August 12th; The Preservation Society of Newport County held a community discussion panel at Rosecliff Mansion concerning Bellevue Avenue's historic gates and fences. Participants were able to explore some of the most elegant gates and fences to line an historic American street. From the c.1840 Egyptian-Revival obelisks at the Touro Synagogue Cemetery, to the gates of The Elms (which were nearly demolished in the 1960s) to the rows and rows of Victorian cast iron pillars and posts, decide for yourselves whether the gates and fences of Bellevue Avenue are an essential part of Newport's historic character. The panelists included:Michael Kathrens, Author, Newport Villas; Moderator: Karen Jessup, Ph.D, Landscape Historian; Mack Woodward, Architectural Historian, RIHPHC; and Robert Foley, Director of Preservation, NRF. This was a colorful presentation and discussion of these historic objects.
July 4th; Thanks to the work of the Washington Square Route Initiative and members of the Newport Architectural Forum, a grand new tradition was established! In the morning, there was a self-guided tour of the many historic building that sit along a parade route originally established two hundred years ago in 1810. Following that, more than 500 people gathered at the end of Longwharf in front of the Old Colony House for a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence from the very building where it had been read from in 1776! The Newport Artillery company then celebrated the day with a 21-gun salute by firing of their four great canons in Eisenhower Park before the assembled observers. It is hoped that this tradition will continue to grow each year and become an event that both visitors and Newporters will look forward to each and every July! In the meantime, be sure to join in the celebration of the return of Washington Square as a center of both the commercial and civic life of the community by coming down to the area to see the renovations that have been completed and to enjoy the many shops and restaurants that can be found there!
June 17, 2010; Thanks to the generosity of the Carnegie Estates and Woodmeister Master Builders, Newport Architectural Forum members were invited to a lovely cocktail party and tour of Out-to-Sea, one of the buildings featured in (Architectural Forum member) Cheryl Hackett’s new book, Newport Shingle Style. The book is a lovely photographic examination of fifteen houses, both new and old, that epitomize this elegant resort style of architecture. Out-to-Sea, the gracious structure shown on the cover of the book, was designed by two other Forum members, John Grosvenor and Paul Weber and the evening was both elegant and delightful. Cheryl was on hand to sign books that the Woodmeister graciously gave to all the guests who attended the event.
June 12, 2010; Each year the Swiss Village is open for tours to the public for one single day. This year that day was June 12! The SVF Foundation's "Swiss Village" sits on 35 acres in Newport, Rhode Island with an adjacent 11 acre site which was formerly part of Hammersmith Farm. It was built in 1916 by Arthur Curtiss James and was designed by the famous architect Grosvenor Atterbury to resemble a rustic village from the Italian region of Switzerland. Along with a self-guided tour of the historic architecture and rare breed displays, the scientists were offering liquid nitrogen demonstrations as well as in-depth explanations of the science behind cryo-preservation and the need for genetic diversity in agriculture to Architecture Forum members and others who attended.
April 17th to May 15th; Have you ever wanted to know more about the buildings that you drive past every day here in Newport? We are surrounded by some of the most important and historic buildings anywhere in America and the entire American architectural history, particularly the period from 1680 until the late 1920s, is beautifully illustrated in the buildings that still exist here in the “City by the Sea.” Participants learned how to recognize the Georgian, Federal, Queen Anne and many other styles of architecture and get a better picture of how architecture and broader cultural developments are interlinked and expressed in one another. The classes included: “The Colonial Period,” “Rise of the Republic,” The Gilded Age,” and the “Modern Era.”
May 8, 2010; In celebration of the Newport Casino 130th anniversary, the Tennis Hall of Fame held a one day symposium on the Shingle style of McKim Mead and White and put together a first class group of panelists and arranged for participants to visit some of the firm’s most notable works of architecture here in Newport. Architectural Forum members received a $10 discount to the symposium and about 30 Forum member were in attendance of this sold-out event! After lectures in the morning, a private tour of the Casino Theatre that is currently undergoing renovation and an elegant lunch served on the Casino horseshoe piazza, the attendees had the opportunity to tour some magnificent McKim Mead and White homes, many of them private, to see the work of these master architects first hand. The event was such a success that it is hoped that this symposium will become an annual event so be sure to clear your calendar in future years. Visit this LINK to learn more.
