Press Release: Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island
July 15, 2002
NEWPORT, RI -- Visitors this summer to The Breakers, the 1895 Gilded Age mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt in Newport,
Rhode Island, can own a piece of history and make a direct contribution to the preservation of the historic building
by purchasing and signing one of the new roof tiles being installed during its restoration.
The Preservation Society of Newport County has undertaken a $2,000,000 restoration of the mansion, a National Historic
Landmark, including replacement of the century-old roof, repair of sagging chimneys, and cleaning and repointing
of exterior walls. The building is remaining open to visitors during the restoration project.
For $20, individuals or families can sign their names to a terra cotta tile that will be part of the roof replacement.
More than 25,000 tiles will be replaced as part of the restoration project. Visitors who sign a tile will receive
a personalized certificate commemorating their contribution to preservation, and the $20 donation is tax-deductible.
"This 'Sign-A-Tile' campaign will not only help us raise the money to pay for this important restoration project,
but provides a direct, hands-on educational opportunity for our visitors as well," said Preservation Society
CEO Trudy Coxe. "The Breakers roof will become a kind of time capsule, bearing the names of people who cared
about and contributed to its preservation, to be read by our successors perhaps 100 years from now when they do
the next roof restoration."
The Breakers was designed and built by architect Richard Morris Hunt, considered "the dean of American architecture."
The 70-room villa, modeled after Italian Renaissance palaces, is visited by 400,000 people annually.
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to
preserving and interpreting the area's historic architecture, landscapes and decorative arts. Its 11 historic properties
-- five of them National Historic Landmarks -- span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.
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Contact:
Andrea Carneiro
(401) 847-1000 ext 131
SOURCE: Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island