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[Identification of item], Newport Restoration Foundation Records, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
The Newport Restoration Foundation Records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a donation from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in June 2009.
Processed by Mary Samouelian, September 2010
Encoded by Mary Samouelian, September 2010
Accession UA2009-0030 is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
In the 1950s, Doris Duke once again became a frequent visitor to Newport, R.I. A growing awareness and concern for the state of Newport’s historic architecture led her to establish the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) in 1968. The non-profit institution was formed with the express purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting the 18th- and 19th- century architectural culture of Aquidneck Island (Newport, R.I.). In creating the foundation, Doris Duke had a simple plan: to purchase dilapidated 18th century homes and meticulously restore them so that every detail was as historically accurate as possible. After the houses were restored, the NRF maintained the houses and rented them as private living spaces. This model of "living preservation" was groundbreaking in the field of historic preservation. During the next three decades, preservation remained a major focus among her many charitable endeavors. Saving eighty-three properties was an undertaking on a scale and scope that has never been repeated. Doris Duke gave $21.9 million to the Newport Restoration Foundation, the largest philanthropic gift she made to a single organization during her lifetime.
The Newport Restoration Foundation Records (formerly NRF.12) are part of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives which were donated to the Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The collection spans the years 1968 to 1999, although a bulk of the material dates from 1968 to 1982. While the collection is arranged into three series: Adminstrative Records, Financial Records, and Architectural Records, the majority of materials are financial records associated with the daily operations and management of the foundation and its assets. Overall, the collection documents the daily business activities of the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF), including purchases, renovations, and renting of various NRF homes, photo inventories of the furniture and other household items at each restored NRF home, weekly progress reports, and other routine matters. The architectural records in this collection are related to the renovation of several of the NRF homes. The materials in this collection are arranged chronologically and alphabetically thereunder.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
This series contains a variety of materials related to the business activities of the Newport Restoration Foundation. Materials included are correspondence and memoranda regarding the purchase, renovation, and renting of NRF homes in Newport, R.I., statements of receipts and disbursements for NRF, newspaper clippings regarding the activities of and awards to the NRF, reports and summaries, weekly progress reports for work performed at various NRF homes, photo inventories (including color photographs) of furniture and other household items at each restored NRF home, NRF business plans and other various NRF business activities. Also includes correspondence regarding the writing of an article about the NRF with hand written responses from Doris Duke.
Materials included in this series are NRF vouchers (categorized alphabetically), cost accounting statements, museum sales slips, summary cash statements, financial statements, and several ledgers containing cash, receipts and disbursements for the Newport Restoration Foundation.
Includes diazo prints, ink on tracing paper, and photostat copies. The records document renovations to several NRF homes, plot plans of parcels owned by the Newport Restoration Foundation, and zoning maps of the City of Newport, R.I.