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Newport Restoration Foundation’s Board of Trustees Announce Change in Leadership Structure

Newport Restoration Foundation’s Board of Trustees Announce Change in Leadership Structure

by | Aug 30, 2024 | NRF News

The Board of Trustees of the Newport Restoration Foundation, following due deliberation and consultation, is restructuring the leadership of the organization, now centrally located at Doris Duke’s mansion, Rough Point, situated at the southernmost end of famed Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island.

With plans for an expanded board, bringing radically broadened expertise, it has been determined that leadership will take the form of a partnership between board members acting as chairs of the streamlined committees, and the executive leadership of Alyssa Lozupone, Gina Tangorra, and Amy-Elizabeth Winsor in three principal management areas.

In light of this new operational structure, the Board and Franklin D. Vagnone, President and Director of NRF, have mutually agreed that his current contract will not be renewed. As of today, the executive leadership team will be assuming full responsibility for the operations of NRF.

Frankie has been instrumental in increasing the multiple activities that NRF brings to Newport’s residential and cultural life and the Board is grateful for his energy and vision in introducing needed change to the institution. The Board wishes him well as he seeks a new opportunity to apply his gifts and experience.

Amy Berkowitz, Chair of the NRF Board, comments:
“As we continue to fulfill the mandate and vision expressed in Doris Duke’s will, an expanded board and dedicated, centralized staff will do much to enhance the services we render to Newport and to our visitors from the world beyond. We look forward to the expansion of these services to meet the ever-increasing demands of climate change, preservation, and viability in a rapidly changing environment.”

Newport Restoration Foundation Announces 18th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award Honorees

Newport Restoration Foundation Announces 18th Annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award Honorees

by | Jul 11, 2024 | NRF News

The Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) is announcing the recipients of its annual Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards for exemplary projects of historic preservation in Newport County and the annual President’s Award for lifetime achievement in historic preservation advocacy.  

This year’s President Awardees are Mrs. Hope “Happy” H. van Beuren and Mr. Charles A. Dana, who will be honored for exemplifying Doris Duke’s vision of preserving and restoring Newport, RI’s architectural heritage and character. 

The 2024 Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards highlight innovative approaches to preservation, including new technologies, materials/products, creative adaptive reuse, and excellence in practice, climate change adaptations, and similarly progressive concepts.    

The Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards are a collaboration of the Newport Restoration Foundation and the City of Newport. Award winners are recognized at the Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards ceremony, a signature celebration taking place on Friday, September 6, 2024, at Rough Point in Newport.  

For this year’s awards, NRF recognizes the following outstanding projects:   

Belmont Chapel (c. 1887), Newport, RI – Awarded to the Belmont Chapel Foundation for the detailed restoration of Belmont Chapel, a ca.1887 George Champlin Mason-designed funeral chapel in Island Cemetery. The project not only saved the building from possible demolition, but also reactivated the surrounding cemetery by providing a space to host burial services, lectures, and events.   

Watson Farm (ca. 1796), Jamestown, RI – Awarded to Historic New England for the effort to preserve historic farm structures and mitigate severe storm water drainage problems at Watson Farm in Jamestown, RI. By preparing the site and its structures to withstand increasingly intense and frequent precipitation events, Historic New England mitigated significant threats to surviving historic fabric and demonstrated how to thoughtfully and effectively balance preservation priorities with the realities of climate change.   

Hilltop (ca. 1871), Newport, RI – Awarded to John and Margherita Marshall for exemplary millwork restoration best practices completed by local tradespeople at Hilltop, the ca. 1871 Richard Morris Hunt and ca. 1895 William Ralph Emerson expanded house in Newport. The project highlights quality artisanship and skill as well as the need for continued investment in perpetuating the historic trades.   

The Calvert, formerly the Cranston-Calvert School, Newport (ca. 1876), Newport, RI – Awarded to BCM Realty for the adaptive use of The Calvert, the former Cranston-Calvert School, to provide sought-after workforce housing. With citywide costs to rent increasing and multi-family housing options not keeping pace with demand, this creative conversion of a large vacant property preserved both the residential scale and met the community housing need of the Broadway neighborhood.  

“This year’s award recipients not only represent the positive impact of preservation on our communities from providing housing to creating spaces for community gatherings,” said NRF’s Director of Preservation, Alyssa Lozupone, “they also bring forth innovations that balance preserving historic character and craftsmanship while adapting to climate change.”   

The Doris Duke Historic Preservation Awards help sustain NRF’s work supporting our local communities through preservation initiatives that address the impact of climate change on architectural and cultural heritage, make intangible cultural heritage accessible through more expansive storytelling, and invest in the historic preservation trades and preservation skills-building.  

Sponsorship opportunities are now available for individuals and organizations to lend support to this event, which is NRF’s largest annual fundraiser. Each level of support includes exclusive opportunities and perks like event tickets with VIP access, special recognition and more. Visit newportrestoration.org/DDPA to learn more about sponsorship and how to join the celebration on Friday, September 6. 

