02.02.2009 -  Advocating for public support of historic preservation is a key mission of The Preservation Society of Newport County.  We urge our members to be active in their home towns preserving historic properties, landscapes and public spaces.   Here in Newport, the City Council has recently received proposals to improve the regulatory process in Newport's Historic District.  The Preservation Society will be advocating for continued protection of Newport's rich history at a City Council workshop on these proposals, scheduled for March 4, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Newport City Hall.



Remarks by Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County, delivered at a meeting of the Newport City Council on December 10, 2008 regarding proposed revisions to the city's Historic District ordinance:

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Before getting into my remarks, I want to give each of you a copy of  Lost Newport, which makes a compelling and poignant case about the importance of historic preservation. This book, our latest publication, was authored by Paul Miller, the Preservation Society’s curator, and it documents the loss of 50 great houses, demonstrating just how fragile our city’s architectural heritage is, and why it is important for all of us to be ever-vigilant when it comes to preservation. 

Historic zoning is not a new topic for the Preservation Society.  At its annual meeting in 1955, the topic of zoning came up. According to the minutes of that meeting, the Preservation Society wanted the city to enact a local ordinance which would prevent the razing of old buildings until a board of experts could advise as to their value. It was further discussed that Newporters should explore and study action taken by the Massachusetts Legislature to create the Historic Beacon Hill District in Boston.

Seven years later, on May 2, 1962 at a meeting of the “Committee on Historic Zoning” here in Newport, William Corcoran, then a trustee of the Preservation Society, and today one of Newport’s most prominent lawyers,  offered a succinct explanation for what historic zoning is really all about.

Bill pointed out the purpose of an historic zoning ordinance is to "safeguard the heritage of a town by preserving elements of its cultural, social, economic, political and architectural histories, and in doing so to stabilize property values, to strengthen the economy and to promote the use of historic districts for education, pleasure and welfare of the citizens of the city and visitors to it.”

Here we are 46 years later and I could not say it any better than Bill did in 1962.

As members of a Council in a City that includes some of the most extraordinary and unique historic assets of any community in America, your actions in the months ahead are incredibly important.

You have already shown tremendous leadership in taking the initiative to establish the Historic District Zoning Ordinance Review Task Force earlier this year, charging them with reviewing the ordinances in effect in Newport.

As a bystander, I have to tell you that this task force took their assignment seriously. These volunteers gave many hours of their time conducting research, reaching out for expert advice, then sitting down to discuss how we as a community might best go about maintaining the character of Newport’s historic districts without creating burdensome hurdles for residents to overcome.

We believe the work of the task force must not be for naught, and therefore ask that the City Council move expeditiously to work closely with both the task force and the public to review, discuss and finalize a new strategy for historic zoning in Newport.

We believe that the City needs to establish target dates for further public discussion, and, most importantly, by which the recommendations are adopted by the City. I think all of us need to see some conclusion to the uncertainty that currently exists.

Finally, we urge the City to begin soon to find a new Preservation Planner to replace Shantia Anderhoeggen. As one of the few historic communities in America without such expertise, it’s important that we secure the professional knowledge needed so that all of us can be certain that good decisions are made.

In closing, we thank the members of the task force for their thoughtful deliberations, and for caring so genuinely about Newport and its future. We offer to the City Council any assistance we may be able to provide.