April 24, 2010; The impossibly picturesque buildings surround the town center of Little Compton were the site of the 25th annual RI preservation Conference. Nearly 300 planners, architects and preservation leaders from around the state gathered for a well planned day of education and networking. As the Architectural Forum was one of the sponsors, our members got a 25% discount of the standard cost of $40 for a day of key note lectures, seminars and tours and lunch. If you missed the conference this year, be sure to clear your calendar in future years.
March 23rd; Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the New York City Historic Districts Council (a not-for-profit organization that strives to preserve the history of New York City by advocating for the protection of historic buildings and neighborhoods) addressed more than 100 Architectural Forum members, politicians and leading Newport citizens with his lecture on the history of Historic Districts and their role in helping preserve neighborhoods within the five boroughs of New York Mr. Bankoff stated that preventing important buildings from being torn down was simply the beginning of a longer term effort. He observed that groups must be formed to find long term uses for the structures and to provide funding for ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance. He further went on to say that, in his experience, the most preservation has been accomplished in those New York neighborhoods where the grass roots effort was strongest. The lecture was followed by an elegant reception with passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in the beautiful morning room which adjoins the Rosecliff Ballroom. Attendees of the event were able to gather, meet Mr. Bankoff and chat about the ideas discussed in the lecture. What a spectacular evening of important ideas and sumptuous entertainment!
January 30-March 28, 2010; Opening: Feb 5 Newport Art Museum, 75 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI Exhibition: “The Art of Architecture & Design” The members of the Newport Architectural Forum hung their first annual exhibit in the Studio Gallery of the Newport Art Museum and it was a fabulous show! There were nearly thirty works of Historical architectural drawings lent by sister institutions, Art used by architects in their work and Art inspired by architecture.
January 14, 2010; Rosecliff, 75 BellevueAvenue, Newport, RI Screening:The Great Gatsby. The screening took place in the very ballroom where many scenes in the 1974 production of The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, were filmed.
2009 Event Schedule:
December 19, 2009; 2:00pm-3:00pm Beechwood Mansion, 580
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
A Victorian
Holiday Tour. Visitors saw the Astor’s Beechwood at
the peak of its Victorian Elegance! This magnificent home was decked out in
its Christmas finery for “St. Nicholas Day.”
Residents and
servants of the house were all played by the talented actors of the Beechwood
Theatre Company in an interactive tour that not only showed the building as it
was but turned time back to give you better insight into how people lived and
interacted in the house one hundred years ago.
December 1, 2009;
5:30pm-7:00pm
Spring Bull Gallery, 55
Bellevue Avenue
Reception:
“Mill Building Renaissance”. The architectural exhibit features photographs, project
descriptions, architectural drawings and renderings of Perry Mill, Mill Street
Inn and Aquidneck Mill in Newport, Thames Street Landing in Bristol,
R.I., Slatersville Mill in North Smithfield, R.I. and Ashton Mill in
Cumberland, R.I. The types of award-winning adaptive reuse projects
include hospitality, commercial, multi-family, and educational
facilities.
October
22-23, 2009;
Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue
Avenue
Sustainable
Development Summit.
Architectural Forum Board Member, Robert Bailey of
Source Newport, organized the second annual “Sustainable Development Summit” at
the Newport Casino this past October. The Conference offered two days of
seminars and panel discussions on a wide range of topic from: Grant Writing to
Tax Credit Financing. There were several local speakers and the discussions
were fascinating. If you missed it this past year, be sure to make time in
your schedule for 2010. Many of the sessions have been put on the Source Newport
website and there will be more to come so click the link to check in to see
what was said! ID: Source, password: Newport
August 13, 2009,
5-7pm;
Loeb Center, 85 Touro Street
Private
Tour: The Amb. John Loeb Jr. Visitor Center. The new Loeb
Visitors’ Center has been built to help document and communicate the
importance of the Touro Synagogue to the tenets of religious freedom and the role
of the Jewish people in colonial America. The Architectural Forum was the beneficiary of a private tour with the new curator, David Kleiman,
and project architect for the building, Holly Grosvenor of the Newport
Collaborative
July 15, 2009;
585 Bellevue Avenue,
Rosecliff Mansion
Lecture:
“Splendor by the Sea: Gilded Age Newport Villas”.
