place in the "beautiful blue and gold tapestry room" at Rosecliff. Monroe family Hermann Oelrichs, Jr. kept Rosecliff in the family until 1941, then the estate went through several changes of ownership before being bought by Mr & Mrs J. Edgar Monroe of New Orleans in 1947. Mr. Monroe, a southern gentleman who had made his fortune in the ship building industry, came to Newport with his wife Louise every summer to escape the summer heat of the Deep South. The two became well known for the large parties they threw at Rosecliff; many of which had a mardi gras theme, as the Monroes loved dressing up in fancy costumes for these parties. Unlike Mrs. Oelrichs' parties, which were stiff and formal, the Monroes' parties were relaxed and easygoing. Hermann Oelrichs Jr. sold off all the furnishings in 1941. In 1971, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe donated the entire estate with its contents and a $2 million operating endowment to the Preservation Society of Newport County, who opened it to the public for tours. Mr. Monroe often would come back to the estate for charity events up until his death in 1991. The American Beauty Rose was developed by earlier owner of the property George Bancroft and his gardener. In television and film The ballroom was used to film scenes for the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby and for The Betsy, High Society, True Lies, and Amistad. Footage for three episodes of the PBS television series Antiques Roadshow was shot inside and on the grounds of Rosecliff on September 19, 2017, with 3,000 people attending to have their antiques appraised. It was the first time in its 22 seasons on the air that any of the show's episodes included appraisals filmed outdoors, although plans for all the appraisals to take place outdoors were spoiled by rain generated by Hurricane Jose offshore, and most of the appraisals took place inside the mansion or in tents erected on its grounds. The three episodes premiered on PBS in May 2018. See also Peter Duchin Baroque Revival architecture List of Gilded Age mansions National Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County, Rhode Island References J. Walton Ferguson, Rosecliff, Newport: Preservation Society of Newport County, 1977. External links Newport Mansions: Official Rosecliff website Museums in Newport, Rhode Island Historic house museums in Rhode Island Houses in Newport County, Rhode Island Houses completed in 1902