Preservation Society Publishes Biography of Founder

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Newport Preservation Society isn’t just diving into the history of the famed Newport Mansions of which they are the stewards.

They’re looking back at their own history, which includes the life and work of its founder and longtime president, Katherine Urqhart Warren.

Her life includes a key contribution to the city’s revitalization during a critical period in the 20th century when Newport’s future could have veered in a different direction — one in which many of its historic treasures might be lost, either through demolition and decay or diminished public access.

Warren’s story is one worth telling, a sentiment shared by many. Enter Alyssa Lozupone, who participated in a public policy fellowship with the society.

Lozupone researched and wrote a detailed biography of Warren’s life. It’s the first-ever telling of the important woman’s contributions to the city as well as a sincere portrayal her life. So much so that her son, George H. Warren, remarked in the book’s forward that he suspected Lozupone “knows her almost better than I do.”

A book signing is scheduled for Friday, July 10 from 2-5 p.m. at the Newport Mansions Store on Bannister’s Wharf in Newport.

“The idea for this book emerged several years ago, as we began additional research into the Preservation Society’s early history in preparation for our 70th anniversary,” said CEO & Executive Director Trudy Coxe. “We were really surprised to learn that very little was publicly known about this incredibly intelligent, energetic, and forward-thinking woman who truly helped to define and create the Newport we know today.”

Today, Newport is renowned as one of the most historically significant and architecturally intact cities in America. In the years following World War II, this heritage was under siege; the city’s rich collection of colonial buildings and Gilded Age mansions was threatened by demolition and redevelopment. Katherine Warren, California-born and New Orleans-bred, intervened by galvanizing her adopted community around the protection of its architectural heritage and, in doing so, contributed vitally to the city’s revitalization.

Warren’s passion for preservation was complemented by an equally fervent interest in modernist art; her collection of works by such artists as Picasso and Mondrian rivaled that of the nation’s leading patrons of 20th century art. Warren’s story stretches far beyond her pivotal role in founding and leading The Preservation Society of Newport County; her pursuit of community engagement, creative adaptive uses for historic structures, and economic development through preservation proved avant-garde, earning Newport national recognition and revealing Warren as a thought leader in preservation nationwide.

“As Alyssa Lozupone demonstrates in this insightful biography, Warren helped to create a historic picture of Newport, Rhode Island, and also brought into being a new approach to preserving great architecture,” said Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor and Chair of the Department of Architectural History at the University of Virginia.

Alyssa Lozupone is an alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her M.S. in Historic Preservation, and holds a B.A. in Cultural and historic Preservation from Salve Regina University. She is currently Preservation Policy Research Specialist with the Preservation Society.

The book is published by Commonwealth Editions in cooperation with the Preservation Society, and sells for $14.95 at the Newport Mansions Stores.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a non-profit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties--seven of them National Historic Landmarks--span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.