Michael Kathrens, an independent scholar and
author, lectured on the architecture and ornament
of Newport's villas, as well as their sociological framework. Mr. Kathrens has compiled plans and period photographs
into a magnificent new book, Newport Villas, The Revival Styles 1885-1935
(Norton) and a book signing will follow the lecture.
June 25, 2009; Ilgenfritz Gallery, Newport Art Museum. Screening:"Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision":
In 2007, the Vietnam Memorial was given the
prestigious “25 Year Award” by the American Institute of Architects, which
honors the single work of architecture that had best stood the test of time to
represent the year of its creation. This documentary has been called
“Absolutely Riveting” and “Powerful” by film critics and all the attendees were
moved and inspired by it as well!
June 7, 2009, 6:00pm; USTA Wing, Newport Casino /
Tennis Hall of Fame
Lecture: “Stanford White,
Architect”:
Samuel
White gave a lecture before nearly one hundred people on the subject of his
great-grandfather, Stanford White. The lecture was given at the Newport Casino,
the first project that White designed in 1880 in collaboration with the firm of
McKim, Mead and White.
June 4, 2009; The Breakers / 44 Ochre
Point Avenue Lecture:
“Richard Morris Hunt, Architect”:
Professor Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural
History, University of Virginia, spoke before a capacity crowd about the career
of Richard Morris Hunt, the pre-eminent American Architect of the late
nineteenth century.
June 4, 2009; The Council Chambers / 43
Broadway Public Forum: “Input on the
Newport Comprehensive Plan:
Nearly a dozen Architectural Forum Members were among the 40-50 citizen
who showed up to provide input to the Comprehensive Plan Update Taskforce.
May 7, 2009; Newport, RI Behind
the Scenes Tour of the Casino Theatre: Designed by McKim Mead and White in 1880 as part of the Newport Casino complex,
the Casino Theatre has sat empty and unused for many decades. Now an effort to
raise funds for the modernization of the theater have begun in earnest and
several million dollars have been pledged already to restore the building to
its former glory. Architectural Forum Members were taken on a private behind
the scenes tour.
April 25, 2009; Kingston, RI RI Statewide
Historic Preservation Conference: This was the 24th Annual Rhode Island Historic
Preservation Conference and this year the focus of the event was on helping
save Rhode Island’s rural heritage. There were tours and panel discussions on a wide variety
of topics relating to saving farm structures, preserving open space and
utilizing the techniques of land trusts to protect the architectural realm.
March 4, 2009; Newport
City Hall
HDC Taskforce
Workshop with the City Council:
A
large number of Architectural Forum Members were among those attending the
presentation of the HDC Taskforce Recommendations to the Newport City Council
at a special public workshop.
February 28, 2009; 10:30am;
Washington Square
Behind the Scenes
Tour: The Newport Opera House:
Hidden
behind the low dank theaters that were cut out of the once magnificent Opera House
theaters are the ghosts of what once was (and the seeds of what might be).
Amazingly a fifty foot grand proscenium arch and remnants of the performance
stage are still hidden behind the scenes.
January 31, 2009, 6:00pm;
Newport Art Museum
Lecture:
“Rhode Island Mills: Reclaiming an industrial legacy”. A presentation by Richard Greenwood was followed by a tea reception.
2008 Event Scedule:
December 11, 2008,
6:00pm; Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center Screening: “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision”. This
event is being held to help fund another work of artistic creation: the
replication of the Horse Trough in Washington Square.
November 8, 2008, 6:00pm;
Redwood Library: Palladio’s
500th Birthday Party: More
than 100 people (including more than a dozen Architectural Forum members)
turned out for the 500th birthday party hosted by the Redwood
Library for Andrea Palladio.
November 6, 2008, 5:30pm; Newport Art Museum: Newport Restoration Foundation: 40 years in review.
NRF Executive Director Pieter Roos moderated a
fascinating panel discussion that included Richard Crisson, Richard Long and
other individuals who helped Doris Duke save and renovate more than 80 colonial
era homes that were purchased by Doris Duke’s Restoration Foundation.
October 16, 2008, 6:30pm; Newport Art Museum“Lost Newport”: a Lecture by Paul Miller. The lecture was followed by a sumptuous reception with food and drink.
