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News: 2008 archive

stairs Apply for a CLG grant
Applications are available for matching grants to support local preservation projects nominated by local governments. Potential projects include surveys of historic properties; National Register nominations; other planning services; and public education activities and publications. Click here for more information. Applications are due December 19, 2008. (10/14/08)
farm Save the Date! 24th Annual RI Preservation Conference
Preservation is stepping out in South County. The 24th Annual RI Statewide Preservation Conference will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2009 in South Kingstown. For more information, contact Sarah Zurier. (10/6/08)
nayatt Barrington landmark listed on National Register
The Benjamin Aborn Jackson House, in Barrington's Nayatt neighborhood, is significant to the history of architecture and community development. This substantial Colonial Revival-style house was built in 1910-13 to designs by architect Norman Isham, Rhode Island's leading interpreter and scholar of historic New England architecture. (10/2/08)
fortadams Rhode Island wins $275,000 in federal grants
The National Park Service awarded two federal grants to RIHPHC through the Preserve America program. The first ($150,000) will fund RIHPHC's Preservation is Local program which supports community preservation activities. The second ($125,000) will pay for a masterplan that will help develop stabilization, fundraising, and interpretation strategies for historic Fort Adams. (9/29/08)
ice cream corp. General Ice Cream Corp. listed on National Register
A former ice cream factory in Providence's Silver Lake neighborhood has been honored for its significant architectural and commercial history. Built in 1915-18 for ice cream entrepreneur Samuel Dolbey, the General Ice Cream Corporation building tells the story of how ice cream became an important manufacturing and commercial activity in 20th-century Providence. (9/15/08)
dragon

31st Annual Heritage Day Festival coming up Sept. 20
Celebrate our state's rich cultural heritage. Join RIHPHC on the State House Lawn (opposite Providence Place Mall) to sample performances of music and dance, cultural displays, a mouth-watering array of traditional foods, and traditional craft demonstrations and exhibits from more than 12 different countries. The children’s area will have the International Peace Flag Project, face painting, story telling and arts and crafts. (9/2/08)
5 water st

Historic Scalloptown structure available for relocation
This late 19th-century, 1.5-story, wood frame building is available for relocation from its site at 5 Water Street on the East Greenwich waterfront. The building has had many uses, including lumber yard office to residence. The building is structurally sound but requires restoration. For more information, contact Diana Pearson at 401-886-1114. (8/28/08)

southern thames Newport's So. Thames Historic District listed on National Register
An eclectic residential, industrial, and commercial neighborhood on the Newport waterfront is significant for its contributions to the history of architecture and community planning. The 135-acre Southern Thames Historic District exemplifies Newport’s development as a port and resort town, complete with working-class residential neighborhoods and commercial enterprises. (8/13/08)
providence institution for savings Bank on it: Grants for Rhode Island preservation projects
Seeking funds to support a capital preservation project, a new museum exhibit, a children's education program, a preservation planning study, an building condition survey, conservation assessment, or other preservation project? Scan RIHPHC's new lists of 1) grant sources and 2) resources for grant-seekers in the Grants section of our website. (8/6/08)
buxton barns Barn again: New resources for RI's historic barns
Looking for advice on how to preserve your barn or learn about its history and architecture? Start your search at the new Historic Barns pages at www.preservation.ri.gov. Resources include information on the National Register and preservation incentives, links to RI agriculture and historic barns websites, a list of historic barns and farms in RI that are open to the public, and a bibliography of barn history and architecture books. (7/30/08)
aquidneck mill, newport

Historic Preservation Tax Credits Still Effective
Despite cuts to the State Historic Preservation Tax Credits in 2008, historic rehab projects continue to generate development, jobs, and housing in RI's economy. Eighty-two historic rehabilitation projects have qualified to continue under the new rules, higher fees, and reduced credits. These projects represent a combined investment of more than $1 billion over the next four years. See the Headlines page for profiles of ongoing projects, like the International Yacht Restoration School's Aquidneck Mill, at left. (7/7/08)

westerly armory

State of RI launches new online historic property search
RIHPHC teamed up with ri.gov to launch a new service that allows users to search the database of Rhode Island properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The RI-National Register Property Search is a free Web service available 24 hours a day at www.ri.gov/preservation/search. Rhode Island has more than 16,000 properties--from historic houses to mills to monuments to archaeological sites--listed on the National Register. (6/10/08)
french worsted New on the NR: Woonsocket's French Worsted Mill
The French Worsted Company Mill in Woonsocket's Hamlet district was recently honored for its contributions to the history of architecture and industry. The complex of 16 historic brick industrial buildings and an abandoned railroad siding tells the history of foreign investment and worsted textile production in Woonsocket. (6/4/08) press release
weybosset mills Weybosset Mills listed on National Register
A textile mill complex in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood received federal recognition for its contributions to the history of industry and architecture. The Weybosset Mills was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The mill complex embodies the evolution of RI ’s textile industry from cotton to wool and exemplifies mid-19th to early-20th-century textile mill architecture. (5/21/08)
stone house inn

