Newport Receives $9,800 Historic Preservation Grant

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) announced today that it is awarding five grants totaling about $47,300 to local historical preservation programs.

These grants to four Rhode Island cities and towns will support a range of local preservation activities, including a survey of streetscape features in Newport’s historic districts; a city-wide survey of historic properties in East Providence; revised Standards and Guidelines for use in Providence’s historic districts; preparation of plans and specifications for needed steeple repairs at the endangered Trinity United Methodist Church in Providence; and a brochure to guide property owners in historic districts in South Kingstown. 

“The work carried out by municipal historical preservation programs is very important to our statewide preservation efforts. These grant awards are an acknowledgement of the commitment which these communities have made to protect their historic resources. The Commission is pleased to support activities which local governments have identified as high priorities," RIHPHC Executive Director Edward F. Sanderson said in an announcement. 

The City of Newport will receive a grant of $9,800 to fund a survey of historic designed landscape features along the public edges of properties in the Point and Bellevue Avenue neighborhoods. These features—fences, walls, gates and hedges—are a distinctive aspect of the historic setting in these districts, and this assessment is an important step in planning for their preservation. 

The Commission has also reserved about $10,000 to fund the 2013 Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. A location for the annual conference and workshops will be announced later this year. The 2012 Conference will be held on Saturday April 21 in Woonsocket. 

These grants are part of the Commission’s Certified Local Government (CLG) program, which provides assistance to cities and towns who protect the historic character of their communities through local historic district ordinances. Towns whose historic district ordinances and review procedures meet CLG standards are certified by the Commission and become eligible to receive grants and technical assistance. 

The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service and awarded and administered by the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Currently sixteen Rhode Island cities and towns are Certified Local Governments. For more information about the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission and its programs, visit www.preservation.ri.gov.