October 15, 2008, 6:30pm; Newport Hyatt Regency Get Your House Right: a Book Signing by Marianne Cusato. Cusato spoke at the Sustainable Development Conference and signed copies of her recent book Get Your House Right.
Sept. 28, 2008: Channing Memorial Church Sanctuary Rededication. Talks were given by Richard Grosvenor and Professor James Yarnell followed by a champagne reception.
Aug. 22, 2008: Cocktails and Exhibition of Court Tennis by some of the top players in the world at McKim Mead & White's Newport Casino, built in 1880.
July 2008: Photograph lecture and booksigning at Rosecliff Mansion by the author and photographer of Tuxedo Park: The Historic Houses.
June 2008: Reception and lecture by professor and Architect James Asbel on the intermingling of cultures in the architecture of Spain.
May 2008: Lisa Long, the Ezra Stiles Special Collections Librarian, led a private tour of the Redwood Library and some of the architectural highlights from its vaults for a lucky group that was limited by space to twenty-five participants!
April 2008: A private tour of the National Museum of American Illustration with founders Lawrence Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler
March 2008: A Conversation with Richard Saul Wurman, FAIA at RWU with reception afterward at the School of Architecture. (120)
February 2008: Presentation and workshop on “Mixed-use Development” in cooperation with GrowSmart RI. (65)
January 2008: Lecture by Curt Columbus (Artistic Director of the Trinity Rep): “The Theatre as Democratic Space” at the NAM Winter Lecture Series (155)
2007 Event Schedule:
December 2007: Christmas Concert and House tour at Blithewold in Bristol, RI (25)
November 2007: Presentation and workshop on “Mixed-use Development” in cooperation with GrowSmart RI. (postponed)
October 2007: Waterfront Symposium & Charrette in cooperation with AIA, NCCC and URI. (140)
September 2007: Lecture by Howard Neuman “Building, Unbuilding, Rebuilding” in cooperation with the Museum Council. (90)
August 2007: Trip to New Haven for behind the scenes tours of Louis I. Kahn’s museums and lunch at Mory’s Club in cooperation with Yale Association of RI. (44)
July 2007: Tour, Picnic & Performance of “Flight of Steps” by the Island Moving Company at Fort Adams. (25)
June 2007: Lecture: “The History of the Architectural Guide”; Book signing: The AIA guide to Newport by Ron Onorato. (140)
May 2007: Presentation on Roundabouts in conjunction with the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission. (40)
April 2007: Screening of My Architect with introduction by his former student and protégé, Richard Saul Wurman. (60)
March 2007: Presentation on Proccaccanti Plan for North End in conjunction with Newport Chamber of Commerce. (145)
February 2007: Cocktails and exhibition of Court Tennis in McKim, Mead and White’s Newport Casino by National Tennis Club. (35)
January 2007: Lecture by Richard Grosvenor: “The Architecture of Faith translated into structure” with Winter Lecture Series (165)
August 12th; The Preservation Society of Newport County held a community discussion panel at Rosecliff Mansion concerning Bellevue Avenue's historic gates and fences. Participants were able to explore some of the most elegant gates and fences to line an historic American street. From the c.1840 Egyptian-Revival obelisks at the Touro Synagogue Cemetery, to the gates of The Elms (which were nearly demolished in the 1960s) to the rows and rows of Victorian cast iron pillars and posts, decide for yourselves whether the gates and fences of Bellevue Avenue are an essential part of Newport's historic character. The panelists included: Michael Kathrens, Author, Newport Villas; Moderator: Karen Jessup, Ph.D, Landscape Historian; Mack Woodward, Architectural Historian, RIHPHC; and Robert Foley, Director of Preservation, NRF. This was a colorful presentation and discussion of these historic objects. 
July 4th; Thanks to the work of the Washington Square Route Initiative and members of the Newport Architectural Forum, a grand new tradition was established! In the morning, there was a self-guided tour of the many historic building that sit along a parade route originally established two hundred years ago in 1810. Following that, more than 500 people gathered at the end of Longwharf in front of the Old Colony House for a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence from the very building where it had been read from in 1776! The Newport Artillery company then celebrated the day with a 21-gun salute by firing of their four great canons in Eisenhower Park before the assembled observers. It is hoped that this tradition will continue to grow each year and become an event that both visitors and Newporters will look forward to each and every July! In the meantime, be sure to join in the celebration of the return of Washington Square as a center of both the commercial and civic life of the community by coming down to the area to see the renovations that have been completed and to enjoy the many shops and restaurants that can be found there! 