New National Register listings
The National Park Service recently listed two Rhode Island places on the National Register of Historic Places: the substantial Stone House Inn (1854) in Little Compton and gracious Jenny's Lane-Mathewson Street Historic District (1860s-1940s) in Barrington. (5/19/08)

providence fruit and produce warehouse

Seven answers for seven questions
RIHPHC conducted an informal survey about historic preservation in RI. Attendees of the recent Preservation Conference were asked seven questions. For example, What is the most significant lost building or landscape of RI? brought answers like the Providence Fruit and Produce Warehouse, Rocky Point, the Cranston Trolley Barn/Narragansett Brewery, and Bristol's W.G. Low House. Responses to What is the most important issue for historic preservation in RI in the next 10 years? included the fate of the state's historic preservation tax credit program, followed by open space/green space; demolition; public education/awareness; energy; coastal issues; and preserving the recent past. Check out all the Qs and all the As. (4/21/08)

495 pine st

Emergency Regs update RI Pres. Investment Tax Credit
RIHPHC and the Division of Taxation concurrently filed emergency regulations to implement changes in the historic preservation tax credit law, effective immediately. During the next four months, permanent regulations will be adopted by RIHPHC and the Division of Taxation in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act. Prior to adopting permanent regulations, public notice will be published and public comments will be taken at an advertised public hearing. emergency regulations (4/17/08)

 

Finance Committee votes changes to RI Pres. Investment Tax Credit
The RI House Finance Committee voted April 3 to approve H-8016 Sub A proposed legislation that would make significant changes to RI's Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit program. The new bill as passed by the House Finance Committee allows most projects that are already in the pipeline to continue with a reduced credit amount and higher fee. About 100 current projects (with combined estimated costs of almost $900 million) will have the option of continuing under the new rules. A moratorium on new projects would go into effect as of January 1, 2008. The bill could be voted in the full House and Senate soon. ProJo article (4/7/08)

brown + sharp RI Statewide Preservation Conference this Saturday
Join us at the Statewide Conference in Providence on Saturday, April 12 to explore historic preservation's past, present, and future in RI. Sample a wide variety of walking tours, bus tours, discussions, workshops, and lectures. Click here for a pdf copy of the program, or visit the conference website for more information. To register, arrive at conference headquarters (Trinity Church, 375 Broad St., Providence) beginning at 8am. Conference fee of $40 can be paid by cash or check; includes lunch and snacks. (4/4/08) recent articles
  Remembering two preservation professionals
Rhode Island will miss two leaders in the field of historic preservation. A recipient of RIHPHC's Williamson Award for Professional Service, Steve believed in restoring buildings down to the very smallest piece of historic fabric rather than replacing. Mary worked at the RIHPHC and Providence Historic District Commission before co-founding the Preservation Cooperative, a preservation consulting and contracting business. Steve and Mary were friends of the RIHPHC and outstanding preservation professionals. (02/07/08)
pva garden Call for Historic Preservation Award Nominations
RIHPHC seeks nominations for the 2008 Historic Preservation Awards. The Awards will be presented at the Statewide Historic Preservation Conference on Saturday, April 12 in Providence. Volunteers from the Pawtuxet Village Association were honored for their advocacy work in 2006. (2/1/08)
ide farmstead Ide Homestead in East Providence for sale
The City of East Providence is seeking a buyer for the Ide Homestead, located at 2585 Pawtucket Avenue. The property, estimated to be built in the late 18th century, is one of the few remaining structures of the Ide family and was once the center of an extensive farm. For more information, contact Patrick Hanner, Senior Planner, City of East Providence Department of Planning, at (401)435-7533.

benefit st

Installation of gas meters on the exterior of registered historic buildings
In September 2007, RIHPHC learned that gas meters were to be installed on the exterior of historic buildings in Providence's College Hill Historic District. Discussions between RIHPHC and the State Public Utilities Commission made clear that 1) National Grid is responsible for assuring the safety of natural gas lines from the street to the meter and 2) that thousands of historic buildings would be negatively impacted by having a gas meter installed on the exterior front of the building. The attached Owner Waiver form allows an owner to agree to provide National Grid access for inspections in return for placing the gas meter inside the historic building. (1/02/08) owner waiver and RIHPHC memo (pdf)
lead safe ri

New Guide to Lead Safety in Historic Buildings in RI
Looking for information on how to plan a renovation project that will ensure the safety, character, and value of your historic building? This new guide has the answers. Learn if your building is historic and identify which historic features are important. Find out what you need to know about lead hazards. Evaluate options for lead hazard control. And discover financial incentives for work on historic buildings and on lead hazard reduction.

Explore resources, contacts, funding sources, and free publications--all for the Rhode Island property owner. Visit our pages on Lead Safety and download a pdf copy of the Guide. (11/16/07)