Old Colony House

Old Colony House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
Front elevation in 2017
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Location	Washington Sq., Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°29′27″N 71°18′48″W / 41.49083°N 71.31333°W / 41.49083; -71.31333
Area	less than one acre
Built	1736-1739[2]
Architect	Richard Munday
Architectural style	Colonial
Part of	Newport Historic District (ID68000001)
NRHP reference No.	66000014[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966[4]
Designated NHL	October 9, 1960[3]
Designated NHLDCP	November 24, 1968

The Old Colony House, also known as Old State House or Newport Colony House, is located at the east end of Washington Square in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It is a brick Georgian-style building completed in 1741, and was the meeting place for the colonial legislature. From independence in 1776 to the early 20th century, the state legislature alternated its sessions between here and the Rhode Island State House in Providence.

The building has received little alteration since its construction. As one of the best-maintained surviving Georgian public buildings in the United States from the colonial era, it was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1960.^[3] It is also a contributing property to the Newport Historic District, later designated an NHL itself. The building is still owned by the state, but managed as a museum by the Newport Historical Society.

Besides its political and architectural importance, the building was the site of many important Revolutionary events in Rhode Island. George Washington^[2] and Dwight Eisenhower have both been guests at the building. It has been used as a barracks, hospital, courthouse and a location for a Steven Spielberg film.