ABSTRACT Newport, Rhode Island has a rich history dating back to Colonial times and its built environment reflects that. The Preservation Society of Newport County was created in 1946 to protect this environment. Through their preservation efforts they have become the owner and interacted with 37 properties in the county, some of which they have subsequently sold while keeping others. This thesis is a record of those transactions and an analysis on what those transactions have done for the economy of the Society and the county. It is also a look into how outside economic factors have influenced the Society’s real estate decisions and that of their donors. The Preservation Society is a case study on the effects that real estate transactions have on preservation nonprofits and the cities they reside in. Hannah Rose Miller