Howard Cushing’s Gardiner House channels the grandeur of The Ledges into a 21-room retreat, as Newport celebrates a major retrospective of the artist who inspired it, Howard Gardiner Cushing.
Perched on the Newport waterfront, the Gardiner House has quickly become a magnet for both locals and visitors. The 21-room boutique hotel, tucked into Lees Wharf, is the vision of Howard Cushing, scion of one of Newport’s grand old families. Its design is a layered dialogue between past and present, anchored by a dramatic two-story mural digitally reimagined from the lobby of The Ledges—the historic “cottage” built by his great-grandfather, the artist Howard Gardiner Cushing—translating the romance of turn-of-the-century Newport into a contemporary retreat.
Inside, classic Newport elements meet a comfortable, lived-in charm: wicker peacock chairs salvaged from Clarendon Court; a sunny palm-filled solarium; lacquered green lounges filled with richly colored upholstery and artwork; even a bar stocked with “liquor lockers” for returning regulars.
In a fitting counterpart, the Newport Art Museum opened Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color earlier this summer, a long-overdue retrospective of the artist behind the Ledges mural. Celebrated for his luminous portraits and sweeping murals, the elder Cushing captured the poise and intimacy of Newport society in the early 20th century. For guests at the Gardiner House, it’s a rare opportunity: to sleep in a space shaped by his legacy, then stroll a few blocks to see that legacy on the walls.
Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color is on view in the Museum’s Cushing Gallery until December 31, 2025.