Onorato awarded for re-creation of 17th-century Newport neighborhood

RONALD J. ONORATO, art and architectural history professor at the University of Rhode Island, won the inaugural Winifred Brownell award for his work using 3-D printing technology to recreate a 17th-century Newport neighborhood. / COURTESY RONALD J. ONORATO
RONALD J. ONORATO, art and architectural history professor at the University of Rhode Island, won the inaugural Winifred Brownell award for his work using 3-D printing technology to recreate a 17th-century Newport neighborhood. / COURTESY RONALD J. ONORATO

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Ronald J. Onorato, University of Rhode Island art and architectural history professor, won the inaugural Winifred Brownell award, or “The Winnie,” for his work to recreate a 17th-century Newport neighborhood in his project “Virtual House, Virtual Neighborhood.”

Using 3-D printing technology, Onorato is recreating the neighborhood encircled by Marlborough, Thames, Farewell and Broadway streets. While the historic St. Paul’s Methodist Church, the White Horse Tavern and former Newport County jail still stand, the majority of this area was demolished in the 1960s.

Onorato, chair of URI’s department of art and art history, says the project explores new ways in which preservationists can analyze and recreate historic neighborhoods that no longer exist.

“This is another way of thinking about preservation using traditional research methods and new imaging techniques to reimagine a place that no longer exists,” he said in prepared remarks.

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Research conducted by Onorato and his team included analysis of land evidence records, old maps, drawings and photographs. This historic analysis will continue over the next months as the team attempts to identify the residents of this long-gone Newport neighborhood. At its largest, the neighborhood in question was made up of 50 to 60 buildings and was inhabited by a mix of Italian immigrants, rich Newport families and craftsmen, according to the team’s research to date.

The palm-sized, initial 3-D printed depictions will be displayed during an April exhibit at URI’s Fine Arts Center.

The Winnie is awarded by URI and named in recognition of the university’s former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.

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