teacher resource guide resource... · lesson plan: architectural elements lesson goal: students...

ARCHITECTURE AT THE ELMS TOUR

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE GRADES 5-8

©2011 The Preservation Society of Newport County, 424 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840 2 http://www.NewportMansions.org Architecture at The Elms Tour

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to Architecture at The Elms Tour ................................................................................... 3 Background Information for Teachers ............................................................................................. 4 Rhode Island Learning Standards Addressed During the Architecture at The Elms Tour ........... 5 Lesson Plan: Symmetry ....................................................................................................................... 8 Lesson Plan: Architectural Elements .............................................................................................. 14 Lesson Plan: The Importance of Views ......................................................................................... 22 Lesson Plan: Dream House .............................................................................................................. 26

Supplementary Information:

The Elms: A Study of the House ................................................................................................ 29 Vocabulary List .............................................................................................................................. 45 Biographical Notes for Further Reference ................................................................................ 46

Note: The following material is intended for use in the classroom. Permission is granted by the Preservation Society of Newport County to download and copy this material for use in the

classroom only.


Introduction to Architecture at The Elms Tour Main Idea: The Architecture at The Elms Tour enables students to appreciate architectural elements, principles, and techniques. Individual creativity and imagination of students is cultivated through lesson plans and a tour focused on incorporating architectural and mathematical concepts. Objectives:

Students will:

Learn vocabulary of the tour and use it appropriately.

Gain a basic understanding of architecture and the necessary mathematical concepts.

Create art projects that reflect an understanding of math and architecture. Teachers will:

(At school) Prepare students for their visit to The Elms by having them complete one or more pre-visit activities.

(At The Elms) Assist tour guide by encouraging student participation helping them to make connections to the classroom, and reinforcing appropriate behavior.

(At school) Reinforce the student’s experience at The Elms by having them complete one or more post-visit activities.

Tour Guides will:

Encourage students to look carefully at The Elms, discuss what they see, and make personal connections.

Reinforce vocabulary associated with the lesson/tour.

Visually introduce the themes of symbols, communication and preservation to students.


Background Information for Teachers

The Elms 367 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840 The Elms was the summer residence of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Mr. Berwind made his fortune in the Pennsylvania coal industry. In 1898, the Berwinds engaged Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th

century French chateau d’Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a cost reported at approximately $1.4 million. The interiors and furnishings were designed by Allard and Sons of Paris and were the setting for the Berwinds’ collection of Renaissance ceramics, 18th century French and Venetian paintings, and Oriental jades. The elaborate Classical Revival gardens on the grounds were developed between 1907 and 1914. They include terraces displaying marble and bronze sculpture, a park of fine specimen trees and a lavish lower garden featuring marble pavilions, fountains, a sunken garden and carriage house and garage. The gardens were restored in 2001. Mrs. Berwind died in 1922, and Mr. Berwind invited his sister, Julia, to become his hostess at his New York and Newport houses. Mr. Berwind died in 1936 and Miss Julia continued to summer at The Elms until her death in 1961, at which time the house and most of its contents were sold at public auction. The Preservation Society of Newport County purchased The Elms in 1962 and opened the house to the public. In 1996, The Elms was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Mr. Berwind and his Family


The Gilded Age The Gilded Age refers to the period between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the beginning of World War I in 1914. During these years, rapid industrial growth, immigration, and technological innovation transformed society. While an era of great progress in the arts, sciences and industry, the Gilded Age was also a time of social and economic inequity. The production of iron and steel rose dramatically; the abundance of resources, such as lumber, gold and silver, in the western part of the country intensified the need for improved transportation. Railroad development boomed as trains moved goods from the resource-rich west to the east. Steel and oil were in great demand. All this industry produced enormous wealth for a number of businessmen like John D. Rockefeller (in oil), Edward Berwind (in coal), and Andrew Carnegie (in steel). The “Gilded Age” was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their 1873 book “The Gilded Age.” Gilding is the art or process of applying gold leaf, or a paint containing or simulating gold, to a surface.

During the Gilded Age, homeowners would use gilding throughout their homes in order to show their wealth.


