Thursday April 18, 2024 at 6:30pm; doors open at 5:30pm for a cocktail reception
$20 per person, $15 for Newport Historical Society members and active-duty military
Newport Historical Society Resource Center, 82 Touro Street

Richard Morris Hunt is best known for his grand Beaux Arts mansions like Marble House and The Breakers. However, some of his most interesting work took place before 1875 – just as the Gilded Age was taking off. On Thursday April 18, 2024 at 6:30pm, the Newport Historical Society will host Mike Franco for the talk Richard Morris Hunt: Before the Breakers to explore this lesser known part of his career. Richard Morris Hunt’s early designs were less opulent and more picturesque than what followed. This talk will survey 24 buildings that Hunt built or renovated in Newport from 1860 through 1873. Twelve of the buildings still stand, while the other twelve have been lost to fire or intentional demolition.

Mike Franco is a trial lawyer with a practice in Massachusetts. He lives in a historic home in Newport and has a lifelong interest in Newport history and architecture. He moderates the popular Facebook group “Newport, Lost & Found,” which explores Newport’s Gilded Age architecture.