Stella Maris Inn - Blue Rocks - Mayer House (between 1855 and 1859) (Newport, Rhode Island)

 house, place with historical importance, cottage, inn, mansion / manor house / villa, bed and breakfast, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1850s construction, religious organisation

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(between 1855 and 1859) Second Empire - George Burroughs, architect

In 1853, Edward Mayer and his wife, Agatha B. Mayer purchased land on Narragansett Bay from the federal government. Mayer, a successful New York businessman, commissioned George Burroughs to build "Stella Maris" (Star of the Sea) (later Blue Rocks). Burroughs transported the free stone for the mansion from Portland, Conneticut, and furnished the inside with black walnut.

By 1893, Lloyd Minturn Mayer, the second son of Edward and Agatha, had sold the mansion to Jeremiah M. Smith. Before 1907, Smith had sold the 13 bedroom residence to Frederick and Hettie Cunningham to be used as a summer home. The Cunninghams renamed the mansion "Blue Rocks." The mansion was then rented as a summer residence until the 1920's when the Sisters of Cluny took ownership of Blue Rocks and used the mansion as a convent.

The Maddens purchased Blue Rocks in 1989 and completely renovated the mansion. They opened Stella Maris Inn as a bed and breakfast in 1990 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
www.stellamarisinn.com/