Rhode Island Learning Standards Addressed During the Architecture at The Elms Tour

Arts

Students will observe and experience objects and ideas through a multitude of senses and form a sophisticated, informed response. (RI Standard 2)

Students will demonstrate a connection to their personal lives through artistic expression. (RI Standard 3)

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how the arts influence society, and how society influences the arts. (RI Standard 3)

Students will apply process and knowledge from and to other content areas and across the arts. (RI Standard 5)

Math

Students will demonstrate conceptual understanding of similarity by describing the proportional effect on the linear dimensions of triangles and rectangles when scaling up or down while preserving angle measures, or by solving related problems (including applying scales on maps). Describes effects using models or explanations. (RI Standard 5 G+M)

Students will measure and use units of measures appropriately and consistently, and makes conversions within systems when solving problems across the content strands. (RI Standard 7 G+M)

English Language Arts

Students will apply information gathered from print and non-print media to achieve educational purposes. (RI Standard 1)

Students will develop the confidence and skills to communicate their ideas. (RI Standard 4)

Students will demonstrate an understanding of universal themes across content areas and how they relate to historical and cultural context. (RI Standard 7)

Students will identify and explore school, community, and workplace resources and their issues. (RI Standard 8)


History

Students act as historians, using a variety of tools (e.g., artifacts and primary and secondary sources) by using sources to support the stories of history (How do we know what we know?). (RI Historical Perspective 1 (5-6) -1)

Students connect the past with the present by: a. Identifying sequential events, people, and societies that have shaped RI today. b. Identifying and describing how national and world events have impacted RI and how RI has

impacted world events. (RI HP 2 (5-6) -1)

Students chronicle events and conditions by placing key events and people of a particular historical era in chronological sequence. (RI HP 2 (5-6) -2)


Lesson Plan: Symmetry Lesson Goal: Students will understand the concept of symmetry. Lesson Objective:

By understanding symmetry, students will gain a greater appreciation for the design of The Elms.

How does this activity relate to The Elms? Geometry is a valuable tool, used by architects to assist with organizing the plan of a house and determining the size and proportions of its rooms. The Elms is modeled after an 18th century French chateau, and the ideas of symmetry and proportion are very important to the design of the house. Every effort was made to make each room symmetrical. Materials: Mirrors, polygon worksheet, Symmetrical or Not worksheet, and Examples of Symmetry in Architecture pictures. Activity:

1. Explain the concept of symmetry:

A figure is symmetrical if it is capable of being divided by a line into 2 parts that are reflections of each other.

A figure can have multiple lines of symmetry.

Architecture uses rules of symmetry in the construction of buildings.

Project the example shapes for the class

When showing the symmetrical shapes ask the following:

- What do the shapes have in common? (They look even, the same on both sides)

When showing asymmetrical shapes ask the following:

- What do the shapes have in common? (look lopsided, not the same on both sides)

Ask: Can you think of anything in real life that is symmetrical?

2. Project the polygon worksheet and distribute one to the students. Together discuss the first shape and use the mirror to show students how to determine symmetry. Discuss where the axis of symmetry might be for different shapes. Finish the worksheet, either together or individually.

3. Give each student the shape worksheet entitled Symmetrical or Not? Directions are for students to circle all symmetrical shapes. Go over answers together.

4. Now that students understand symmetry, use the examples provided to show symmetry in architecture. Discuss how each building is symmetrical.


Examples of Polygons


Name _____________________________________ Directions: For each shape below, use a mirror to find lines of symmetry.

Shape Number of Lines of Symmetry


Symmetrical or Not? Name __________________________________________ Directions: Circle all symmetrical shapes.


Examples of Architectural Symmetry

Garden Façade of Versailles

Petit Trianon


Marble House

The Elms


Examples of Architectural Asymmetry

Kingscote

Chateau-sur-Mer


Lesson Plan: Architectural Elements Lesson Goal: Students will learn that, despite being a large house, the design of The Elms was created using basic architectural elements. Lesson Objectives:

Students will learn that buildings are made from basic shapes.

They will recognize some architectural elements, such as columns and arches. How does this activity relate to The Elms? The Elms has many architectural elements that are beautifully made of exquisite materials. By preserving this building, The Preservation Society of Newport County has given students an opportunity to have a direct personal experience with architectural elements in an authentic setting. Materials: Template for shapes, examples of columns and arches. Activity:

1. Using the templates for basic shapes, demonstrate how to use the basic shapes to create a house.

2. Discuss using other architectural shapes to add to the houses.

A. Columns – A column is a post that is used to hold up a roof. They provide support without closing in the space. They also can be purely decorative. The lower portion of a column is called the base. The middle of the column is the shaft. The upper portion of a column is called the capital. The area which the column supports is called the entablature. Columns have different shapes and styles. Project the worksheet for different types of columns and discuss the different elements of each column. Project and discuss the architectural examples of buildings with columns. Project and discuss the photographs of The Elms, identifying the various parts of the columns.

