Newport Historic District (Rhode Island)
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Newport Historic District
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Colonial architecture at Spring and Church Streets, 2008
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| Location | Newport, RI |
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| Coordinates | 41°29′24″N 71°18′49″W / 41.49000°N 71.31361°WCoordinates: 41°29′24″N 71°18′49″W / 41.49000°N 71.31361°W |
| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| Built | late 17th-late 19th century |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Colonial, mix of later styles |
| NRHP Reference # | 68000001 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 24, 1968 |
| Designated NHLD | November 24, 1968 |
The Newport Historic District is a historic district that covers 250 acres (100 ha) in the center of Newport in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century. Six of those buildings are themselves NHLs in their own right, including the city's oldest house and the former meeting place of the colonial and state legislatures. Newer and modern buildings coexist with the historic structures.
It is a major tourist attraction due to its history, its setting on Newport's waterfront and the shops located within it along Thames Street. In 1997, it doubled for mid-19th century New Haven, Connecticut during the production of Steven Spielberg's Amistad. "No comparable collection of colonial buildings exists today in the state or perhaps the nation", says Rhode Island historian William McLoughlin.
The district is described by the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as being roughly bounded by Van Zandt Avenue to the north; Farewell, Sherman, High and Thomas streets on the east; Golden Hill, Thames and Marsh streets in the south and Washington Street on the west, just before the shores of Narragansett Bay. This area includes the Easton's Point neighborhood and its concentration of colonial houses on the north, Washington Square, the shops and stores along Thames Street near the waterfront, and the blocks inland up the gentle rise to the Bellevue Avenue neighborhoods.
Land use varies from commercial, mainly street-level retailing, along heavily trafficked Thames and America's Cup Avenue to primarily residential along the side streets to the east. The narrowness of these streets, built long before the automobile, has led the city to restrict parking along them to residents with a valid permit.
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