The Preservation Society of Newport County 1945-1965
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The Preservation Society of Newport County 1945-1965 The Founding Years Prepared by: Holly Collins Research Fellow September 8, 2006 The Preservation Society of Newport County 1945-1965: The Founding Years Table of Contents I. Precedents in Preservation…………………………………………………………..1-5 ♦ Private sector beginnings ♦ A turn toward professionalism ♦ Broadening the scope ♦ National government initiatives II. Newport’s Heritage………………………………………………………………….5-9 ♦ Tides of change ♦ An uncertain future ♦ Newport’s preserved colonial treasures III. Beginning Anew………………………………………………………………………9-21 ♦ Raison d’ être ♦ Incorporation ♦ Biographical profiles ♦ Developing a mission statement IV. The Founding Years…………………………………………………………………22-47 ♦ Nothing ventured, nothing gained 1945-1949 ♦ Forging ahead 1950-1955 ♦ A developing dynamic 1956-1950 ♦ Defining the future 1960-1965 V. Timeline……………………………………………………………………………..48-60 VI. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………61-66 VII. Addendum…………………………………………………………………………...67-111 2 The Preservation Society of Newport County 1945 - 1965: The Founding Years Innovation, trial and error, and financial struggle marked the founding years of the Preservation Society of Newport County. Foremost, the flexibility and foresight of the early officers and board of trustees allowed the organization to grow toward its own unique identity as steward of an outstanding wealth of architectural heritage, and promoter of community partnerships in preservation that rejuvenated a fading Newport. As the Society grew they embraced opportunities that changed their course and redefined their mission. Throughout these years and beyond, one woman, Katherine Urquhart Warren, held a steady hand at the helm. Precedents in Preservation When the Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC) incorporated in 1945 it was preceded by a little over a century of preservation efforts in the United States. These milestone initiatives provided a valuable frame of reference and the impetus for moving forward in the second half of the twentieth century to merge the cultural inheritance of a singular city with its future. Private sector beginnings The first enterprise in historic preservation in the United States took place in Newport, Rhode Island. It was an independent effort to insure the heritage of Touro Synagogue, home of the congregation Jesuhat Israel. Founded in 1658 the congregation is a testament to the heritage of religious freedom espoused by the colony. Local architect Peter Harrison designed the Neo-Palladian synagogue that was dedicated on December 2, 1763. 1 Upon the death of Abraham Touro in 1822 (son of the first Rabbi, Isaac Touro), his last will and testament established the Abraham Touro Fund for restoration and repair of the synagogue and Jewish burying ground. Touro endowed the fund with $10,000.00 ($138,550.01 in 2005 dollars). 2 He vested the state with authority to manage the investments of the bequest, and the city council of Newport with the “duty to cause all repairs to be made” as directed by the Jewish synagogue. 3 This intelligently crafted bequest established a preservation hallmark in Newport. 1 Amy Sara Clark, “Touro Synagogue Honored As Symbol of Religious Freedom,” (2006), p. 2. 2 http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi 3 Title 35 Public Finance. Chapter 35-9 Touro Funds. State of Rhode Island Statutes. 3 In the second half of the nineteenth century preservation efforts in the United States were dominated by private sector women’s volunteerism. Characterized by a fierce patriotic zeal, these organizations sought to save historic dwellings of American heroes to serve as shrines of pilgrimage that promoted Victorian moral standards and the values of “home.” 4 The principal model that spawned many similarly designed organizations was initiated by Ann Pamela Cunningham, a South Carolina native who persevered for five years in her struggle to save George Washington’s Mt. Vernon. The Mt. Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) was formally established on March 22, 1858. Although intended as a Southern enterprise, Cunningham’s efforts also spread north to include inspired women whom she established as “vice-regents” of the organization. The grass-roots campaigning efforts of this corps of women proved an effective publicity tool and fund raising strategy. 