R.I. to present 2008 Preservation Awards

PROVIDENCE – Among the winners of Rhode Island’s 2008 Preservation Awards are the Art Moderne Rosedale Landing condominium complex; the nonprofit arts group AS220’s Dreyfus Hotel; and Indian Spring and a Newport mansion remodeled by Candace and David Keith.

The awards, announced March 31, are given annually by the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. The 2008 winners are:

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• Antoinette F. Downing Volunteer Service Award: Providence lawyer Deming Sherman.

• Frederick C. Williamson Professional Leadership Award: architect Cornelis de Boer of Providence.

• John H. Chafee Public Service Award: Grow Smart Rhode Island.

• Advocacy Award: West Broadway Neighborhood Association.

• Stewardship Awards: The Champlin Foundations; Newport Restoration Foundation.

• Project Awards: Belvoir Properties for Rosedale Landing; AS220 for the Dreyfus Hotel; Church of the Assumption for the restoration of a South Providence home.

Four historic mill rehabilitations are also being honored this year: In Providence, both the CVS Highlander Charter School’s CityArts at Berkander Building and Monohasset Mill were given project awards. The other winners are Halstead at Slatersville Mill in North Smithfield and Royal Mill in West Warwick.

The winners will be honored tomorrow (Saturday, April 12) at Trinity United Methodist Church, 375 Broad St., during the 9 a.m. opening ceremonies for the state’s 23rd Annual Historic Preservation Conference. This year’s conference – entitled “Preservation Past, Present and Future” – focuses on the South Side and West End of Providence.

On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Fellowship Hall behind Trinity United Methodist.

The opening session – at the church, beginning at 9 a.m. – will begin with welcoming remarks by conference organziers and a keynote speech by Richard Longstreth, formerly of the local Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and now director of the graduate program in historic preservation at George Washington University, where he is also a professor of American Civilization. (His address is sponsored by the Roger Williams University School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation.) The awards ceremony will follow Longstreth’s address.

Plans include walking tours of Broadway, Luongo Memorial Square, the Cranston Street Armory, the West Elmwood district and the Parkis Avenue Revival; bus tours of Elmwood Avenue, the Elmhurst and Mount Pleasant districts, the Providence mills and “Greatest Hits – and Misses” across the city; a bicycle tour of the West Side; plus lectures and panel discussions on topics including ancient villages and burial grounds, projects for teens, preservation tax credits, the agony of parking, efforts to save historic schools in Providence, successes and failures across Rhode Island and the future of historic preservation.

The conference will end with a reception from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Pearl Street Lofts, hosted by reserve Rhode Island and Armory Revival Company.

Several sessions already are full. Additional information is available online at www.preservation.ri.gov/conference, or at the registration desk. The conference fee – $40, including lunch and snacks – is payable by check or cash only.

The R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission identifies and protects historic buildings, districts, structures and archaelogical sites and carries out programs that celebrate Rhode Island’s cultural heritage. As the state office for historic preservation, it is responsible for administering the State Preservation Grant Program and reviewing and submitting nominations to the National Register of Historic Properties. For more information, go to www.rihphc.state.ri.us.