Founded in 1747 and opened in March 1750, the Redwood Library & Athenaeum still lends books from the very room where it began, making it the nation’s oldest purpose-built library operating in its original building. Merchant-philanthropist Abraham Redwood and 46 fellow proprietors raised £500 to buy 751 London titles, then hired Peter Harrison, often called America’s first architect, to craft a Palladian “temple of learning” with wood planks rusticated to look like stone. What began as one elegant room is now a mini-campus of galleries and stacks, a trove of rare books, and a low-key alternative to Newport’s mansion circuit.
Colonial Brains & Bold Architecture
Harrison borrowed a plate from Edward Hoppus’s 1735 edition of Andrea Palladio’s Architecture and adapted it for local white cedar, carving grooves so the siding mimicked ashlar blocks, cheaper and better suited to salty air. Thomas Jefferson admired the result on his 1790 Newport visit and later championed classical public buildings for the new republic.
Behind the main “temple” sits a rusticated hexagonal summerhouse (1776) moved from Redwood’s country estate, worth a peek before you leave the grounds.
From One Room to a Mini-Campus
| Year | Space | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 1750 | Harrison Room | First-ever high-style civic interior in colonial America; original collection still on the walls |
| 1858 | Roderick Terry Reading Room (Boston architect George Snell) | Added skylight, armchairs & periodicals—libraries became social spaces |
| 1875 | Rovensky Delivery Room (George Champlin Mason) | Art-gallery lobby for closed-stack service; façade clad in olive stone to match Harrison’s lines |
| 1912 | Perry Stacks | Steel shelving + electric lights opened browsing to members |
| 1940 | Van Alen Art Gallery | Gave Rhode Island its first purpose-built art gallery |
| 1985 | McBean Wing | Climate-controlled vaults & classroom space for researchers |
(A 2005 rear addition discreetly expanded offices and archives without changing the street view.)
War, Peace … and a Cow or Two
British troops occupied Newport from 1776-1779 and used the library’s lawn as a drill field; several volumes returned later bearing “Taken by the Enemy” stamps. After the Revolution, trustees allowed the librarian to graze a cow or horse, but “no hogs”, on the yard to supplement his pay . Despite wars, hurricanes, and power outages, Redwood has never closed for long.
Collections That Span Six Centuries
- Original 751 volumes purchased in 1749 still line the Harrison Room shelves.
- Six incunabula (pre-1501) and a jeweled 1440 Book of Hours created by the Masters of the Golden Scrolls anchor the rare-book vault.
- Cynthia Cary Collection—about 200 English & continental pattern books prized by architects and furniture makers.
- Newport Collection—5,000+ items chronicling everything from Colonial riots to Jazz-Age yachting.
Longing for a trip to Newport. Check out hotel availability here!
2025 Exhibitions & Events
| Dates | Show | What You’ll See |
|---|---|---|
| May 16 – Oct 31 | Rhode Island Coaches: In the Eye of Thomas Eakins & Contemporaries | 19th-century carriage culture captured by America’s realist master |
| Jun 18 – Dec 31 | Andrew Raftery: Redwood Custom Block-Printed Wallpaper | Hand-carved plates echoing early American interiors |
| Jun 18 – Dec 31 | Adam Silverman: Newport Amphora Project | Ceramic vessels salted with Narragansett Bay brine |
| Jul 10 – Dec 31 | Jackie Gendel – Recreation Myths | Playful canvases riffing on Rhode Island leisure lore |
Seasonal extras include Friday evening music salons and an annual late-May book sale in the Harrison Room.
Need-to-Know Logistics
- Hours: Tue–Sat 10 am–4 pm; Sun 1–5 pm; closed Mon.
- Admission: Free admission. Check their site and reach out to them prior to visiting in case of any changes.
- Audio Tour: Free 20-minute self-guided track—stream to your phone at the door .
- Membership Hack: A $75 basic membership buys unlimited visits, Wi-Fi, Kanopy film streaming, and a 10 % shop discount—good value if you’ll be in town more than a week.
- Parking: Small free lot on Redwood St; overflow street meters on Bellevue Avenue.
Why Swap a Mansion Tour for This?
In one visit you can trace American architecture from Palladian temple to 1980s wing, turn a leaf of a 550-year-old manuscript, and catch a contemporary art show, no velvet ropes, no timed tickets, just the soft creak of cedar floors and the ongoing hum of readers. For a true sense of Newport’s intellectual heartbeat, and a priceless photo of that rusticated red façade, skip one mansion and step into 275 years of uninterrupted curiosity.
