NEWPORT –The National Sailing Hall of Fame and Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that their partnership will open an America’s Cup Hall of Fame location in Newport.
The collaboration will feature joint development of the Hall of Fame exhibits, which will be “continually enhanced” by the partnership, the organizations said.
“Combing the resources of these two organizations makes perfect sense, and Newport is the ideal place to bring this collaboration to life,” said Herreshoff Marine Museum President Bill Lynn in a statement. “We’re excited about the opportunity to introduce the America’s Cup Hall of Fame experience and its inductees to a new and bigger audience in this historic building in the sailing capital of the United States.”
In March of 2019, the National Sailing Hall of Fame purchased the historic Armory building on lower Thames Street in Newport for $1.7 million. Talk around the National Sailing Hall of Fame coming to Newport first started circulating publicly by former Mayor Harry Winthrop in August of 2017 but the Hall of Fame’s board of directors has openly said that discussions to move from the historic Captain Burtis House at City Dock in Annapolis, Md., to Rhode Island began months before.
The location itself holds significance for many sailors, as it served as the site for many America’s Cup-related activities throughout the Cup’s Metre era, which ranged from 1958 to 1983. A range of interactive exhibits are currently being developed with the goal of creating a space where sailing comes alive for both sailors and non-sailors, the National Sailing Hall of Fame said.
Historically, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., which existed from 1878 to 1945, was notable for producing fast-sailing yachts, including the defenders of eight straight America’s Cups, as well as steam-powered vessels. Aside from collaborative exhibits in Newport, the Herreshoff Museum is investing in new exhibit development on its Bristol campus where it would focus on the Herreshoff Era of the America’s Cup, which were held from 1893 to 1934.
“Sailing is a sport for a lifetime,” said National Sailing Hall of Fame Executive Director Heather Ruhsam in their announcement. “The partnership between the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the America’s Cup Hall of Fame creates an opportunity to introduce visitors to some of sailing’s most interesting personalities. Through their stories we will celebrate and support the sport, designing an experience that invites visitors to explore the world of wind and water.”
The opening date of the combined exhibits at the former armory on Thames Street will be announced at a later date this summer.
Alexa Gagosz is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Gagosz@PBN.com.