RIHPHC Feels Like Summer News: St. Mary's Church listed, Waterfront property, New Deputy Director, Heritage Happenings

RIHPHC Bulletin

New to the National Register

St. Mary's opened its doors to public worship on June 17, 1849.

A historic church in Portsmouth has received federal recognition for its contributions to the history of architecture and art. Jeffrey Emidy, Executive Director of the RIHPHC, announced that the National Park Service has listed St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by architect Richard Upjohn, St. Mary’s is a well-preserved example of a rural Gothic Revival church and contains several works created by significant artists. The church cemetery includes several notable examples of funerary art.

For more details, see the press release and nomination.

Rooms with views

Following a process established by the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, the Warwick Neck Lighthouse and Keeper's House (built 1932) is available at no cost to the most qualified applicant among Federal agencies, state and local agencies, non-profit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations. The property must be used for educational, park, recreational, cultural or historic preservation purposes. The light and the foghorn will remain in operation by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Letters of interest are due no later than July 14, 2023. Eligible parties will be sent an application and invited to inspect the property. Completed applications are due within 90 of the date of the site inspection.

More details are here.

Joanna Doherty named Deputy Director

Joanna Doherty has been appointed Deputy Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.

Joanna started at the RIHPHC as a Senior Architectural Historian in 2013, advancing to Principal Architectural Historian in 2015. In this role, she has guided the preparation of dozens of National Register of Historic Places nominations, resulting in nearly 600 resources being listed. Previously Joanna worked at the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, and the Public Archaeology Laboratory. She earned a B.A. in the Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College and a M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. As Deputy Director Joanna will oversee the RIHPHC’s National Register, survey, and archaeology programs.

Great State Properties

The state-owned Westerly Train Station (1912-13) is a Mission Revival-style building with a Spanish tile hipped roof, stucco-clad walls, and an arcaded entry. The building served as a gateway for rail transportation for more than a century, closing for accessibility improvements in 2016. The R.I. Department of Transportation worked with the Town of Westerly and a local arts organization on a project to expand use of the station by travelers on the Northeast Corridor as well as by art-lovers. RIHPHC’s Project Review team ensured that the work met preservation standards.

The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of

Westerly created a popular arts space in the former waiting room. New elevators and other improvements were installed in 2022. Catch a train or a show—go go go!

Learn more about State-owned Historic Properties and RIHPHC’s regulatory review.

Greetings from Westerly

Wish you were here

Stars in our eyes: The Rhode Island Preservation Zodiac

Over the past year, RIHPHC scanned the night skies and searched our survey books for signs of the zodiac as embodied by (mostly) historic resources. We shared our sightings on social media. Can you match the zodiac sign to its site?

Answers further down the page. Insights on facebook and instagram.