Harkness House   -   circa  1730

     The Harkness House is an excellent example of the 18th century gambrel roof cottage - a style so commonly found in Newport and of which there are many examples still standing.  The house has one-and-a-half stories, with two rooms per floor, and a central chimney.  There is a fireplace in each of the first floor rooms but only one on the second floor.

     This was another structure facing demolition, this time, for the expansion of a parking lot on Prospect Hill Street.  This little house has led a wandering life and, as is often the case, lost its chimney early on.  The replacement chimney and fireplaces built during restoration were based on framing and trace lines for the hearths that were visible on the floors.

      It is believed the house was originally built on Thames Street near Pelham Street.  Sometime in the 18th century, it was moved to Old Beach Road and then, in the 19th century, it was moved again, this time to Prospect Hill Street.  (Exact dates for these two early moves are unknown.)  Finally, in 1983, NRF acquired the house, disassembled it, and the house was moved yet again – to its present location on Green Street - which is, in fact, quite close to the Thames and Pelham Streets location where we believe the Harkness House was first built.

     The exact original site of the Harkness House remains unknown.  It is believed to have been built on Thames Street, probably near the intersection of Pelham Street.  When NRF purchased the house in 1983, it stood on Prospect Hill Street but had been moved there sometime in the 19th century from a location on Old Beach Road.  The Newport Restoration Foundation restored the Harkness House in 1983-84; it was one of the last houses to be restored by NRF (to date January 1998).