June 17, 2010; Thanks to the generosity of the Carnegie Estates and Woodmeister Master Builders, Newport Architectural Forum members were invited to a lovely cocktail party and tour of Out-to-Sea, one of the buildings featured in (Architectural Forum member) Cheryl Hackett’s new book, Newport Shingle Style. The book is a lovely photographic examination of fifteen houses, both new and old, that epitomize this elegant resort style of architecture. Out-to-Sea, the gracious structure shown on the cover of the book, was designed by two other Forum members, John Grosvenor and Paul Weber and the evening was both elegant and delightful. Cheryl was on hand to sign books that the Woodmeister graciously gave to all the guests who attended the event.
June 12, 2010; Each year the Swiss Village is open for tours to the public for one single day. This year that day was June 12! The SVF Foundation's "Swiss Village" sits on 35 acres in Newport, Rhode Island with an adjacent 11 acre site which was formerly part of Hammersmith Farm. It was built in 1916 by Arthur Curtiss James and was designed by the famous architect Grosvenor Atterbury to resemble a rustic village from the Italian region of Switzerland. Along with a self-guided tour of the historic architecture and rare breed displays, the scientists were offering liquid nitrogen demonstrations as well as in-depth explanations of the science behind cryo-preservation and the need for genetic diversity in agriculture to Architecture Forum members and others who attended.
April 17th to May 15th; Have you ever wanted to know more about the buildings that you drive past every day here in Newport? We are surrounded by some of the most important and historic buildings anywhere in America and the entire American architectural history, particularly the period from 1680 until the late 1920s, is beautifully illustrated in the buildings that still exist here in the “City by the Sea.”
May 8, 2010; In celebration of the Newport Casino 130th anniversary, the Tennis Hall of Fame held a one day symposium on the Shingle style of McKim Mead and White and put together a first class group of panelists and arranged for participants to visit some of the firm’s most notable works of architecture here in Newport. Architectural Forum members received a $10 discount to the symposium and about 30 Forum member were in attendance of this sold-out event! After lectures in the morning, a private tour of the Casino Theatre that is currently undergoing renovation and an elegant lunch served on the Casino horseshoe piazza, the attendees had the opportunity to tour some magnificent McKim Mead and White homes, many of them private, to see the work of these master architects first hand. The event was such a success that it is hoped that this symposium will become an annual event so be sure to clear your calendar in future years. Visit this 
April 24, 2010; The impossibly picturesque buildings surround the town center of Little Compton were the site of the 25th annual RI preservation Conference. Nearly 300 planners, architects and preservation leaders from around the state gathered for a well planned day of education and networking. As the Architectural Forum was one of the sponsors, our members got a 25% discount of the standard cost of $40 for a day of key note lectures, seminars and tours and lunch. If you missed the conference this year, be sure to clear your calendar in future years.
March 23rd; Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the New York City Historic Districts Council (a not-for-profit organization that strives to preserve the history of New York City by advocating for the protection of historic buildings and neighborhoods) addressed more than 100 Architectural Forum members, politicians and leading Newport citizens with his lecture on the history of Historic Districts and their role in helping preserve neighborhoods within the five boroughs of New York
January 30-March 28, 2010; Opening: Feb 5 Newport Art Museum, 75 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI Exhibition: “The Art of Architecture & Design” The members of the Newport Architectural Forum hung their first annual exhibit in the Studio Gallery of the Newport Art Museum and it was a fabulous show! There were nearly thirty works of Historical architectural drawings lent by sister institutions, Art used by architects in their work and Art inspired by architecture. 
January 14, 2010; Rosecliff, 75 BellevueAvenue, Newport, RI Screening:The Great Gatsby. The screening took place in the very ballroom where many scenes in the 1974 production of The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, were filmed. 
December 19, 2009; 2:00pm-3:00pm Beechwood Mansion, 580
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
A Victorian
Holiday Tour. Visitors saw the Astor’s Beechwood at
the peak of its Victorian Elegance! This magnificent home was decked out in
its Christmas finery for “St. Nicholas Day.”
