A Newport icon,

rooted in tradition

The Castle Hill Inn Legacy

Presiding over historic Newport for decades, Castle Hill Inn has long captivated the hearts and minds of treasured guests and remains one of the city’s most beloved coastal stays.

Cozy bedroom with a large bed, soft lighting, and a sitting area in warm tones.

Cozy lounge with leather chairs, wood paneling, and large windows.

Where Castle Hill began

The name Castle Hill originated from an earthwork on the headland that resembled a castle from the water, and the moniker has stuck centuries later. In 1875, Alexander Agassiz acquired the 40-acre peninsula and built his summer home, establishing the Newport Marine Zoological Laboratory from the property two years later.

Over the next decade, Castle Hill's reputation for notable guests was solidified, as Julia Ward Howe's Town and Country Club began organizing with the likes of Edith Wharton, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Mark Twain as a guest lecturer.

Coastal lighthouse surrounded by greenery and rocks.

Through the years

1880-1890

Victorian house with a turret, surrounded by autumn trees.

The Castle Hill property is built

In 1885, Harvard marine biologist and oceanographer Alexander Agassiz acquires the 40-acre peninsula and builds a summer residence.

Lighthouse glowing at dusk, surrounded by greenery and overlooking the sea.

Let there be light

Agassiz donates the land for the Castle Hill Lighthouse in 1887, and the fog signal is first lit in 1890.

1930s

Pathway through dunes to a sunny beach with blue sky.

The Great Hurricane of 1938

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 severs the peninsula from the mainland, combining the waters of Castle Hill beach and cove. Mrs. Maximillian Agassiz, daughter-in-law of Alexander, became so frightened after the storm that she refused to return, and the property was sold to prominent businessman J.T. O'Connell.

1940s

Coastal mansion with a turret, surrounded by trees under a cloudy sky.

Castle Hill commandeered

Castle Hill's position at the mouth of the Narragansett Bay isn't just admired for its idyllic scenery. During World War II, the U.S. Navy valued it for its ideal strategic position, so the mansion served as an impromptu base for naval officers over the course of the war.

Cozy room with bay windows, armchairs, and a tripod overlooking a lake.

A mansion in transition

At the end of the war, the residence morphed into a summer hotel catering to cognoscenti craving a peaceful place to unwind. Eventually, all accommodations were winterized, making Castle Hill a year-round retreat for those who sought its beauty, grace, solitude and old-world charm.

1950s — 1960s

Waiter carrying tray in dimly lit restaurant.

A distinguished stay for renowned guests

Castle Hill Inn attracts many noteworthy guests over the post-war decades, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thornton Wilder, who writes about the Agassiz House's turret room, which is still bookable today. Grace Kelly becomes a repeat guest, preferring the east-facing cove for secluded swimming.

2008

A couple dining by a window in a softly lit restaurant.

Relais & Châteaux recognition

In 2008, Castle Hill Inn becomes the first Rhode Island property accepted into Relais & Châteaux, a global collection of independent luxury properties that are defined by their commitment to excellence across every aspect of hospitality and cultivation of a meaningful sense of place.

Two people riding white bicycles in a park, surrounded by trees.

Carrying on tradition

It was J.T. O'Connell who acquired the Castle Hill mansion from the Agassiz family and transformed it into a monument of leisure, and it is his family that runs the employee-owned Newport Restaurant Group – the stewards of these 40 acres today. Castle Hill has long been recognized as a special place, and it will remain protected as a respite for all those who feel drawn here.

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