PreserveRI honors 8 projects with ’07 Merit Awards

PROVIDENCE – Historic preservation projects and programs across the state were honored this week with Preserve Rhode Island Merit Awards.
The awards, in four categories, were presented during the nonprofit’s 51st annual meeting, held this Wednesday at Central Congregational Church. A reception followed at the Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum, a Preserve Rhode Island Property that has been named a National Historic Landmark.
The 2007 awards, and their winners, were:
Commercial Restoration and Rehabilitation:
• Donald Pizinger, for his restoration of 26, 28 and 30-1/2 Broadway in Newport. “This project has been a catalyst in the Historic District, leading to several other buildings within one block being restored,” Preserve Rhode Island said.
After purchasing the two Colonial-era buildings in 2001, when he learned they were in danger of being condemned, Pizinger spent several years restoring period details that had been erased by inappropriate remodeling. Today, the buildings comprise about 4,000 square feet of living space and 2,300 square feet of commercial space.
• NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, for its restoration of what is now the Hope Street Family Center in Woonsocket. The former Hope Street School, in the Constitution Hill neighborhood, was shuttered by the city in 1978. The neglected brick building was later acquired by NeighborWorks, which completed its restoration in May.
“The rehab project preserved exterior and interior details, including features like blackboards, that serve as reminders of the building’s prior use,” Preserve Rhode Island said, noting that the financing was “creative … using a combination of state and federal historic-preservation tax credits and new-market tax credits.”
Residential Restoration and Rehabilitation:
• Edmond Nickerson and Michael Lacasse, for the restoration of the Rodman Homestead in South Kingstown. After acquiring the neglected homestead, Nickerson hired Lacasse to oversee its restoration. The work, which began in 2005, included cleaning up the property; removing inappropriate alterations, such as aluminum siding that was stripped away to reveal wood clapboards; restoring windows; and repairing interior features. A Victorian porch was re-created, based on historic photographs, and a nearby cemetery was preserved.
• Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services Inc., for Phase I of its Parkis / Elmwood Neighborhood Homeowners project, which was lauded for “combined caring for historic buildings with meeting the need for affordable housing.” Three historic properties on Parkis Avenue were redeveloped by Greater Elmwood into 16 units of mixed-income family housing. Despite the emphasis on affordability, the project was designed to use high-quality, environmentally friendly products.
Its success “demonstrates that affordable housing can be created in historic properties using green materials and technologies,” Preserve Rhode Island said. “The rehabilitation of the buildings is leading to the stabilization of the community for both current residents and newcomers,” it added.
Landscape Preservation:
• The Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust, for the Sakonnet Greenways Project. “Extraordinarily successful as an effective advocate and steward in protecting Little Compton, the Trust has played an important role in educating and advocating for the protection of the town’s historic character,” Preserve Rhode Island said.
The Greenways Project includes more than 775 acres of farms, fields and open spaces, more than half of which is now protected by the Trust through conservation easements or fee ownership. The 116-acre Treaty Rock Farm is among the most recent additions to the protected list; another 535 acres of land, valued at more than $16 million, are in the 16 protection projects listed as pending.
The Trust’s accomplishments this year included completing its restoration of an 1820s stone wall next to the 106-acre Almy Farm.
• The Blackstone Parks Conservancy, for its reforestation of Blackstone Boulevard, on the East Side of Providence. The mile-and-a-half-long boulevard was designed by Horace Cleveland in the 1880s, and planted according to a plan drafted by the Olmsted brothers in 1904. But time, weather and disease had taken their toll before the Conservancy was founded in 1998 to restore its historic landscaping.
After reviewing the original plans and conducting an inventory of the surviving plantings, the group developed a master plan that called for the planting of 250 new trees selected to restore the park’s historic character. The plan also addressed issues of maintenance, safety and accessibility.
“Public use and enjoyment of this beautiful place is enhanced by the thoughtful stewardship brought to this important urban open space by the Blackstone Parks Conservancy,” Preserve Rhode Island said.
Preservation Education and Advocacy:
• The Barrington Preservation Society, for its 28-page “Barrington by the Bay: A Brief History.” The guide was developed by the Preservation Society, in conjunction with the Barrington public schools, to complement a new third-grade curriculum that also will include viewing of historic photographs and visits to sites including the Town Hall and the Preservation Society Museum.
“The curriculum and the supporting materials are anticipated to increase student interest, understanding and appreciation for local history,” Preserve Rhode Island said, adding: “The guide is both fun and fact-filled. The Barrington Preservation Society is congratulated for its efforts to educate the next generation of preservationists.”
• The State Home and School Project at Rhode Island College, in Providence. “Buildings surviving from the State Home,” built as an orphanage in 1884, “formed the heart of the current Rhode Island College campus,” Preserve Rhode Island noted. Recognizing this, RIC “undertook an extraordinary interdisciplinary effort to document, rehabilitate and celebrate its history.”
Faculty, students and staff from disciplines including anthropology, social work, biology, sociology and education have become involved in the effort, through research, oral history projects, public seminars and other events. Former residents and staff of the institution also contributed their stories and advice. Milestones of the project have included the exterior renovation of the yellow cottage, the last wooden structure on the East Campus remaining from the State Home; the restoration of the 1887 wrought-iron gates, and their re-installation in their original location; and the conservation of 30 volumes of original records dating back as far as 1884.
“This collaboration demonstrates that a preservation project is really all about community, not just buildings,” Preserve Rhode Island said, and highlights “the impact that preservation has on people’s lives.”
Preserve Rhode Island is a statewide nonprofit, based in Providence, that focuses on historic preservation education and advocacy. Additional information is available at www.preserveri.org.