B. Arches – An arch is used to create openings such as windows, doors, or halls. Large arches can form the ceiling in a room. Arches have the shape of a half circle with long sides. Arches are made of blocks of stone. The center stone, called the keystone, is the last to be inserted. It holds everything together. Project and discuss the architectural examples and examples from The Elms.

3. Add columns and arches to the basic house created in step #1. 4. Show the basic design of The Elms, directing students to notice the basic shapes.

5. Direct students to design a house using the basic shape templates and adding columns and

arches.


Directions: Copy the shapes onto heavy paper. Cut out the shapes to use for templates.


Arches

Arch from the North Alcove of The Elms


Columns

Capital Shaft

Base

Columns from the North Alcove of The Elms


Examples of Columns from Newport

The Redwood Library

Marble House


The Cushing Gallery

The Augustus Littlefield House


Plans for The Elms


Lesson Plan: The Importance of Views Lesson Goal: Students will appreciate the importance of views in the design of houses. Lesson Objective:

Students will learn about an architectural technique called “framing a view” and how Horace Trumbauer, the architect of The Elms, used this technique.

Students will create a view from a window using this technique. How does this activity relate to The Elms? Views are an important aspect of the design of The Elms. When looking out the windows, there is a sweeping view of the lawn. The doors entering each room are aligned with the doors of the connecting rooms along a single axis, providing a view through the entire suite of rooms. This is an architectural term called an “enfilade.” Materials: Drawing materials, window worksheet. Activity:

1. Begin by introducing the design concept known as framing a view. Discuss the following concepts:

Houses are designed to meet more than the physical needs of shelter and function. Spiritual, aesthetic and emotional needs are considerations of design. Architects often attempt to meld the surrounding environment with the structure to create a harmonious effect.

When a desired environment or view does not exist in a house, it is sometimes created by employing a technique to frame the view.

This technique is used in The Elms in the Conservatory. Two mirrors are placed across from windows and are framed by a trellising effect. The mirrors reflect the garden outside and increase the effect that this is a garden room. This use of mirrors brings nature into the building so that when looking into the mirrors you might think you were actually looking out of a garden trellis to the garden. It is also used in the ballroom. By creating false doors, a sense of symmetry is achieved. Project pictures of both examples.

2. Tell students to imagine that their bedroom has no windows. By using a technique to frame

the view, they are going to create the view of their choice. What would you like to see when you look out of your window? Using the window worksheet provided, have students draw their own views.

Reflection: Have students share their views.


Framing a View: Examples from The Elms

“Enfilade” Looking from the Conservatory to the Breakfast Room


Mirrors in the Conservatory of The Elms

Garden Allée at The Elms From Newport in Flower


Lesson Plan: Dream House Lesson Goal: Students will gain an understanding of architectural elements and tools. Lesson Objective:

After learning about scale, students will create a dream house of their own. How does this activity relate to The Elms? Everyone likes to speculate about how they would like to live and with the things they like. Imagine not being restricted by money or practicality! What would you create? In 1898, the Berwinds hired Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a house modeled after the mid-18th century French Chateau d’Asnieres (c.1750) outside Paris. This was their dream house. What’s yours? Materials: Projector, graph paper, Room Measurement worksheet. Activity:

1. Discuss what a dream house is. Tell students they can create a realistic house or a house of fantasy. Encourage students to incorporate their hobbies and activities into their house. Have each student make a list of things that would be part of the design for their dream house.

2. Discuss how an architect uses floor plans to show what a room or building will look like. A

floor plan is a drawing that shows a room as seen from above. Everything in a floor plan appears flat. Illustrate how to draw an object to scale. Using a projector and a piece of graph paper, draw a square that equals 10 inches in length. Then measure a second square with 5 inch sides. Explain that when an object is scaled down, the length of its sides must be reduced by the same amount. The ratio of the small square to the larger square is 5:10 or 1:2.

