What guests say
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Rosecliff
How many guests can a wedding hold?
The Ballroom, the largest room in the house, takes up to 160 guests for dinner and dancing. The Salon seats 60 at table or can be arranged for a ceremony of up to 140.
How many weddings take place each evening?
Just one. By policy the museum hosts a single event a night, so the celebration has the full attention of its Special Events Personnel.
Can we hold the ceremony outdoors?
Yes. Indoor and outdoor ceremonies are both possible depending on season and guest numbers, including on the oceanfront lawn above the Cliff Walk.
Can we choose our own caterer?
There is no kitchen in the house. Couples select a caterer from the museum's approved Caterers of Choice list, which has included Russell Morin Fine Catering and A Catered Affair, and the Dining Room is kept for a dessert buffet.
Is there accommodation at Rosecliff?
No. Rosecliff is a house museum rather than a hotel, so guests stay in Newport's hotels and historic inns, many near Bellevue Avenue.
Is Rosecliff historic?
Yes. Stanford White built it between 1898 and 1902 for Theresa Fair Oelrichs, and it was given to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1971. It has appeared in more than a dozen films, including The Great Gatsby and True Lies.
Tell me about the Ballroom.
It measures forty by eighty feet, with Corinthian pilasters, arch-headed windows and a run of chandeliers. Tessie Oelrichs held her 1904 Bal Blanc here.
Where is Rosecliff and how do guests arrive?
It stands at 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, above the Cliff Walk. T.F. Green Airport is about 45 minutes away by car and Boston Logan about 1.5 hours.