View of the Boathouse, Harbour Court

New York Yacht Club, Newport, Rhode Island

oil on wood panel, 9” x 12”

$3,800

At Harbour Court, a stucco and half-timbered building has perched near the water’s edge for more than 100 years, beloved for its enchanting architecture and playful purpose. Originally constructed as a playhouse for John Nicholas Brown, the building features a beadboard-paneled interior and delightful porch; the entire structure is capped with a flared cedar-shingle roof. In the 1980s, the playhouse was outfitted with restrooms and gradually became known as the Boathouse, in recognition of its frequent use during boating season. According to preservation architect Martha Werenfels, the building is possibly unique: “I don’t know of any other small, whimsical building so close to the water that has survived for so long.”