A4 Architecture Blog
Newport Architect Spotlight: Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt, one of the most noteworthy architects of the last half of the 19th Century, had a strong and long affiliation with Newport. He met his wife, the heiress Catherine Howland, in Newport in 1860. He had an artist’s studio here as did his famous...
A4 Guide: The Power of Place
Winston Churchill once observed, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” He made this statement in the midst of World War II to the House of Lords calling for the rebuilding of the House of Commons to the same high standard of design and construction...
A4 Guide: A History of Energy Distribution
With the recent power outage in downtown Newport on November 30, we were all reminded of just how dependent most of us have become on electricity, the Internet, and the Artificial Intelligence available through computerized search tools. As we move as a city, state,...
A4 Guide: Origin of Beauty and Proportion in Architecture
Since the dawn of time, mankind has sought to instill beauty into architecture. The origin of beauty and proportion in architecture as we know it began with the ancient Greeks, who built their villas and temples with mathematical precision. The Romans adopted the same...
Newport Spotlight: A History of Public Schools in Newport
Although we have come to take for granted in the United States that all children will receive a public education, this was not always the case. Education during the Colonial era was a prized and valuable asset that was generally only available to the wealthy. Most...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Newport School Buildings
Of the school buildings in Newport, the current Rogers High School is the most recognizable, and also the third building to carry this name. The first was built on Church Street in 1873. The second was built on Broadway in 1905 and is now part of the Thompson Middle...
A4 Guide: A Short History of Newport Zoning
Architecture has been with us since the dawn of mankind. Zoning, which is the societal prescription of what can and cannot be built in a particular location, is barely 100 years old in the United States. The earliest zoning laws were the Los Angeles Ordinances of...
Newport Spotlight: The Artful City
In a world dominated by thirty-second sound bites, YouTube videos, and dueling town halls on T.V., what good are books? And what good then are book reviews? Well books have a gravitas and permanence that fleeting video clips can never have. The Redwood Library has...
A4 Spotlight: Adaptive Reuse Honor for A4
A4 Architecture is pleased to have received many awards and recognition throughout the years. The latest award we have received is the “Best Adaptive Reuse Architecture Specialists - North Atlantic USA 2020” from Corporate Vision Magazine for our work on a wide...
A4 Guide: Evolution of Windows
Among the most central features that help define the style and character of a building are its windows. The size, number, shape, and construction of the windows each play a part in the perception of the building from outside the building and determine its connection...
A4 Spotlight: Adaptive Reuse at Salve Regina University
What do you do when you are a thriving university set in one of the most historic and noteworthy neighborhoods in America? In the case of Salve Regina University, you get as creative with adaptive reuse as you can. Set within the Ochre Point neighborhood of Newport,...
A4 Guide: Adaptive Reuse and Redevelopment
Sometimes old buildings outlive the reason for their original construction and yet they are beloved structures that are an important part of the local history and architectural fabric. What is to be done with these buildings? Rhode Island in general, and Newport in...
Newport Spotlight: A History of Public Schools in Newport
Although we have come to take for granted in the United States that all children will receive a public education, this was not always the case. Education during the Colonial era was a prized and valuable asset that was generally only available to the wealthy. Most...
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Newport School Buildings
Of the school buildings in Newport, the current Rogers High School is the most recognizable, and also the third building to carry this name. The first was built on Church Street in 1873. The second was built on Broadway in 1905 and is now part of the Thompson Middle...
A4 Guide: A Short History of Newport Zoning
Architecture has been with us since the dawn of mankind. Zoning, which is the societal prescription of what can and cannot be built in a particular location, is barely 100 years old in the United States. The earliest zoning laws were the Los Angeles Ordinances of...
Newport Spotlight: The Artful City
In a world dominated by thirty-second sound bites, YouTube videos, and dueling town halls on T.V., what good are books? And what good then are book reviews? Well books have a gravitas and permanence that fleeting video clips can never have. The Redwood Library has...
A4 Spotlight: Adaptive Reuse Honor for A4
A4 Architecture is pleased to have received many awards and recognition throughout the years. The latest award we have received is the “Best Adaptive Reuse Architecture Specialists - North Atlantic USA 2020” from Corporate Vision Magazine for our work on a wide...
A4 Spotlight: Adaptive Reuse at Salve Regina University
What do you do when you are a thriving university set in one of the most historic and noteworthy neighborhoods in America? In the case of Salve Regina University, you get as creative with adaptive reuse as you can. Set within the Ochre Point neighborhood of Newport,...
A4 Spotlight: 2020 Doris Duke Preservation Awards
Newport is fortunate to not only have buildings by many notable architects, but to have some of their very best works as well. But because Newport was graced with so many beautiful, old buildings, the care and maintenance of these structures has fallen heavily upon a...
A4 Guide: Adaptive Reuse and Redevelopment
Sometimes old buildings outlive the reason for their original construction and yet they are beloved structures that are an important part of the local history and architectural fabric. What is to be done with these buildings? Rhode Island in general, and Newport in...
A4 Guide: The Value of Design
Many people mistakenly think that design is simply the decoration that is added on top of a project to help make it beautiful. Design is, in reality, the planning that makes a building or space function well, last longer and cost less to operate. While the average...
A4 Guide: Retail during COVID
With the advent of the COVID-19 virus, everything in our world changed. One thing that is very different is the nature of shopping. This has been undergoing change with the rise of the internet but the pandemic accelerated this change. Gone are the days when shopping...
A4 Spotlight: Newport’s North End Plan
The staff of A4 Architecture and the members of the Newport Architectural Forum were given the opportunity to see a preview of the North End Plan being conducted by NBBJ. Through a Zoom call held on Tuesday, June 30th, Principal Alan Mountjoy showed the extensive work...
Newport Spotlight: Newport North End Design Guidelines
The Newport North End is currently undergoing a design process for one of the most significant planning initiatives to occur since the construction of the Pell Bridge and the insertion of the America’s Cup Avenue through the city’s historic waterfront in the late...
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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) When a city is 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...
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...
2023 Doris Duke Preservation Awards
Newport is fortunate to not only have buildings by many notable architects, but to be home to some of their very best works as well. But because Newport has been graced with so many beautiful, old buildings, the care and maintenance of these structures has fallen...
A4 Architectural Spotlight: Newport National Register of Historic Places
White Horse Tavern As any regular reader of the A4 Architecture blog well knows, Newport, Rhode Island is a city with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1639. At the date of the Declaration of Independence, it was the fifth-most populace city in the...
A4 Spotlight: The Increasing Importance of Street Trees
In a world where the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, the importance of street trees cannot be overstated. As temperatures rise rapidly due to the alarming effects of climate change, these urban sentinels play a crucial role in mitigating...
A4 Architectural Spotlight: Newport National Historic Landmarks
The Brick Market Newport, Rhode Island is a city with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1639. At the date of the Declaration of Independence, it was the fifth-most populace city in the American colonies and a major center of trade and commerce. As a...
A4 Architecture Spotlight: Kingscote Mansion
A4 Architectural Spotlight: Kingscote Mansion In Newport, houses were frequently built at one moment in time and then modified and expanded later. As a result, their histories can mirror that of the city itself and of broader architectural evolution as well....
Newport Architecture Spotlight: Fort Adams
Aerial view of Fort Adams In the Colonial era, Newport was one of the most populous and prosperous cities in North America. It was a major deep-water port and a thriving shipping center. In December of 1776 the British Fleet sailed into Newport harbor and took...