Newport Shingle Style

Book excerpt: Shingle Style flourished in the Gilded Age environs of Newport, Rhode Island, during the 1880s. The setting for the film "High Society," and the location of John F. Kennedy's wedding, it continues to enchant residents and visitors alike with an unparalleled concentration of carefully preserved architecture. With asymmetrical wood frames and shingled stories set dramatically on stone foundations, these romantic homes were intended to blend in with the surrounding landscape, creating a unified look, while at the same time incorporating fantastical elements such as gables, brick and stone chimneys, bands of small-paned windows, turrets, columns, and pediments. Recently, American vernacular architecture has witnessed a renaissance, as impressive new Shingle Style homes are built alongside those that have presided along the rugged Rhode Island coastline for more than a century. This collection of 15 homes, showcased with full-color photos and evocative text, represents the best of Newport Shingle Style — now and then.