Category Archives: Preservation

On the Trail of Le Corbusier

Like many architects of a certain age, I am sitting on a slide collection of innumerable images gleaned from many trips to architectural shrines and lesser destinations. I recently began to digitize some of these so I could more easily share them with colleagues and remind myself of old lessons. In the process I also [...]

The Model of Loveliness (video)

In the clip above, Master Model Maker Patrick McCauley explains his process for planking the deck of Aphrodite. Long and sleek, well accessorized, and built for speed, she is the center of attention wherever she goes. Her torpedo stern allows her to maintain a horizontal posture in the water even at speeds of 40 knots. [...]

A Preservationist’s View of the Ocean House

The Ocean House, constructed in stages between 1867 and the early 20th century, was a key landmark in the Watch Hill Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It was one of seven resort hotels plus guesthouses and private cottages that made Watch Hill a popular and premier summer destination [...]

Ocean House, To Save It We Had to Destroy It

More than half a dozen grand hotels once graced the Watch Hill peninsula on the western shore of Rhode Island, but a decade ago only one remained, Ocean House, an aging and ailing wooden behemoth whose top floors had been condemned for years.  Odds were increasing that this iconic landmark, its era long past, would [...]