As last week’s post promised, I will focus today on the West Facade of Swan House, strictly Italian in derivation, and in marked contrast to the East Facade with its English Palladian portico. Marked by sophisticated design elements encompassing an assortment of styles, the quality of decoration is especially apparent in the central doorway with plaster scroll above and niches on either side. Set above this doorway is the typical Italian “attica extension” consisting of a circular window flanked by scroll brackets which in turn support a broken entablature and pediment. From the statues atop the “attica extension” to the tiered cascading water feature, this facade of Swan House can best be described as unapologetically picturesque; the setting sun brings out its delicate and romantic decorative work…to include the double winding staircase accented by a lacey iron banister.

As an example of Shutze’s gift for scale and proportion, these details can be enjoyed even by cars passing by on Andrews Drive, 100 yards away!

This statement water cascade is based on the Villa Corsini in Rome, where Shutze pursued his Beaux Arts studies at the Amercian Academy, supplemented by travel akin to the “Grand Tour” of earlier centuries’ artists and academics.

Having been introduced to the classic elegance of Italian arts, it’s no surprise that he also designed the formal gardens and landscape, which feature garden rooms, fountain, and enfilades similar to Italian gardens he had come to admire.

Paths for strolling are scattered across the 25 acres; one begins up the stone steps across from the East Facade entrance.

The screened porch wing, looking out upon the first formal garden, is a balance to the kitchen wing at the other end of the house.

Capturing this gem one afternoon with the soft shadows playing across the lawn, as wedding flowers were being arranged at the base of the cascade, was a lovely bit of serendipity. 

NOTE: I also had another intriguing reason to pursue this post…the Newport connection. Heiress Doris Duke, one of our town’s more famous former residents, was the daughter of Nanaline Holt Inman, widow of William Inman of the Swan House Inman family. In 1907 she moved north with her son, Walker Patterson Inman, to marry James Buchanan Duke; five years later, Nanaline gave birth to Doris. Their summer months were spent at Rough Point, at the end of Bellevue Avenue, well named for its site overlooking the rocks and the crashing waves of the Atlantic ocean.