by Ross Cann AIA RA | Sep 2, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Architect Spotlight, Newport Spotlight
(Trinity Church – Newport, RI) Before there were architects in America, there were the great Architect-Builders. These were men who had developed drafting and building skills simultaneously through their careers and were able to apply them to the art and science...
by Ross Cann AIA RA | Aug 26, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Spotlight
(The Breakers, Richard Morris Hunt – Site of multiple A4 Architecture projects) Proposed Section 106 Overhaul Could Reshape Preservation For nearly sixty years, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) has required federal agencies to weigh how...
by Ross Cann AIA RA | Aug 20, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Spotlight
(Rough Point Newport, RI – Photographed by Julie Skarratt) The great mansions of Newport were designed to be imposing, grand, and spacious. But more than anything else, they were designed to allow their owners to entertain in a style that would impress their...
by Ross Cann AIA RA | Aug 11, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Spotlight, Sustainable Design
(Washington Street Newport, RI Permeable Driveway by A4 Architecture) Newport Proposes a New Stormwater Fee, Joining a Growing National Trend Newport, Rhode Island, is potentially moving toward a significant change in how it pays for managing rainwater runoff. The...
by Ross Cann AIA RA | Jul 29, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Spotlight
(Newport Jazz Festival, 2016) The first Jazz Festival was conceived by Newport Socialite Elaine Lorillard in 1954, and a young Jazz impresario, George Wein, was hired to help run the program. Little did they know what a prominent international event this would become...
by Ross Cann AIA RA | Jul 22, 2026 | Architectural Design, Articles, Historical, Newport Architect Spotlight, Newport Spotlight, Project Spotlight
(Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House – Newport, RI c.1890) Richard Munday was a Colonial-Era Architect-Builder who is famous for two noteworthy Newport structures: the Old Colony House and Trinity Church. He is also the author behind another structure that is now...
