09/22/2026
Who is coming to Newport this fall. Check out what’s new and stay with us at Scallop Shell
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E1fo3dzJd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
NEWPORT, R.I. — One of Newport’s most celebrated Gilded Age landmarks is preparing for its next chapter.
The Elms, closed to visitors since Aug. 10, will reopen later this fall with a newly imagined guest experience designed to bring the historic estate—and the world that created it—into sharper focus.
The says the experience will blend engaging storytelling, multisensory elements and carefully integrated enhancements throughout the mansion. The project is being developed with Digital Kitchen, an Emmy-winning creative studio selected as the organization’s design partner following a competitive process in 2024.
Built at the turn of the 20th century as the summer residence of coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife, Herminie, The Elms was modeled after an 18th-century French château. Behind its classical façade, the mansion featured some of the era’s most advanced technology, reflecting both the refinement and remarkable ambition of Newport’s Gilded Age.
Its interiors hold an exceptional collection of paintings, sculpture and tapestries, while the grounds unfold through formal gardens, terraces, fountains and elegant pavilions.
Details of the new experience remain largely under wraps, but guests can register at newportmansions.org/theelms for an opportunity to be among the first inside when the house reopens.
During the closure, The Carriage House at The Elms remains open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with final seating at 4 p.m. Access is limited to Preservation Society members and guests holding a Newport Mansions house-tour ticket.
