Explore the real-world places that appear in The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Symposikon Mansion (Ocean Drive Estate), The Breakers, Marble House, Rough Point, Cliff Walk and 6 more.
Ocean Drive — Fictional think-tank mansion, mapped to Newport's oceanfront estates
The Symposikon is a secretive think tank housed in an old Newport mansion, and it is the heart of the novel. Enigmalogist Jeremy Logan, who investigates inexplicable phenomena, is brought here to look into strange happenings among the researchers. His inquiry leads him into the mansion's past and the secrets of the building itself.
Newport's Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue were lined with lavish summer 'cottages' built for industrial-fortune families from the 1850s to the early 1900s. Many were later donated, converted into institutions, or sold to private owners. The Symposikon itself is fictional, but it fits this tradition of grand oceanfront estates repurposed for new uses.
The oceanfront estates along Ocean Drive are mostly private residences or are managed by preservation groups. The Symposikon has no real counterpart, so there is nothing to visit at this spot.
44 Ochre Point Avenue — The archetypal Newport Gilded Age mansion
The Breakers is not the Symposikon, but it is the best real-world model for the kind of Gilded Age palace the novel evokes. Logan's investigation into the Symposikon and its hidden history turns on the opulence and secrecy of the Newport elite who once lived in such houses.
Built between 1893 and 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, The Breakers is a 70-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo. It is the grandest of the Newport summer 'cottages'.
The Breakers is owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County and is open daily for tours. It is Newport's most visited mansion.
Visit: The Breakers (historic site)
596 Bellevue Avenue — Gilded Age extravagance
Marble House stands in for the opulent mansions that surround the Symposikon. It reflects the world of excess and eccentric ambition in which the novel's mystery is rooted, and the kind of house in which hidden spaces and forgotten rooms might exist.
Built from 1888 to 1892 for William K. Vanderbilt and his wife Alva, Marble House was designed by Richard Morris Hunt. It cost about $11 million, much of it spent on marble.
Marble House is operated by the Preservation Society of Newport County as a museum. Visitors can tour the Gold Room and the Chinese Tea House on the grounds.
Visit: Marble House (historic site)
680 Bellevue Avenue — Oceanfront estate on Newport's edge
Rough Point's remote, wave-battered setting resembles the isolated seaside home of the Symposikon. Its cliffside location gives a sense of the atmosphere in which Logan carries out his unsettling investigation.
Originally built for Frederick W. Vanderbilt in the 1880s and later expanded, Rough Point was the home of heiress Doris Duke. She lived there until her death in 1993 and left it to the Newport Restoration Foundation.
Rough Point is run as a house museum by Newport Restoration Foundation. It contains Doris Duke's art and furniture collections.
Visit: Rough Point Museum (museum)
Memorial Boulevard to Ruggles Avenue — Coastal path along the mansions
The Cliff Walk runs along the same shoreline as the Symposikon's grounds. It gives a vivid sense of the rocky coast and the sea-battered setting of the novel, and the dangers and isolation of the oceanfront play into the story's atmosphere.
The Cliff Walk was developed in the 19th century along a public right of way beside the Atlantic. It runs about 3.5 miles past many of Newport's famous mansions, and was designated a National Recreation Trail.
The Cliff Walk is a popular public trail with views of the ocean and the mansions. Parts of the path are rugged, and it can be closed after storm damage.
Visit: Cliff Walk (park)
Narragansett Avenue at Cliff Walk — Stairway to the sea
Rocky shoreline spots like the Forty Steps reflect the wild coastline below the Symposikon's fictional estate. They offer the moody setting where Logan reflects on the mysteries he is trying to unravel.
The Forty Steps were built in the Gilded Age so that servants and guests of the neighboring estates could reach the water. The stairway descends to the rocks below the Cliff Walk.
The Forty Steps are a popular stopping point on the Cliff Walk, with views over the Atlantic. They are open to the public.
Visit: Forty Steps (landmark)
Ocean Avenue — Windswept Atlantic headland
This stretch of rugged shoreline captures the bleak ocean setting around the novel's isolated mansion. Open ocean and heavy weather add to the novel's uneasy mood.
The park occupies the site of Brenton Point, once the estate of Newport socialite Theodore Havemeyer. The state of Rhode Island acquired the land in the 1970s.
Brenton Point State Park is a public park known for kite flying, picnics, and ocean views. It is open year-round.
Visit: Brenton Point State Park (park)
50 Bellevue Avenue — Historic research library
Research into the Symposikon's history leads Logan, a scholar of the unexplained, toward sources like Newport's historic libraries. Archives like these suit the book's theme of buried history and forgotten secrets.
Founded in 1747, the Redwood Library is the oldest continuously operating library in the United States. Its Palladian building was designed by Peter Harrison.
The Redwood Library is a member-supported library and a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can tour the building and view its art and collections.
Visit: Redwood Library and Athenaeum (library)
85 Touro Street — Colonial landmark in downtown Newport
Touro Synagogue represents Newport's deep and layered history, the kind of past that Logan digs into as he investigates the Symposikon. It is part of the town through which he moves.
Dedicated in 1763, Touro Synagogue is the oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States. It was designed by Peter Harrison and is a National Historic Site.
The synagogue is still an active congregation and is open for guided tours. It is among Newport's major historic attractions.
Visit: Touro Synagogue (historic site)
Downtown waterfront — Newport's working harbor
Newport's harbor and downtown waterfront provide the everyday town setting beside the cloistered Symposikon. Logan passes through this lively area while pursuing his inquiries into the think tank.
Newport Harbor has been a center of maritime trade, naval activity, and yachting since colonial times. Bowen's Wharf was redeveloped in the 1970s from old waterfront buildings.
Bowen's Wharf is a pedestrian area with restaurants, shops, and harbor views. It is a popular spot for visitors.
Visit: Bowen's Wharf (landmark)
Harrison Avenue — Historic coastal fortress
Fort Adams marks Newport's long defensive and maritime history, the sort of layered local past that Logan explores. The harbor-side location also gives a view of the waters around the Symposikon's coast.
Construction of Fort Adams began in 1824 and it served as a coastal defense through the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is among the largest coastal fortifications in the United States.
Fort Adams State Park offers guided tours of the fort and hosts events such as the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals. It is open to the public.
Visit: Fort Adams State Park (historic site)
More by Lincoln Child: All Lincoln Child books
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