3. As a whole group, the class will use ratios to make a scale drawing of the classroom. Using a

measuring tape, measure the perimeter of the classroom. Tell students that the ratio of the classroom drawing will be 0.5 inch= one foot. Together convert the measurement of the perimeter into scaled equivalents. Using a projector and graph paper, draw the floor plan of the classroom.

4. Homework assignment: Students are to measure their bedrooms and draw the floor plan.

Using the drawing paper and worksheet provided, students will use the scale of 0.5 inch =1 foot to make the drawing.


5. Students will use the bedroom floor plan as part of their dream house plan. They can create

rooms around the bedroom, starting with the larger rooms. Discuss some of the following design principles:

Order is the arrangement and organization of elements to help solve visual and functional problems.

Balance is the creation of visual harmony through the use of color and the manipulation of form.

Climate and the natural environment influence design decisions.

Past, current and future technologies influence design decisions

Reflection: Have students share their dream houses.


Room Measurement

Length of wall Scale Ratio

(ex. 0.25”=1’) Scaled Measurement

Example 10 feet .5 inch = x inches 1 foot 10 feet

5 inches


The Elms: A Study of the House

This house is called The Elms and it was built over 100 years ago for Mr. and Mrs. Edward Julius Berwind. Mr. Berwind made over 30 million dollars with his coal company. Coal was the fuel for almost everything - to run trains and heat houses. Construction began in 1899 and was completed in 1901 at an estimated cost of $1,400,000. Introduction Mathematical principles play an important part in the creation of architecture. When an architect starts to design a building, such as The Elms, he/she begins with basic geometrical forms, such as circles, squares and triangles, and through a process of putting these shapes together in a variety of ways produces the plan for a building. The use of mathematics in architectural design is not new. The ancient Romans recognized it. In the first century A.D. the Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius wrote that mathematics, particularly arithmetic and geometry were essential for the architect in creating a building. Arithmetic (that is-addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) is useful for measuring out the size of rooms and building costs. Geometry is valuable for solving difficult problems such as the organization of the plan of a house and the size and proportions of its rooms. The Elms is modeled after an 18th century French chateau. Symmetry and proportion were important ideas in architecture at this time. As we move through the house you shall see just how important they are at The Elms. Every effort was made to make each room perfectly symmetrical (balanced) and well- proportioned. Doors and windows carefully balance each other and are mathematically calculated to be in the proper size in relation to the rest of the room. The main idea of proportion in a room is that all parts are in the proper size in relation to each other. Not every single door and window balances another window or door. But in general there is a sense of symmetry throughout the house.

Front view of The Elms


Conservatory There are two mirrors placed across from windows which are framed by trellises. The mirrors reflect the garden outside and increase the effect that this is a garden room. The use of mirrors in this way brings nature into the building so that when looking into the mirrors you might think that you were actually looking out of a garden trellis to the courtyard.


The Drawing Room The drawing room is in the French style. The woodwork and plaster moldings, which are Louis XVI in style, display the elaborate elegance that was typical of that period. Symmetry is also important to the total design of the room. Doors and windows were placed around the room to balance one another. The mirrors are exactly opposite each other but angled just a little to reflect an endless chain of light.

One can also see from one end of the house to the other, because the doors between the rooms were placed in a direct line. This effect is called an “enfilade,” which was an element that was popular in 17th and 18th century French architecture.

The ceiling painting depicts Boreas (God of the north wind) driven from the sky by spring accompanied by zephyrs (gentle winds). It is attributed to the Dutch artist Jacob de Wit (1695-1754). It is one of a number of European paintings in the house cemented to the walls and ceilings (with white lead) that would have been lost forever had the house been torn down, as it was impossible to remove them.

Detail from painting by Jacob de Wit


The Ballroom We are now in the ballroom. Notice that the doors are in double pairs. Single pairs would not have been in proportion with the size of the room. However, only one pair of each set opens; the other pair is false and preserves the symmetry of the room.