Newport Restoration Foundation Announces Historic Masonry Workshop

Newport Restoration Foundation Announces Historic Masonry Workshop

by | May 1, 2024 | NRF News

The Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) today announced its newest
preservation trades training program in the Historic Trades Initiative, the Historic Masonry Workshop. Protecting Aquidneck Island’s extensive historic fabric requires a knowledgeable preservation workforce, and NRF, through its Historic Trades Initiative, extends the skills of tradespeople to work with historic materials. This four-day workshop offers a unique, interactive opportunity to get hands on with history— including learning techniques for treating historic brick and stone and how they differ from present-day materials, developing the skills to identify materials and causes for repair, and practicing appropriate repairs to historic masonry.

This workshop will be held over two weekends, June 22-23 and June 29-30, from 9am-3pm each day.

Participants spend the first weekend at NRF’s Prescott Farm in Middletown, RI learning how to mix lime mortar, chip and repoint brick, and stonework. During the second weekend, participants will apply the skills they have learned to practical scenarios on NRF’s Preservation Properties; providing invaluable experience in real-world applications of historic masonry skills.

The workshop will be taught by Blair Bates of Building Renovation, LLC with over 30 years of experience in historic masonry work. Blair is a member of IPTN (International Preservation Trades Network) and teaches masonry for the National Park Service. “NRF is honored to have such an experienced mason work with the Newport community. When we envisioned this class, we wanted an instructor who was fully invested in the nuances of historic masonry, and Blair was at the top of our list,” said Kris Turgeon, NRF Historic Trades Initiative Manager. “We are so excited to offer this unique learning experience in historic masonry to those entrusted with preservation of historic properties.”

NRF’s Historic Trades Initiative was launched in 2021 to increase interest and expertise in the preservation trades. This initiative aims to expand access to the historic trades industry and provide entry into the preservation trades with programs like historic masonry, Preservation Trades Specialist Training, carpentry internships, and job shadowing.

For more information on this training workshop and other upcoming programs, email kris@newportrestoration.org.

Newport Restoration Foundation and the Department of Defense Announce Keeping History Above Water: Pacific

Newport Restoration Foundation and the Department of Defense Announce Keeping History Above Water: Pacific

by | Mar 26, 2024 | Keeping History Above Water, NRF News

The Department of Defense and the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) are proud to co-host the Keeping History Above Water® (KHAW): Pacific Workshop in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi on June 13th, 2024, at the Doubletree Alana Waikiki.

KHAW: Pacific is a free, registration-required workshop. Registration will open April 15th. Keeping History Above Water® (KHAW) was founded in 2016 by NRF to foster a global conversation focused on the increasing and varied risks posed by sea-level rise to historic coastal communities. KHAW programs, conferences, and workshops focus on protecting historic buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods from the increasing threat of inundation. The KHAW: Pacific Workshop will serve as a forum for collaboration to proactively identify climate change solutions for the preservation of Pacific Island cultural heritage. Coastal inundation— which refers to sea level rise, storm surge, abnormally high tides, and persistent onshore winds and waves— is particularly detrimental to the physical and cultural heritage of Pacific Islanders and residents.

The inclusivity of KHAW’s community-focused engagements will develop and strengthen relationships among communities, partners, and experts in relevant fields. Community members, cultural practitioners, preservationists, public historians, museum professionals, archaeologists, planners, floodplain managers, engineers, architects, landscape architects, artists, conservationists, environmental justice advocates, government officials, property owners, resilience officers, and other stakeholders are invited to submit session proposals. All sessions must be directly related to the impacts of coastal inundation on cultural heritage, including built resources, archaeological sites, landscapes, traditional cultural properties, and the intangible heritage of the Pacific.

Presentation proposals should be submitted as Word documents to KHAWPacific@bah.com by 5 p.m. on April 10th, 2024. Sessions will be selected by mid-April 2024.

KHAW is an initiative of NRF focused on addressing climate change’s effects on historic communities worldwide. Since 2016, NRF has sponsored eleven KHAW conferences in communities such as Palo Alto, Charleston, and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Learn more about KHAW: Pacific here.

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Newport Restoration Foundation Begins a Residential-Scale Energy Efficiency Study of Historic Properties

Newport Restoration Foundation Begins a Residential-Scale Energy Efficiency Study of Historic Properties

by | Feb 16, 2024 | NRF News, President's Update

In response to a quickly transforming real estate market, the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) has launched a multi-phase energy efficiency project to collect data to improve the sustainability of historic residential buildings. NRF is investigating non-intrusive interventions that are sensitive to historic fabric while also improving energy efficiency in historic structures. The first project site will be 38 Green Street, a c.1730 Newport cottage-style house in the Newport Historic Hill District. The project will be both a case study of the energy efficiency of historic structures and a prototype for solutions that will be beneficial for other homeowners seeking ways to reduce energy consumption and increase livability in their own historic houses.

