Newport ยท Waterfront & Washington Square
The Francis Malbone House
Merchant Francis Malbone's Georgian house on Thames Street, which the inn says the British used to store looted gold; breakfast and tea included.
- Built
- c. 1758NRHP nomination: c.1758, for Francis Malbone; the inn says 1760. A brick office wing ('The Counting House') was added in 1850.
- Style
- Georgian
- Architect
- possibly Peter Harrison (attribution, per NRHP)
- Type
- B&B
- Area
- Waterfront & Washington Square
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district; National Historic Landmark
The story
Shipping merchant Colonel Francis Malbone built the house around 1758-60; its design has been attributed to Peter Harrison, architect of Touro Synagogue and the Redwood Library. The British seized it during the Revolution and used it to store looted gold, giving it the nickname ‘the Treasure House’. It returned to the Malbone family, whose son Francis Malbone Jr., later a U.S. Senator, owned it until his death in 1809. In 1850 Dr. James R. Newton added a brick office, now the inn’s Counting House suite.
Good to know
- Breakfast: included
- Address: 392 Thames Street, Newport, RI 02840
Things to do
Tours in Newport
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.