In the plan, we see that the ballroom is the largest room in the house and all rooms are arranged symmetrically around it. You can easily see how the architect took a series of geometric shapes - squares - and put them together to create the plan of a house. The ballroom is in the very center of the house and is accessible from almost every direction. To the left and right one can see through the other rooms in the house since all of the doors are aligned along an axis. Another axis exists running from the central window through the main door of the ballroom out to the front door. As a result this ballroom allows for an easy flow of people during great parties. This use of axis is very important in the arrangement of rooms in a formal way. Formal dress receptions, or “at homes,” were weekly events for Friday or Saturday evening at The Elms during the season, often with 400 guests attending. Above the doors are gray monochrome panels representing mythological scenes in the life of Venus. The piano is an early 20th century Steinway covered in gold leaf. It is often used in the Newport Music Festival concerts in the summer


The Dining Room The wall paneling of this room is oak, the doors are San Domingo mahogany, and the coffered ceiling is not wood at all; it is molded plaster of stucco, grain-painted to match the oak. The recessed sections are decorated in relief with the Venetian lion of San Marco.

Many of the craftsmen who worked on the interior of this house were Italian and were brought here for the job. They worked 40 to 50 hours a week, earning about $3.00 a day, which was at that time the prevailing wage. The doors to the right of the very large painting lead to the pantry on this level, in which there is a dumb-waiter that goes to the basement pantry. The kitchen is directly below this room. The very large wall paintings are early 18th century, bought by the Berwinds from a house called “Ca’ Corner” in Venice. The room was designed as a suitable background for them. They illustrate scenes

from the life of Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who conquered Carthage in 203 B.C. There are two more paintings from this series in the front hallway, which have been cleaned and restored, (these have not). You may have noticed them while waiting for the tour. On the left is The Triumph of Scipio by Pagani; on the right is Sphynx before Scipio by Piazzetta. Between the windows is a fountain of red marble with bronze dolphins which serves as a base for the statue of Diana, goddess of the hunt.


The Breakfast Room This room reflects a style that was popular in Europe in the 18th century called Chinoiserie or Chinese style. It was meant to create a background for displaying porcelains and lacquer pieces that were imported from China. Notice that the marble on the side tables matches that of the fireplace. When The Elms was built, much of the furniture was custom designed for it. Three of the four black and gold lacquer panels on the walls are Chinese of the Kang Hsi period, about 300 years old, (1622-1722). The one on the west wall is a 19th century copy, made to match the other three.


The North Alcove There are double columns in the alcove. Columns like these were first developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans and depend heavily on mathematical calculations in order to appear well-proportioned. A column consists of three parts: the base, shaft and capital. The base of this column is about half the thickness of the shaft and the height of the capital is equal to the entire thickness of the shaft. By dividing the thickness of the shaft in various ways the architect arrives at an appropriate thickness and height for all three parts of a column. If the base and capital are not calculated properly, the column will appear either too large or small and may seem awkward. Two columns are placed together in this alcove to support two arches above. One column would have been inappropriate since the alcove is quite large. Two columns are in proportion with this particular space. The arches above the columns are built according to mathematical principles. An arch is a half-circle and the architect determines the size of it by using a compass and setting two points of its total width. This is the type of exercise one would also do in working out a solution to a math problem; here it is put to work in solving an architectural problem.

The North Alcove


Upper Hall The walls of this upper stair hall are divided up into equal parts by using pilasters. A pilaster is a vertical projection from a wall treated architecturally as a column (with a base shaft and capital). Each unit between the pilasters is of equal measurement. In architecture one unit is called a bay. The wall in front of us consists of three bays.

Mr. Berwind had this large table made in Florence. It weighs 2 ½ tons. Its design on top is made up of over 20 different types of marble. We are not sure of the significance of the trophy design (helmet, sword, oak leaves) but you will notice that the relief over the door to the sitting room is similar. The legs are decorated with lion masks of gilt bronze.

On this floor, there are seven bedrooms, six baths, a sitting room, and a linen closet. If additional space were needed, the three white frame houses on Bellevue Court (the street to the north), which were at that time part of the Berwind estate, could be utilized. The floor is marble, as are the purple Breccia shafts of the pilasters. The walls are Indiana limestone.

Overdoor panel

Pilaster


Mrs. Berwind’s Bathroom The porcelain tub and wash basin are hand painted with a scroll and a scallop shell design. Mrs. Berwind’s Bedroom Mr. and Mrs. Berwind were married in Italy in 1886. She grew up in Italy, spoke several languages, and was particularly interested in music and art. At an early age, she began collecting art and furniture, which was later displayed in the Berwind’s Newport and New York homes. After Mrs. Berwind’s death, this room was closed. Mr. Berwind did not marry again.

