Mitchell Trevitt House   -   circa 1758 and 1828 

The Mitchell Trevitt House originally stood on the SW corner of North Baptist and Charles Streets.  The early date stems from the Stiles 1758 map of Newport which shows that some sort of structure existed at the North Baptist/Charles Streets location by 1758. The building’s trim and proportions, however, are more indicative of the second date, 1828.

There is very little knowledge of the history of this building and we have, so far, not been able to find any documentary evidence for the structure or a definitive date.  Very little fabric existed on the interior and the exterior did not really evidence any 18th century material or design.  The doorway is Federal and was applied, from stock, by the NRF.

This is one of several properties NRF bought from the Foundation for the Preservation of America's Architectural Heritage (FPAAH).  This organization sought, in particular, to save houses in Newport that were slated for demolition in order to make way for a housing development for the elderly in the area of Farewell, Coddington, Charles, and North Baptist Streets.  FPAAH purchased various plots of land in the Point section of Newport, constructed cellar foundations, and the houses, mostly stripped of their interiors, were moved to the new locations.

When momentum stalled within the organization, the buildings were offered to NRF.  The buildings purchased from FPAAH had very little original fabric either interior or exterior.  Little in the way of history existed on these buildings, and what FPAAH had done to the buildings was, unfortunately, not well documented.

To some extent, NRF purchased buildings from FPAAH and then restored and/or rebuilt them not because of important existing structure and fabric, but rather, to stabilize a neighborhood at a time when there was considerable need in Newport for this action.

The Foundation for the Preservation of America’s Architectural Heritage (FPAAH) moved the Mitchell Trevitt House from its original location on the corner of North Baptist and Charles Streets to the current Elm Street site in 1968.  The Newport Restoration Foundation purchased the house in 1969 and restored it in 1970.