Residents and
servants of the house were all played by the talented actors of the Beechwood
Theatre Company in an interactive tour that not only showed the building as it
was but turned time back to give you better insight into how people lived and
interacted in the house one hundred years ago.
December 1, 2009;
5:30pm-7:00pm
Spring Bull Gallery, 55
Bellevue Avenue
Reception:
“Mill Building Renaissance”. The architectural exhibit features photographs, project
descriptions, architectural drawings and renderings of Perry Mill, Mill Street
Inn and Aquidneck Mill in Newport, Thames Street Landing in Bristol,
R.I., Slatersville Mill in North Smithfield, R.I. and Ashton Mill in
Cumberland, R.I. The types of award-winning adaptive reuse projects
include hospitality, commercial, multi-family, and educational
facilities. 
October
22-23, 2009;
Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue
Avenue
Sustainable
Development Summit.
Architectural Forum Board Member, Robert Bailey of
Source Newport, organized the second annual “Sustainable Development Summit” at
the Newport Casino this past October. The Conference offered two days of
seminars and panel discussions on a wide range of topic from: Grant Writing to
Tax Credit Financing. There were several local speakers and the discussions
were fascinating. If you missed it this past year, be sure to make time in
your schedule for 2010. Many of the sessions have been put on the 
August 13, 2009,
5-7pm;
Loeb Center, 85 Touro Street
Private
Tour: The Amb. John Loeb Jr. Visitor Center. The new 
July 15, 2009;
585 Bellevue Avenue,
Rosecliff Mansion
Lecture:
“Splendor by the Sea: Gilded Age Newport Villas”.
Michael Kathrens, an independent scholar and
author, lectured on the architecture and ornament
of Newport's villas, as well as their sociological framework. Mr. Kathrens has compiled plans and period photographs
into a magnificent new book, Newport Villas, The Revival Styles 1885-1935
(Norton) and a book signing will follow the lecture.
June 25, 2009; Ilgenfritz Gallery, Newport Art Museum. Screening:"Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision":
In 2007, the Vietnam Memorial was given the
prestigious “25 Year Award” by the American Institute of Architects, which
honors the single work of architecture that had best stood the test of time to
represent the year of its creation. This documentary has been called
“Absolutely Riveting” and “Powerful” by film critics and all the attendees were
moved and inspired by it as well!
June 7, 2009, 6:00pm; USTA Wing, Newport Casino /
Tennis Hall of Fame
Lecture: “Stanford White,
Architect”:
Samuel
White gave a lecture before nearly one hundred people on the subject of his
great-grandfather, Stanford White. The lecture was given at the Newport Casino,
the first project that White designed in 1880 in collaboration with the firm of
McKim, Mead and White. 
June 4, 2009; The Breakers / 44 Ochre
Point Avenue Lecture:
“Richard Morris Hunt, Architect”:
Professor Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural
History, University of Virginia, spoke before a capacity crowd about the career
of Richard Morris Hunt, the pre-eminent American Architect of the late
nineteenth century.
June 4, 2009; The Council Chambers / 43
Broadway Public Forum: “Input on the
Newport Comprehensive Plan:
Nearly a dozen Architectural Forum Members were among the 40-50 citizen
who showed up to provide input to the Comprehensive Plan Update Taskforce.
May 7, 2009; Newport, RI Behind
the Scenes Tour of the Casino Theatre: Designed by McKim Mead and White in 1880 as part of the Newport Casino complex,
the Casino Theatre has sat empty and unused for many decades. Now an effort to
raise funds for the modernization of the theater have begun in earnest and
several million dollars have been pledged already to restore the building to
its former glory. Architectural Forum Members were taken on a private behind
the scenes tour. 
April 25, 2009; Kingston, RI RI Statewide
Historic Preservation Conference: This was the 24th Annual Rhode Island Historic
Preservation Conference and this year the focus of the event was on helping
save Rhode Island’s rural heritage. There were tours and panel discussions on a wide variety
of topics relating to saving farm structures, preserving open space and
utilizing the techniques of land trusts to protect the architectural realm.
March 4, 2009; Newport
City Hall
HDC Taskforce
Workshop with the City Council:
A
large number of Architectural Forum Members were among those attending the
presentation of the HDC Taskforce Recommendations to the Newport City Council
at a special public workshop.