Mrs. Berwind was born Miss Sarah Vesta Herminie Torrey, known as Herminie. She was the daughter of the American Consul at Livorno, Italy. Her mother was descended from the Strawbridges, one of Philadelphia’s oldest Quaker merchant families. The walls are covered in green and gold silk. Ladies in this time period used their bedrooms as sitting rooms often during the day, planning parties and staff schedules, as well as having other ladies in for tea perhaps in the afternoon.


Mr. Berwind’s Bathroom The basin is of onyx which is a translucent material. The toilet is disguised with a caned chair with a movable seat. There are similar ones in each bathroom. Mr. Berwind’s Bedroom Mr. Edward Julius Berwind was born in Philadelphia in 1848. At the age of 17, President Lincoln named him to the United States Naval Academy. On his graduation he began a career as a naval officer. In 1875, he left the Navy because of a service-induced injury and went into the coal business with his brothers and Judge Alison White. He soon took charge of the New York office and his company became involved in businesses related to coal: railroads, steamships, and docks. Mr. Berwind spent only weekends at The Elms. A remarkably successful businessman, he went to his office daily until the age of 85. When he died in 1936, he had a fortune of over 30 million dollars.


The Sitting Room This room was primarily public space for the Berwinds and their house guests, probably used as an afternoon gathering spot. The paneling in this room is in the Louis XVI style. The walls are divided up into squares and rectangles which are accented by being painted in a cream color against the grey background. Circular forms, particularly ovals were a common form in this style. There are ovals carved in the paneling about the fireplace mirror. Across the room there is a central window that lines up with the main door and the central window above the staircase. This lineup of windows and doors is another example of “enfilade.” This idea was very important in arranging the floor plans of 17th and 18th century French chateaux. North Wing of Corridor The linen closet is paneled with hand-rubbed sycamore. The linens on display are similar to what was used in the house. The inventory is carefully lettered. At the end of the hall and to the right is the back staircase which was used by the domestic staff. On the floor above are 16 staff bedrooms and 3 baths. On the exterior, the third floor is hidden from view.

Linen Closet


Passage to Laundry Room The trunks on display bear the Berwind monogram. They held silver, which would be transported back to their New York house at the end of the summer season. Laundry Room Laundering the bed linens, table linens, and clothing for a household of two adults (the Berwinds), their guests, and a household staff of about 15 to 25 (house staff, gardeners, stable and carriage house staff) was a full-time job that never stopped. A full-time laundress with one or two helpers kept this area running. The Head Laundress traveled from the Berwinds’ house in New York to oversee The Elms laundry for the summer. Second Laundresses were recruited locally. The laundry was washed in the large sinks in this area. Two are seen here. There were three others. The space is large because pressing was also done here. An adjacent room had drying racks. There was a full time Head Laundress with one or two Second Laundresses depending upon need. When Julia Berwind inherited the house from her older brother, she maintained a full staff in livery until her death in 1961. During her tenure, Betty White and Julia Sullivan worked in the laundry. A letter of reference, written in 1957 by Housekeeper/Secretary Elizabeth Brown, commends Julia’s service over 18 summer seasons. It took several weeks to ready The Elms for its brief occupation before they closed the house again. Before opening, all the marble floors required scrubbing on hands and knees


Sub-Basement Here you can see the structure of the house. It is a load-bearing brick building with horizontal iron supports. The foundations are brick faced in granite. The walls are brick faced in limestone. The exterior limestone was from Indiana, shipped here most of the way by the Vanderbilt-owned New York Central Railroad, and then by steamship to Newport. This area was a workroom with cabinets for storage of all supplies. In this cabinet is a light bulb tester. The chandeliers and hanging lights throughout the house are about 15 to 19 feet high, so you didn’t want to find out the bulb didn’t work after climbing two or three stories from here with the bulb and then up a 15 to 16 foot ladder! Mr. Berwind was fascinated with electricity. There are two cast iron water filters here. Water was filtered with sand in these containers. Note the levers. They show the filters functioning as follows:

1. By-pass the filtering system 2. Filtering (filtering the water through the sand) 3. Filtering to waste 4. Washing filter bed

Newport water had high iron content; so many households filtered their water. On the other wall you see the iron doors which lead to the ash bins for the fireplace above us in the Library. These appear throughout the sub-basement, corresponding to all of the upstairs fireplaces. Boiler Room This house had a central heating system of forced hot air fueled by coal. The main house was heated through the winter. The house was heated with three boilers. Coal was placed in the boilers, which heated water in these pipes; the steam generated by this hot water was delivered to radiators (via pipes) in several locations throughout the sub-basement. These radiators were in mixing boxes where air would run over the steam radiators and rise to the upper floors of the house through heating grates. Even the closets had small grates to allow heat to reach them in the winter months. Several men were required to stoke the boilers. The head engineer was an Englishman named Alfred Simmons.


