Belcourt of Newport

Belcourt is a former summer cottage, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, and located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Begun in 1891 and completed in 1894, it was intended to be used for only six to eight weeks of the year. Designed in a multitude of European styles and periods, Belcourt features a heavy emphasis on French Renaissance and Gothic decor, with further borrowings from German, English and Italian design. In the Gilded Age, the castle was well noted for its extensive stables and carriage areas, which were incorporated into the main structure.

Construction and the Belmont years

Located on Bellevue Avenue at Lakeview Avenue, Belcourt was designed by Richard Morris Hunt for thirty-three-year-old Oliver Belmont who was divorced from Sara Swan Whiting and the father of a daughter, Natica, whom he denied paternity to, during the construction of his 50,000 square foot (4,600 m²), 60 room summer villa. Based on the Louis XIII hunting lodge at Versailles, Belcourt incorporated Oliver's love of pageantry, history and horses in its magnificent interior halls, salons and ballrooms. The Belmont Stakes was named for his father and he was known for his skill as a four-in-hand carriage driver. Belmont wanted Belcourt designed precisely to his specifications. Hunt was hesitant, but he concentrated on his guiding principle that it was his client's money he was spending. Construction cost $3.2 million in 1894, a figure of approximately $80 million in 2011 dollars. Belmont employed some thirty servants at Belcourt, with aggregate wages of approximately $100 per week.

Belcourt (surname)

Belcourt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Belcourt (disambiguation)

Belcourt Castle is a historic house museum in Rhode Island, United States.

Belcourt may also refer to: