Rough Point- Newport, RI

Rough Point has a serious architectural pedigree. Originally designed in 1887 by the exalted design firm of Peabody and Sterns, it was altered in 1908 by John Russell Pope, before being renovated by Horace Trumbauer in 1922. 

Though commissioned by Fredrick William Vanderbilt, the home is most closely associated with heiress Doris Duke, who received the house, along with her father’s fortune following his death in 1925, when she was only 12 years old. Over her lifetime she filled the house with fine antiques and artworks, later residing at the property seasonally until her death in 1993. 

A passionate preservationist, Duke founded the Newport Restoration Foundation in 1968, saving over 83 historic buildings. Following her death, Rough Point, and all its contents, became property of the Foundation. It was opened to the public as a house museum in 2000, appearing just as it did during Duke’s ownership. 

A magnificent manor located on craggy cliffs, the location is as impressive as the house itself. Although much more restrained and understated than some of Newport’s other mansions, its intimacy makes it the favorite of many.