Coal Storage Room This room was for coal delivery and storage. The coal reached almost to the ceiling when full capacity was reached. The original coal carts and the tunnel are visible. Forty tons of coal would be delivered to the house each season. The truck made many deliveries as it held only 5 tons at a time. Coal for the three large boilers was delivered by the side street (Dixon Street to the south), lowered into the coal tunnel, and shipped into this room in carts on this track.

In the winter of 1918, The Elms had so much coal stored that the city of Newport requisitioned some of the supply to keep the city residents warm during the rationing of World War I. The ceiling is made of shallow brick vaults resting on iron supports. This type of roof system is especially strong, and was well-suited for monumental buildings. The Breakers employs an identical system. Laundry Drying Room This large room originally had racks for drying laundry. There was a boiler and a hot water tank underneath in the basement. Several men would have stoked the coal into the boiler to create the hot water needed to run the house. There was an air vent from that basement space to deliver hot air into this room for drying laundry.

The Coal Tunnel


Ice Making Room Houses of this period had many service rooms, each designed for a specific use. This space was reserved for making large sheets of ice, which would be stored in the adjacent icebox room. Many Newport households relied on ice cut from local ponds during winter which was then stored for the year. However, Mr. Berwind was always keen on controlling distribution and delivery; he even held the monopoly on his own ice. The large chest was originally for ice storage, but soon after the house was built, a motorized unit was installed and metal ice forms were put in the icebox. They could then make large sheets of ice. These large sheets were lifted out of the chest by a pulley system hung from this metal bar above. The two doors lead to storage rooms. They have louvers for ventilation. There is a buzzer on the bottom of the door frame. When the door was opened it pressed the buzzer, so the butler would know that someone was leaving or entering the ice and storage areas and coming or going from the wine cellar. Food and wine storage was always carefully guarded by both the butler and the cook.

Vegetable Cellar Under the curved terrace off the ballroom is a cool space lit by the windows at the end and the glass cylinders embedded in the stone terrace above. This setup allows the space to be lit, without letting in too much heat. Root vegetables (potatoes/carrots/turnips/etc.) were stored here in wooden bins.


Ice Box Room This room was separate from the kitchen, in order to keep the heat away from the ice boxes. The ice boxes were converted to refrigeration in 1907 as seen by the patent labels in brass. The exterior of the ice box is of oak; the interior of the doors are white glass. Ice was required in quantity for the elaborate pastries that were popular at the time. A separate pastry cook was hired for this task. The fashion for elaborate desserts and teas of the Gilded Age made this a necessity. Conclusion in the Kitchen Mr. Berwind made millions in the coal business. The machines for mining and carrying the coal across the country were based on mathematics - planning and building this house was based on geometry, algebra and the precise measuring of every detail. Math really does play a part in the real world!


Vocabulary List Arches are curved structures, typically found as openings in walls (i.e. windows and doors). Architecture is the process and the product of designing buildings and other structures. An Axis is a straight line about which a body or geometric object rotates. The Base is the lower part of a column that rests on a pedestal. There are five common types:

Doric

Ionic

Corinthian

Composite

Tuscan Capitals are the top part of a pillar or column. A Coffer is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. Columns are long, vertical, supporting pillars consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital. There are three types of columns:

Corinthian columns are the slenderest and most ornate of the types of columns. The legend of the Corinthian column is, a maid of Corinth died; her servant put her dearly loved things in a basket with a stone slab on it as a cover and placed it over the girl’s tomb. In the spring an acanthus vine grew up over the basket and its stone slab. This gave shape to the Corinthian style Capital with its acanthus leaves.

Doric columns are the oldest and simplest types of columns in the three orders of Greek architecture.

Ionic columns have a distinguishing feature of a capital with spiral volutes.

