Tag Archives: Newport RI

More pause please, Newport

Posted on September 14, 2020 by David Brussat

Faced with a development proposal to replace the Newport Grand casino, the City by the Sea recently placed a moratorium on development in order to suck its elegant thumb about its development guidelines. Bloomberg CityLab published a lengthy article, “History … Continue reading →

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Preservation in Newport

Posted on August 22, 2018 by David Brussat

Preservationists have a vital but relatively simple job that has been made more difficult, over the years, by preservationists. The purpose of preserving a historic building is to sustain the beauty it brings to its setting. How to do this … Continue reading →

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Semes in Newport Thursday

Posted on August 15, 2018 by David Brussat

Steven Semes will be speaking at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, at the Redwood Athenaeum & Library about various fascinating matters which, while international in scope, are of interest not just to preservationists but to those interested in architecture in Newport. … Continue reading →

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Newport’s newest cottage

Posted on June 15, 2018 by David Brussat

Yesterday’s ribbon-cutting for the Welcome Center at The Breakers unveiled a tourist attraction in its own right. That’s saying a lot in Newport. It is that beautiful. In the weeks leading up to its completion, I kept trolling online for … Continue reading →

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Harrison’s excellent career

Posted on June 1, 2018 by David Brussat

Had the pleasure, last night at the Boston Athenaeum, of learning more than I ever expected to know about the architect Peter Harrison. He is considered by many to be America’s first professional architect, and is known in Rhode Island … Continue reading →

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When is a folly not a folly?

Posted on February 4, 2018 by David Brussat

What’s in a name? I’ve always loved a folly, but some follies are not as useless as their definition suggests. The London Times has an article about follies called “It’s not bonkers to be fond of a folly,” by Norman … Continue reading →

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Audrain’s revival in Newport

Posted on September 29, 2017 by David Brussat

Last night, after my boffo lecture at Rosecliff (1902, McKim, Mead & White), I strolled down Bellevue Avenue, in the company of the Preservation Society of Newport County’s Lise Dube-Scherr, by another gem of that thoroughfare, the Audrain Building. Its … Continue reading →

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Beauty isn’t so difficult

Posted on September 26, 2017 by David Brussat

Originally posted on Architecture Here and There:
I took this from the bridge in the photo above, looking toward the Old Town. How do they do it? Beauty. Other things being equal, people spend their discretionary time in places where…

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Library of place in Newport

Posted on June 26, 2016 by David Brussat

Ronald Lee Fleming, an internationally recognized expert on placemaking, has a modest cottage on Bellevue Avenue that masks a series of interlocking gardens – each focusing on a “folly” or architectural toy, of no real utilitarian use but to set … Continue reading →

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