Frankie Vagnone, President of the Newport Restoration Foundation stated, “One of the fundamental preservation goals of NRF has always been livability. Our founder, Doris Duke, did not simply want perfectly restored, doll house-like historic buildings. She wanted them to be lived in and enjoyed as authentic, contributing elements in the urban landscape.  We are honoring her philanthropy by pushing to make historic homes more comfortable and energy efficient”.

38 Green Street was purchased and restored by NRF in 1983 and has remained an active rental in NRF’s tenant-stewardship program. 38 Green Street is typical of many historic houses in Newport, with 1,200 square feet of living space, two floors, and a basement. Just like 38 Green Street, many of Newport’s older houses are unable to meet modern building efficiency standards. In response, many historic homeowners believe their houses cannot become efficient without removing and replacing historic fabric. Historic windows, siding, and doors are often the first elements of a house replaced with modern, ill-suited alternatives to reduce air changes and lower utility bills. Too often, these new features are incompatible with older house construction techniques, fail earlier than the older components they replaced, and reduce the character and appeal of both the interior and exterior of important historic homes.

In Newport, the unique construction techniques of its intact 18th-and 19th-century buildings often lead to energy inefficiencies.  Plank construction consists of vertical sheathing boards with clapboards or shingles nailed to the exterior and lath and plaster applied directly to the interior, leaving no wall void. Conventional techniques of adding insulation to the interior or exterior could greatly alter the historic appearance of a property and cause vapor barrier concerns. “Many Newport buildings are of plank construction, and typical interior insulation fixes aren’t always an option,” says Margaret Back, Preservation Projects Manager at NRF. “This study will explore new, innovative ways to both make a historic property more efficient while retaining its historic materials and character.” 

NRF has awarded the project to Building Conservation Associates, Inc. (BCA) of Newton Center, MA, a national architectural conservation firm with experience in energy efficiency studies. The project begins in 2024 with a comprehensive energy audit of the study site and research of comparable buildings in Newport. With an understanding of the building and baseline energy data, BCA will propose a series of efficiency retrofits and alterations that consider new technologies and materials, protection of historic fabric, and socially progressive preservation concepts.

NRF will provide real-time updates on the process so that both local and broader historic preservation communities can benefit from the ongoing process of discovery. A successful final product understands there is no “one size fits all” approach but takes a balanced view of improving an energy baseline while sustaining identified historic materials and character.

We understand that as each historic property is unique, there is no “one size fits all” answer for improving energy efficiency. However, we are aiming to create and implement scalable guidelines that we and other historic property owners can implement to improve historic buildings while retaining the historic fabric and character.

Newport Restoration Foundation’s Rough Point Museum Phase One Restoration Awarded a 2023 AIA Honor & Design Citation for Historic Preservation

Newport Restoration Foundation’s Rough Point Museum Phase One Restoration Awarded a 2023 AIA Honor & Design Citation for Historic Preservation

by | Dec 15, 2023 | NRF News

The Phase I restoration at Rough Point has been awarded a 2023 AIA Honor and Design Citation from the American Institute of Architects, Rhode Island. The nomination for the award was submitted by the architects and NRF’s partners on the project, DBVW Architects. One of only two citations given for Historic Preservation, the award recognizes the first phase of a multi-year project to restore and rehabilitate Rough Point, ensuring its protection from the effects of increasingly frequent storms and severe weather events.

 

“NRF is thrilled to be recognized by AIA RI for our restoration efforts at Rough Point,” says Alyssa Lozupone, Director of Preservation at NRF. “The project’s success would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of the design, management, and construction team led expertly by DBVW Architects. The timing of AIA RI’s award is energizing as we have just embarked on the next phase of Rough Point’s multi-year preservation plan.”

 

The initial preservation phase started with an overall assessment of the building envelope and known areas of water infiltration. The results of the assessment informed the complete replacement of the historic slate roof and copper gutter system as well as targeted masonry restoration. DBVW Architects are overseeing the multi-phase project, which will include the full restoration of Rough Point’s masonry, windows, and interior spaces.

 

“The restoration of Rough Point reflects the ongoing transformation of NRF itself into a more community-oriented organization,” says Frankie Vagnone, President of NRF and Director of Rough Point Museum. “The restoration efforts are opening up parts of the building that, up to this point, have remained inaccessible to the public. Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the museum building creates opportunities for us to utilize spaces for the community to engage with NRF’s work and the philanthropic legacy of Doris Duke. We are grateful to the Doris Duke Foundation for their continued guidance and support of NRF and the restoration of Rough Point Museum.”

 

The American Institute of Architects, RI’s annual Design Awards Program is committed to excellence in architecture and celebrates outstanding works of architecture, and the project teams and clients who work with them to create and enhance our built environment.