A Conservatory is a greenhouse, especially one where plants are arranged aesthetically for display An Enfilade is a suite of rooms formally aligned with each other. A Floor plan is a drawing that shows a room as seen from above. Proportion is a part considered in relation to the whole. It is a relationship between things or parts of things with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree. Scale is a reduction according to a fixed ratio. Symmetry is when one shape becomes exactly like another if you flip, slide or turn it.


Biographical Notes for Further Reference Edward J. Berwind Edward J. Berwind was the second child of five. By 1870, his father, John Paulus Berwind, was a partner in the Pretien and Berwind Piano Company, a prosperous business near Philadelphia’s Academy of Music. The eldest son, Charles Berwind, started as an office boy at 16 in 1862 in the Powelton Coal and Iron Co., became vice president at 21, had his own coal company by 1869, (two years later), and reorganized with Judge Alison White in 1874. Edward entered the business in 1875, and headed the N.Y. office a year later. The company became the biggest in the nation. Charles was the founder and innovator, introducing electric and compressed air cutting and boring machines, air driven engines, steel cars and cages. The company produced over 2,500,000 tons of coal annually with revenues of $8 million. It owned 260,000 acres of coal lands in central and western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. They founded company towns, such as Berwind, West Virginia and Windber, Pennsylvania. These were entirely planned communities with housing, stores, hospitals, parks, and planned farmland. Charles died in 1890, leaving Edward as President. Edward took things to the next level. He was a genius at creating the integrated network of efficient delivery and marketing. Coal went directly from the mines to Berwind-owned railroads, which went directly to Berwind-owned docks and steamships (in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, and New Jersey). Berwind coal fueled the Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroads and the Oelrichs family steamships of the North German Lloyd Line, the biggest transatlantic carriers of the day. They all summered here at Newport: the Vanderbilts at The Breakers and Marble House; the Oelrichs at Rosecliff. In 1888, the Berwinds purchased a Victorian cottage on this site, which they used for ten summers. When they decided to build a grander summer home, they engaged Horace Trumbauer, a Philadelphia architect, and chose as a model an 18th century chateau near Paris, the Chateau d’Asnieres, designed by Mansart, one of the architects of Versailles. The most fashionable decorators of the day, Allard and Sons of Paris, designed the interior and most of the furniture. The Berwinds themselves took a very active part in the planning and furnishing of their new summer house. The Berwinds’ social status was enhanced greatly by visits from aristocratic European acquaintances, one being Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1907. Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, one of the reigning hostesses, gave a dinner party at her home, and later the same evening, the Berwinds entertained the Prince at a ball at The Elms. That evening, Mrs. Berwind’s trademark flower, the American beauty rose, had to share space with yellow allamandas and blue hydrangeas, for Sweden’s colors. Mrs. Berwind received her guests in a white satin Paris gown and a diamond and pearl tiara, with the Prince at her side. More than 5000 electric lights illuminated the grounds. The Prince, in return, invited the Berwinds to a sumptuous dinner party aboard his yacht.


The years after World War I were difficult. The general miners’ strike of 1922 almost crippled Mr. Berwind’s complex network of coal delivery. However, he not only survived the strikes, but expanded business to Europe and South America, bringing total production to 4 million tons of coal a year. Mr. Berwind would not negotiate with strikers at the coal mines, or at his home. From the perspective of a domestic worker, long hours seem to be the biggest mark against Newport. Such long hours finally provoked staff at The Elms. In July 1902, the servants went on strike. Dooley, the butler, was strike leader. Satisfied on all other issues, the servants wanted some time to themselves. The feverish merrymaking of a new estate and the intense requirement of up-keep meant the staff worked 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were up before dawn and still up long after dark – according to the newspaper report. The Berwinds refused to make any concessions. Headed by the dignified Dooley; they marched from The Elms in a body, going to the station, where they took a train to New York. This event sent shudders through Newport and households across America. But it must be viewed in context. It was one protest in an era of widespread ferment. There were 37 strikes reported in Rhode Island in 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Berwind had no children. When Mrs. Berwind died in 1922, Mr. Berwind asked his younger sister, (18 years younger), Miss Julia Berwind, to be his hostess at The Elms and at his New York home. Mr. Berwind died in 1936, at age 88, and Mrs. Julia continued to summer here until her death in 1961, 11 days before her 96th birthday. A nephew who inherited the property sold the furnishings at auction and the estate to a developer, who was going to tear the house down. Fortunately, The Preservation Society of Newport County was able to raise the money to buy The Elms in 1962 and open it to the public.

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