A4 Architecture Blog
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Washington Square – Heart of Newport Civic Life
Every great community needs a great gathering place, and for the last 350 years, Washington Square in Newport has been it's heart. Over time, the square had become a bit rundown and vacant of activity, but today the parts and pieces of this area are coming back...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Gothic Revival
The Gothic Revival architectural style in Newport prominently showcased elaborate carved bargeboards at the gable ends, an asymmetrical plan, diamond pained windows and were often painted to resemble stone. Kingscote, specifically, holds its place in the Gothic...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Greek Revival
The Captain Littlefield House is located on Historic Hill in Newport, Rhode Island. Its neighbors are other Greek Revival structures but have been done in a simpler tone. It was built by John Ladd in 1836, and is an especially exuberant version of the Greek Revival...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Federal Period
With brick structures being popularized by Philadelphian townhouses and architecture, brick was a trend of the time and greatly available. The above picture shows the Samuel Whitehorne House, which was built in 1811. It is a great example of the federal period of...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: High Georgian
The Vernon House in Newport, Rhode Island is a stunning example of High Georgian design in a residential setting. Some trademark High Georgian characteristics are: steeply sloped hipped roof decorative balustrade at Widows walk large decorative door alternating curved...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: The Breakers
Newport has many grand homes, but there is none grander here (or really anywhere in America) than The Breakers. It is (ironically) called a “cottage,” not because it is small but because it was used for only the summer. The Breakers was designed by Richard Morris...
American Architecture Spotlight: Palladian
The Redwood Library marked the introduction of a new style of American architecture - Palladian - into the city of Newport. It featured such Palladian characteristics as: rusticated panels emulating stone appropriate to earlier models columns and pediment, although...
A4 Guide: The Art of Architecture
People often think of architects as “building” the structures they design, but the reality is far more complicated and interesting. Even a small house would be difficult for a single person to create solely on his own. Architecture is in fact a collaborative process...
American Architecture Spotlight: Early Georgian
Early Georgian religious structures, exemplified by Trinity Church in Newport, RI, share these characteristics: high steeple to emphasize the importance of religion in colonial life pulpit centered on the main aisle family dedicated pews Trinity Church has a ship-like...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Early Newport Settlement Architecture
A residential example of architectural style of the early Newport settlement is Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. Built in 1697. The residential Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House was an Early Settlement style residence that exemplified these characteristics: saltbox/New England...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: The Redwood Library – Temple of American Enlightenment
The Redwood Library is the nation’s oldest circulating library still in its original building. It was a product of the Philosophical Club, a group of local 18th-century businessmen who gathered around the famous Bishop Berkeley, a colonial-era religious leader, and...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Newport’s Lost Grand Hotels
Newport hotels seems to be in the midst of a building boom, with three new hotel proposals before various boards and commissions at the time this article is being written. Newport’s reputation as a Gilded Age resort is renowned, and the Newport name has come to embody...
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A4 Spotlight: Act 6061 Legislation
Rhode Island Housing Zoning Map On February 22, 2022, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed into law Act 6061, also known as the "Zoning Modernization and Housing Act." This landmark legislation introduced significant changes to the states zoning ordinances, aiming...
A4 Spotlight: The 179D Energy Tax Credit
HVAC System Diagram The 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction is a tax incentive that allows building owners to deduct the cost of certain energy-efficient improvements to their buildings. The deduction was first introduced in 2005 and has been expanded...
A4 Spotlight: The Architectural Heritage of Newport
The Cover of The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island In 1952, the book The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island, 1640-1915, was published. It was a collaboration between eminent architectural historian Antoinette Downing and Yale art historian...
A4 Spotlight: Minimizing Parking Requirements
New Urbanism Development (New York City) Last month, Austin, Texas, became the largest city in the country to eliminating parking minimums citywide. In doing so, it joined other cities like Nashville, Tennessee, Olympia, Washington and many others in eliminated...
A4 Spotlight: Long Wharf North Renovation
Long Wharf Mall (Newport, Rhode Island) When Newport was first founded in 1639 upon the discovery of a freshwater spring near the deep-water harbor, there was one main road connecting the spring to the water: Long Wharf. This wharf extended out into the Narragansett...
A4 Spotlight: Preserving Colonial Newport
52 Thames Street Exterior Before & After Newport, Rhode Island, is a city with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1639. It is home to some of the finest examples of Colonial Era architecture in the United States. However, many of historic houses have...
A4 Architecture Spotlight: The Helmway Restaurant Transformation
The Helmway Restaurant At the heart of every wonderful travel experience is the opportunity to eat local foods in delightful and comfortable settings. As part of the renovation and reposting of the Pell Hotel on Aquidneck Island in Middletown, RI, which is...
A4 Spotlight: Converting to Sustainable Energy
Hydroelectric Dam in Uruguay The issues of climate change sometimes seem so large and intractable that many people feel like there is nothing they can do and throw their hands in the air in hopelessness. However, some other countries have managed to almost completely...
The Evolution of the “15-Minute City” Concept
Colonial Map of Newport, Rhode Island (1878) The 15-Minute City is an urban design concept that aims to create neighborhoods where all of a resident's essential needs can be met within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This includes access to housing, food, work,...
Newport Architect Spotlight: Richard Morris Hunt (Early Career)
JNA Griswold Design Sketch (Above) and the completed house (Below), 1864 Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) was the first American citizen to be admitted to study at the École des Beaux Arts, the preeminent school of art and architecture in the world during the 19th...
Newport Spotlight: Ida Lewis Yacht Club (ILYC)
Aerial view of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club (Photo Credits: PJ Dougherty) In a city as old as Newport, Rhode Island, which was founded in 1639, many of the buildings and structures of the city have had to function for many different purposes over time. This blog has noted...
Newport Architectural Spotlight: Harbour Court
New York Yacht Club - Newport, RI (Photo by Ross Cann A4 Architecture) Following the death of John Nicholas Brown I (1860-1906), his young widow Natalie (Dresser) Brown (1869-1950) commissioned Ralph Adams Cram of the Boston firm Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson to...