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Salve Regina

ONE OF THE MORE unfortunate aspects of the twentieth century was the decline of the country house in the British Isles and North America during the post-war period. Innumerable homes of great history and beauty were lost to the wrecking ball and the developer’s avarice. Newport, the former capital of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, became a summer capital to many of America’s well-to-do during the so-called “gilded era”. (It was avowed then that the highest level of society was determined by those whom Mrs. Vanderbilt could fit in the great hall of her Newport house). While many of the great homes of Long Island fell to ruin after the war, and the legendary Meadowbrook Hunt dissolved, many of the best Newport homes found a welcome new role under the wings of Salve Regina University, the city’s Catholic university. The decline of these great houses and the ascent of Salve Regina proved a quite fortunate coincidence, and has inspired the university to start one of the first academic programs in historical preservation and restoration. These great summer ‘cottages’ now house lecture halls, seminar rooms, academic offices, dormitory space, and a Catholic chapel. They are appropriate surroundings for Western civilization to be passed on to the next generations.

The firm of Robert A.M. Stern designed this splendid shingle-style field house for the university.

Of course, the other notable center of learning in Newport is the U.S. Naval War College (seen above). Newport used to have a significant naval presence, but a declining respect for tradition has resulted in the closing of most naval institutions in the old coastal city.

Published at 8:40 pm on Wednesday 8 August 2007. Categories: Architecture Church Tags: .
Comments

One of my roommates in Boston was a Salve Regina girl. Lovely school. I have my eye on it for RKFDIL…

— Mrs. Peperium 9 Aug 2007 9:07 am

You just want an excuse to visit Newport.

— Andrew Cusack 9 Aug 2007 9:54 am

Now you’re being Henry Tilney…

— Mrs. Peperium 9 Aug 2007 11:15 am

Having never read Austen (from whence I assume these characters originate), I’ve no idea who or what you’re talking about.

— Andrew Cusack 9 Aug 2007 1:31 pm

Oh much worse than Austen — they come from Barabara Cartland.

— Mrs. Peperium 9 Aug 2007 3:44 pm

Exquisite faculty housing, but where do the students live and learn?

— Old Dominion Tory 14 Aug 2007 1:49 pm

A good friend attended Salve and I will never forget hearing her complain about the dorm where she was an ‘RA’. “I have no closets”, “The windows are drafty”.

I went to visit over spring break… and she lived in a MANSION. It is truly an amazing location for a university.

— mary martha 14 Aug 2007 6:22 pm

Actually, it was Mrs. Astor who determined “The 400” who fit in her ballroom. At the time, the Vanderbilts were dismissed as upstarts. After all, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family’s fortune in steamboats and railroads, cursed like a longshoreman.

Determined to set matters straight, the Commodore’s genteel granddaughter-in-law planned a costume party to end all costume parties, and which instantly became the talk of society. But Mrs. Vanderbilt neglected to invite Mrs. Astor. The latter made a discreet inquiry to receive an invitation, was successful, and from then on never again excluded the Vanderbilts from her ballroom.

— Addison deWitt 11 Oct 2008 4:41 pm

Contrary to the statement in the article, Society was determined by the number people who could fit in Mrs. Astor’s ballroom on 5th Avenue

— Thoms Coffin 20 Feb 2014 5:49 pm
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