February 28, 2009; 10:30am;
Washington Square
Behind the Scenes
Tour: The Newport Opera House:
Hidden
behind the low dank theaters that were cut out of the once magnificent Opera House
theaters are the ghosts of what once was (and the seeds of what might be).
Amazingly a fifty foot grand proscenium arch and remnants of the performance
stage are still hidden behind the scenes.
January 31, 2009, 6:00pm;
Newport Art Museum
Lecture:
“Rhode Island Mills: Reclaiming an industrial legacy”. A presentation by Richard Greenwood was followed by a tea reception.
December 11, 2008,
6:00pm; Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center Screening: “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision”. This
event is being held to help fund another work of artistic creation: the
replication of the 
November 8, 2008, 6:00pm;
Redwood Library: Palladio’s
500th Birthday Party: More
than 100 people (including more than a dozen Architectural Forum members)
turned out for the 500th birthday party hosted by the Redwood
Library for Andrea Palladio.
November 6, 2008, 5:30pm; Newport Art Museum: Newport Restoration Foundation: 40 years in review.
NRF Executive Director Pieter Roos moderated a
fascinating panel discussion that included Richard Crisson, Richard Long and
other individuals who helped Doris Duke save and renovate more than 80 colonial
era homes that were purchased by Doris Duke’s Restoration Foundation.
October 16, 2008, 6:30pm; Newport Art Museum“Lost Newport”: a Lecture by Paul Miller. The lecture was followed by a sumptuous reception with food and drink. 
October 15, 2008, 6:30pm; Newport Hyatt Regency Get Your House Right: a Book Signing by Marianne Cusato. Cusato spoke at the 
Sept. 28, 2008: Channing Memorial Church Sanctuary Rededication. Talks were given by Richard Grosvenor and Professor James Yarnell followed by a champagne reception.
Aug. 22, 2008: Cocktails and Exhibition of Court Tennis by some of the top players in the world at McKim Mead & White's Newport Casino, built in 1880.
July 2008: Photograph lecture and booksigning at Rosecliff Mansion by the author and photographer of Tuxedo Park: The Historic Houses. 
June 2008: Reception and lecture by professor and Architect James Asbel on the intermingling of cultures in the architecture of Spain. 
May 2008: Lisa Long, the Ezra Stiles Special Collections Librarian, led a private tour of the Redwood Library and some of the architectural highlights from its vaults for a lucky group that was limited by space to twenty-five participants! 
April 2008: A private tour of the National Museum of American Illustration with founders Lawrence Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler
March 2008: A Conversation with Richard Saul Wurman, FAIA at RWU with reception afterward at the School of Architecture. (120)
February 2008: Presentation and workshop on “Mixed-use Development” in cooperation with GrowSmart RI. (65)
January 2008: Lecture by Curt Columbus (Artistic Director of the Trinity Rep): “The Theatre as Democratic Space” at the NAM Winter Lecture Series (155)
December 2007: Christmas Concert and House tour at Blithewold in Bristol, RI (25)
November 2007: Presentation and workshop on “Mixed-use Development” in cooperation with GrowSmart RI. (postponed)
October 2007: Waterfront Symposium & Charrette in cooperation with AIA, NCCC and URI. (140)
September 2007: Lecture by Howard Neuman “Building, Unbuilding, Rebuilding” in cooperation with the Museum Council. (90)
August 2007: Trip to New Haven for behind the scenes tours of Louis I. Kahn’s museums and lunch at Mory’s Club in cooperation with Yale Association of RI. (44)
July 2007: Tour, Picnic & Performance of “Flight of Steps” by the Island Moving Company at Fort Adams. (25)
June 2007: Lecture: “The History of the Architectural Guide”; Book signing: The AIA guide to Newport by Ron Onorato. (140)
May 2007: Presentation on Roundabouts in conjunction with the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission. (40)
April 2007: Screening of My Architect with introduction by his former student and protégé, Richard Saul Wurman. (60)
March 2007: Presentation on Proccaccanti Plan for North End in conjunction with Newport Chamber of Commerce. (145)
February 2007: Cocktails and exhibition of Court Tennis in McKim, Mead and White’s Newport Casino by National Tennis Club. (35)
January 2007: Lecture by Richard Grosvenor: “The Architecture of Faith translated into structure” with Winter Lecture Series (165)