2021 Rhody Awards For Historic Preservation Announced, PPAC Honored With Historic Preservation Project Award

Preserve Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission announced today the honorees of the 13th annual Rhody Awards for Historic Preservation.

They include a highly regarded preservation planner from South Kingstown, an all-volunteer organization that has preserved the heart of Lincoln's Great Road, a young couple who created a home in a historic Portsmouth mill, and an array of innovative preservation projects including a former movie palace, a public housing complex, and a colonial-era farmstead.

This year's celebrations will take place over the weekend of October 16th and 17th. On Saturday, October 16th from 12 to 4 PM the Rhody Road Tour will give ticket buyers the opportunity to see firsthand the select Rhody Award properties from 2020 and 2021 and meet the honorees. On Sunday, October 17th from 4 to 7 PM, this year's honorees will be celebrated in a reception and ceremony at Linden Place in Bristol. Tickets for both events are available for purchase at www.preserveri.org. (Ticket prices for Saturday's event are $50; the price for both Saturday and Sunday's events are $150.)

The 2021 awardees are:

• Antoinette F. Downing Volunteer Service Award to Friends of Hearthside, Inc. for their dedication to interpreting and preserving the Federal-style mansion known as "Hearthside" and their leadership in preserving significant historic resources along Lincoln's Great Road.
  
• Antoinette F. Downing Volunteer Service Award to Kenneth R. Woodcock, for his tireless efforts to protect and preserve historic Matunuck, from its historic buildings to its rural character and his philanthropic support for historic preservation in Rhode Island.

• Frederick C. Williamson Professional Leadership Award to Ned Connors, one of Rhode Island's leading historians and preservation consultants. Ned's research and analysis contributes to our understanding of Rhode Island's historic places and lays the groundwork for many successful preservation projects.

• Frederick C. Williamson Professional Leadership Award to Richard C. Youngken of South Kingstown for his preservation planning work in communities around the state, such as documenting properties for the National Register, preparing design guidelines for local historical commissions, and developing preservation-minded economic revitalization plans.

• Historic Homeowner Award to Jonathan and Erin Chapman for their rehabilitation of the Glen Farm Millhouse, a 19th-century timber frame mill that required structural stabilization, sweat equity, and vision to be transformed into a home.

• Historic Preservation Project Award to the Providence Performing Arts Center (1928) for the comprehensive restoration of the landmark theatre's terra cotta façade, which included meticulous replacement in-kind of deteriorated stone, repointing, glazing, and new flashing.

• Historic Preservation Project Award to Dirt Palace Public Projects for the restoration of Providence's Kendrick-Prentice-Tirocchi House (c. 1867), a.k.a. Wedding Cake House. Their efforts saved the long- vacant building, preserving original architectural details and creating galleries and rentals for artists.
  
• Historic Preservation Project Award to John Peixinho for his passionate commitment to preserving and protecting historic Samuel Clarke Farm in Richmond. His comprehensive approach has restored the early-period farmhouse, outbuildings, fields, and stone walls.

• Historic Preservation Project Award to WinnDevelopment and Omni Development for the rehabilitation of historic Prospect Heights Housing (1941-42) in Pawtucket. The three-phase project included exterior restoration, energy-efficient updates to kitchens and bathrooms, and landscaping improvements for this National Register-listed community.

• Historic Preservation Project Award to Union Mill LLC for the heroic rehabilitation of the Pontiac Mills (1863+) in Warwick. Expertly restored using new timber framing and planking that matched the original mill construction, the mill complex-a former brownfield site-is now a thriving community of homes and businesses.

• Community Award to Providence Community Library, established just a dozen years ago to manage nine city libraries. By building relationships with users, funders, and city officials; improving and preserving library facilities; and developing new programs responsive to neighborhood needs, PCL demonstrates that community libraries are community centers.

For more information about the Rhody Awards for Historic Preservation, please visit www.preserveri.org/rhody-awards.

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