The Griswold House is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, set on a granite foundation, on a parcel that was landscaped in the early 19th century to a design by the Olmsted Brothers.

There are numerous balconies sheltered by deep eaves, with gable ends decorated with applied Stick style woodwork.

The main hall features an elaborately decorated staircase, with a carved griffin statue standing guard at its base.

[1] The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and built in 1864 for John Noble Alsop Griswold, a merchant in the China Trade.

Griswold died in the house in 1909; it remained vacant until 1915, when it was acquired by the Art Association of Newport, which now uses it as a museum gallery.