5 An important outcome of Cunningham’s mission indirectly motivated women into more active roles in the public and political realms, at the time considered improper for a lady. Despite a commitment to bipartisanism, Cunningham’s efforts drew her into dealings with the Virginia government and the conflicts of antebellum politics. The success of MVLA established a precedent for women’s leadership in historic preservation in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The organization also demonstrated the intricate relationship between political, social, and material culture and values in the United States.6 A turn toward professionalism After 1900 the preservation model began to change. A leader in the transformation of preservation theory and practice was William Sumner Appleton, a respected architectural historian who created the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) in 1910 (now operating as Historic New England). Appleton dispelled the emotional character of nineteenth-century organizations such as the MVLA. By instituting a new professional methodology he shifted the preservation focus away from the enshrinement of heroes, thus drawing more educated professionals into the preservation movement. He reorganized “. the field from a preoccupation with romanticized history to one stressing architectural aesthetics, scientific method, and historical scholarship.” 7 Another hallmark change instituted by 4 William J. Murtaugh, Keeping Time, (1997) p. 30. 5 Patricia West, Domesticating History , (1999) pp.14-15. 6 Ibid. pp. 36-37. 7 James M. Lindgren, “A Spirit that Fires the Imagination,” Giving Preservation a History, Max Pare and Randall Mason, Ed., (2004) p.120. 4 Appleton’s SPNEA was to focus on the acquisition of humble domestic dwellings. SPNEA restored them and returned them to public use with tenancy restrictions and guidelines for their maintenance, endowing these structures with continued life within the community. Thus, Appleton established a precedent for adaptive reuse. Appleton’s SPNEA redirected the course of preservation theory, practice, and scope. Another outcome of turning away from the model of preserving shrines of worship endowed preservation with a broadened cultural significance, laying the foundation for future historic districts. Appleton’s diligent methodology promoted the development of distinct fields of expertise in historic preservation. Upon his death in 1947 he had saved fifty-one New England buildings. 8 Broadening the scope In 1926 preservation strategy took a quantum leap. A prominent figure in the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (established in 1889) was the Reverend W.A.R. Goodwin of Williamsburg, Virginia. Goodwin had conceived of a plan for the restoration and recreation of the entire town of Williamsburg. His enthusiastic plan engaged the interest and bankroll of John D. Rockefeller. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was formed to create the first outdoor museum in the country, “. the most costly, trendsetting enterprise in the annals of historic preservation,” remarked historian James Lindgren. 9 Colonial Williamsburg had as much to do with preserving the past as it did preserving the future. Solid funding and savvy business acumen were combined with top notch professionals in the field of architecture and archeology. The project would prove the economic merits of creating a national tourist destination of an entire town committed to heritage preservation. Another milestone in preservation history in the United States took place in Charleston, South Carolina. The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, formed in Charleston in 1920, is the oldest community historic preservation organization in the country (renamed in 1957 as The Preservation Society of Charleston). They were instrumental in the passage of the first historic zoning ordinance for the protection of historic resources, creating the first Old and Historic District in 1931. 10 In 1945 Kenneth 8 Michael Holleran, “Roots in Boston, Branches in Planning and Parks,” Giving Preservation a History, Max Pare and Randall Mason, ed. (2004), pp. 98-100. 9 James M. Lindgren, “A Spirit that Fires the Imagination,” Giving Preservation a History, Max Pare and Randall Mason, ed. (2004), p. 107. 10 http://www.preservationsociey.org 5 Chorley, the President of Colonial Williamsburg, spoke to Charleston’s Civic Services Committee stressing the need for a foundation similar to nonprofit Colonial Williamsburg’s that would be unencumbered by municipal government and political control. By 1947 Historic Charleston Foundation was formed. 11 The multi-dimensional and co-operative aspects of Charleston’s preservation efforts, and their leadership in historic zoning held valuable lessons for the future. MVLA, SPNEA, Colonial Williamsburg, and Charleston all offered insight into preservation strategies during the founding years of the PSNC. Chorley’s mentoring was particularly significant during the PSNC’s early years. National government initiatives Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the federal government took their first step in historic preservation with the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. This legislation provided protection