Newport Mansion Consumed by Massive Fire

NEWPORT, RI—Stonor Lodge, A 9,000-square-foot mansion where Jacqueline Onassis found peace and quiet the day before she married President John Fitzgerald Kennedy has been destroyed by a massive, wind-whipped fire.

Members of the Newport Fire Department and departments from across Aquidneck Island and the East Bay responded to the fire at 479 Bellevue Avenue, which consumed an historic structure along Newport’s famed Bellevue Avenue and the former home to the Drexel family.

The fire broke out at around 4:30 p.m.and fast-spreading flames quickly put crews in defensive mode. Before long, a third-alarm was called and the fire quickly engulfed the historic 21-room house.

The structure was reportedly under construction when the fire started and nobody was injured in the blaze, which ultimatley became a three-story fireball feeding a miles-long plume of smoke visible to drivers on the Claiborne Pell Bridge. The smoke was thick enough to make some residents of the adjacent island of Jamestown think the fire was on their island. Students at nearby Salve Regina University said their campus was shrouded in a smoky haze.

The property, known as Stonor Lodge, was built in the late 1800s and was originally known as Mayfield Cottage. It burned in 1916 and was rebuilt, becoming the home of John R. Drexel III and Noreen Stonor.

The house reportedly is where Jacqueline Onassis escaped during her wedding preparations to find peace and quiet, hiding away the day before her wedding to John F. Kennedy to read a book in the sunroom.

City records show the 9,100 square foot house is owned by Whitetail LLC and is assessed at $3.43 million. Whitetail LLC bought the property in 2013 for $3.2 million.

Along with Newport firefighters, crews from multiple local agencies responded to assist and provide mutual aid.

Providence Canteen also responded to provide support.

Newport Mayor Jeanne Marie Napolitano said in an interview that the fire is devastating and she, like many Newporters, is stunned by the damage.

“I was told that all that’s left are the chimneys,” she said, reflecting on her memories of the late Noreen Stonor Drexel, who died at Stonor Lodge, her beloved summer home, in 2012.

“She was such a gracious, generous woman,” Napolitano said in reference to the Drexel’s large contributions to major Newport institutions including Newport Hospital, home to a birthing center that shares her name, and the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Construction workers were at the scene before the fire erupted and scrambled away as the house went up in flames. Close bystanders could feel the scorching heat from many feet away and residents across the City-by-the-Sea said they saw smoke and flames.

“This was crazy, we could see it clearly from Rogers [High School]” said Kerry M. Clarke.

“What a terrible shame,” said Steve Renshaw. “A house with an incredible history.”

Photo courtesy Jeff Pieczarka, Susan Pratt, Amanda Sullivan via the Newport Patch Facebook page, Michael Avila via Instagram.