By: Marcia Abramson
The newspapers had a field day when they learned that this child inherited an $80 million estate in 1925 dollars. She became known as "Million Dollar Baby" and subsequently "The Richest Woman in the World." With shrewd investments on her part, her inheritance grew to over a billion dollars when she died at age 81. Her favorite residence was Rough Point, the mansion in Newport that was part of her father's estate. It was originally built for Frederick W. Vanderbilt in 1889 at prestigious Bellevue Avenue in Newport. It is an awesome Gothic-style, 105-room estate constructed of granite and sandstone, resembling an English country cottage. Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York City's Central Park, also created the magnificent grounds that border the Atlantic Ocean. James Duke bought this property in 1922 and began a massive renovation and building program that included a large bedroom suite for his daughter Doris on the new solarium ground floor. The project was completed two years later, but unfortunately Mr. Duke died in 1925, having lived in the estate only one year. The home has remained in the Duke family ever since and was bequeathed to the Newport Restoration Foundation (which she founded in 1968) by Doris Duke when she died with the proviso that Rough Point be kept intact and open to the public as a museum. The month of May will mark the fourth season that the estate will welcome visitors who will see the property exactly as it was left upon her death. Doris Duke spent a good part of her life collecting art antiques, furniture and wall coverings. The collection at Rough Point represents some of the most complete collections of its kind that I ever hope to see in the United States. I feel that you can get a glimpse of how the rich and famous live surrounded by the artwork of Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Renoir in the intimate settings of their libraries and parlors when you tour Ms. Duke's home. Imagine a bedroom with Charles X. Ormolu mounted mother-of-pearl furniture, a dozen 18th Century French chairs with original gilt and upholstery and English Oak tables in a private home. The impressive display of tapestries and wall coverings include a set of tapestries from Brussels, circa 1510; the 18th Century Chinese hand-painted paper wall panels are mind-boggling. Ming Dynasty garden seats and huge wine jars represent some of Ms. Duke's rare and extensive ceramics collection. Of particular interest to me is her jewelry collection acquired during her later years. Many of these showcase Western interpretations of Asian Indian designs. There is an emerald, pearl and diamond bracelet and clip designed by Cartier to interpret Mughal jewelry styles and David Webb pieces that reflect Indian jewelry owned by Doris Duke. Also featured is an exquisite pair of Cartier emerald leaf-form and a Seamen Schepps grape cluster clip that illustrates the unique Indian use of colorful gemstones in their jewelry creations. After Sept. 30 this collection will travel and be on exhibit at the Honolulu Academy of the Arts in November and then appear early in 2004 at the Newark Museum in Newark, N.J. Eventually, as directed by Doris Duke's will, many items will be sold at auction with the proceeds to be used for charitable purposes. Doris Duke spent much of her life devoted to preservation and environmental causes. In fact, a good deal of her fortune and her time was spent on restoring and preserving 84 colonial buildings over a period of 34 years in Newport, where she spent her summers. Today, the Newport Restoration Foundation maintains the 40-acre Prescott Farm and the 1811 Samuel Whiteborne House that contains Ms. Duke's multi-million dollar collection of 18th Century of Newport furniture. These two properties are also open to the public for tours. Rough Point is open to the public from May through November. Tours are available with groups limited to 12 people and are kept small and intimate. Reservations can be made on line at "http://www.newportreservation.org," www.newportreservation.org or by calling (401) 845-9130. Copyright by Marcia Abramson; E-mail: mascribe@aol.com
