In 1871, Colonel George R. Fearing, the mayor of Newport, commissioned a French architect to deliver a set of drawings of a French château. The drawings were based on an 18th century country house on the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland. The esteemed Newport architectural firm of George Champlin Mason & Son took these drawings and adapted them to create The Orchard, a grand mansion built of yellow Milwaukee brick and Ohio limestone. It has been a landmark in Newport since completion in 1873. For more on the state, visit us here.