It’s Christmastime Again in Ochre Court

By: Colleen O’Toole
Posted In: Campus News

NEWPORT, RI- Thousands of sparkling white lights illuminate the night sky, among evergreen and wreaths placed outside the entrance.

Once inside the building, pearls are everywhere, wrapped in bright red and white flowers shaped like snowballs, mixed with shimmering snowflakes, white branches, and evergreen, capturing the holiday atmosphere.

A Christmas tree, glowing with white lights, strands of pearls of various sizes, grabs everyone’s attention when entering Salve Regina University’s Ochre Court at Christmastime because of the decorations for the Governor’s Ball.

“I think Ochre Court is at its highlight for this event each year,” Sister Therese Antone, President of Salve Regina University since 1994, said.

Sister Therese thought of the idea of the Governor’s Ball to raise money for scholarships, and the first one was held in 1977.

Sister Therese entered Salve Regina University as a student in 1960, and said since Ochre Court is so elaborate, decorations for Christmas, when she attended the university, included traditional red and white poinsettias.

At Christmastime, there used to be a small faculty dinner for Christmas, a tradition for many years, and Sister Therese instituted the dinner last year.

Each year for the Governor’s Ball, a theme is chosen for the decorations used in Ochre Court. According to Sister Therese, there has been everything from traditional Christmas decorations to a Nutcracker scene theme, and each theme is very different. Sister Therese personally likes the simple traditional Christmas decorations, such as a few wreaths, greenery, and a tree.

The 30th Annual Governor’s Ball was held December 2, 2006, and the theme was based on pearls, symbolizing a 30th anniversary.

“It’s wonderful for me to see graduates attend who worked at the ball twenty-five, thirty years ago as students, and I hope graduates continue to come to this event for many years to come,” Sister Therese said.

Catherine Mureddu, Assistant Director of Development for Fundraising Events, who has worked at the university for eight years, said that in February bid letters for decorations of the ball are sent out to flower shops, and if the florists are interested they send their bid form back. Then, the Salve team and the Chairs of the Governor’s Ball make a decision in early May on the flower shop. At this time, the caterers and orchestra, which were also put out for bid, are decided upon.

In the summer, the Chair people, florist, and caterers walk through Ochre Court to try and coordinate colors, decorations, and linens.

“The same building every year looks completely different,” Mureddu said.

Broadway Florist of Newport was chosen for the Governor’s Ball this year.

Paul Eckhart, of Broadway Florist, said he proposed a color scheme and style, and the Chair people provided input and amended the design.

To achieve this year’s pearl theme, Eckhart was using red roses, white freesia, hydrangeas, tulips, orchids, carnations, with pearls embedded in the flowers, among other decorations.

“(There is) a custom design for each room,” Eckhart said. One room in Ochre Court is a pink room, and therefore pink flowers would be used in that room. Also, each mantle was going to be decorated in a distinctively different manner.

Eckhart has decorated Ochre Court a few times, and said, “I look forward to doing it again; it’s for a good cause.”

On the exterior of Ochre Court, there are wreaths, thousands of shining, white lights that brighten the road leading up to main door of the building, as well as evergreen wrapped around the railings.

However, there are steps taken to prepare for such decorations.

Superintendent of Grounds at Salve Regina University since 1998, Lenny Mercier, who has worked at the university for fifteen years, said that preparations begin before Thanksgiving.

First, the trees lining the pathway to the building are trimmed back, which takes a couple of days because there are fourteen trees, seven on each side.

When the lights are put on the trees, each tree consists of ten strands of lights, with one hundred lights per strand, totaling 1,000 lights per tree. Six hundred to a thousand lights are put on the shrubbery on the front of the building. All of this takes a couple of people to do in three to four days.

Wreaths are placed on the gates and the door right outside the building. On the gates, the wreaths are 36 inches, and the one on the door is 26-30 inches. Mercier said the colors of the wreaths match the theme of the ball.

Evergreen is used to replace the geraniums on each side of the door, which takes two people half a day to do.

Inside Ochre Court is a twelve foot artificial Christmas tree that comes with two or three thousand lights already on it. To put the tree up and prepare it for the decorating takes a day.

The exterior decorations stay up until after New Year’s, and depending upon the weather. Mercier said it is a quicker process taking the decorations down, but taking down the lights requires just as much time as putting them up.

Mercier spoke of the staff, which prepares and maintains the grounds.

“Great group of guys. I’m proud of the work they do. They work really hard, and they take pride in the work they do,” Mercier said.

There are several holiday events in Ochre Court over the week.

On December 8 and 9, the University Chorus, Madrigals, and men’s and women’s ensembles and soloists will present “Welcome Yule” at 8 p.m.

Another concert will be presented on December 12 at 7:30 p.m. by The Newport County Orchestra.

The Christmas Social, for alumni, parents and friends is on Friday December 15 from 7-9 p.m.

The Faculty Christmas Reception and Holly Dinner is on December 16 at 6 p.m.,

as reported on the Salve Today Weekly Calendar.

Ochre Court (1888) was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, and owned by Ogden Goelet. It consists of fifty rooms, and was the only building for Salve Regina University when it was first established in 1947. The eight sisters of Mercy and fifty-eight women students used Ochre Court for their dorm rooms, classrooms, dining room, and bookstore, according to the Salve Regina University website.