Preservation magazine feature

My photo of the Post Office Pharmacy in Saranac Lake, NY was featured in the Winter 2019 issue of Preservation magazine. Built by 1879 as a library, the building was also used as a market before it became an independent pharmacy c. 1936. After 70 years of ownership by the same family, the business closed at the end of 2019.

National Trust for Historic Preservation photo essay

I contributed photos of historic places and public art in Providence, RI to an essay written by Rebecca Gale for The National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to sharing my photos, Rebecca provided the opportunity for me to discuss my thoughts on historic preservation in Rhode Island. Read the photo essay here.

State Home and School for Dependent
and Neglected Children
Providence, RI

My research and the preparation of the National Register nomination for the State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children was a labor of love that took over a decade to complete. Established in 1885, the State Home was neither an orphanage nor a reform school; the institution sought to destigmatize the experience of children in state care by using domestic-scale architecture that supported its mission to create a temporary "home” for children. The institution closed in 1979, and the surviving buildings are now part of the Rhode Island College campus. Read the nomination here.

Kay Street-Catherine Street-Old Beach Road
Historic District
(Additional Documentation)
Newport, RI

The Kay Street-Catherine Street-Old Beach Road Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The original nomination lacked a full inventory of properties and needed further analysis of the district’s national significance. In collaboration with my colleagues Joanna Doherty and Mack Woodward, I prepared the Additional Documentation rewrite of the nomination. The new nomination includes a complete inventory of over 700 buildings, an updated and expanded statement of significance, and new representative photography and district maps.
Read the nomination here.

First Universalist Church
Woonsocket, RI

The former First Universalist Church in Woonsocket, RI was constructed in two campaigns in 1924 and 1957. The Gothic-influenced parish hall was completed first, and a Modern - yet still compatible - sanctuary followed decades later in 1957. The building represents the evolution of ecclesiastical architecture and is now the headquarters of the American-French Genealogical Society and the Veterans Memorial Museum RI.
Read the nomination here.

Georgiaville Historic District
(Additional Documentation)
Smithfield, RI

The Georgiaville Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The original nomination (prepared by one of my mentors, the late Rick Greenwood) documented industrial innovation and evolution in the mill village of Georgiaville. The Smithfield Town Hall and Fire Department Station #2 are located in the heart of the district. Constructed in 1939 and 1942 respectively, neither building was 50 years old at the time the district was listed. My Additional Documentation resulted in the status of these important civic buildings being changed to “contributing” to the district. Read the nomination here.

Otis Angell Gristmill
North Providence, RI

Constructed c. 1855, the Otis Angell Gristmill is a rare surviving example of an independently-owned, small-scale, rural industrial building. The gristmill was converted to a textile bleachery in the late 1860s, incorporated into a farm in the 1870s, and became the headquarters of a sportsmen’s club in the 1930s. Read the nomination here.

Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Plan, 2021-2027

From 2020-2021, I served as the principal coordinator and author of Rhode Island’s federally mandated update to the state historic preservation plan. The document fuses the professional expertise and perspective of staff members in each of the agency’s program areas and incorporates forward-thinking input from a variety of stakeholders and the public. The state plan will serve as the foundational document for Rhode Island’s state historic preservation office from 2021-2027. Read the plan here.

A History of Named Places and Architectural Development: Rhode Island College, 1958-2012

In 2012, I was contracted to write the architectural history of Rhode Island College’s Mount Pleasant campus. Beginning as a collection of six midcentury modern educational buildings, the campus expanded to a 180-acre collection of classroom buildings, residence halls, and social spaces in a variety of architectural styles and continues to evolve. Read the book here. In the 1990s, College acquired the former State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children property that now composes the East Campus; for more information on the State Home, see the National Register nomination linked above.