Newport This Week - April 14, 2010 by Tom Shevlin

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Newport†

VOL. 38. NO. 14

BORN FREE

WEDNESDAY, April 14, 2010

Now that’s refreshing Bouchard on Bellevue

Summing Point’s quest to create a community music hub goes viral

Cup committee awaiting RFP Local business owners ask: How can we help? By Tom Shevlin

For the Secret Garden Tours Pg. 12

Meet This Week’s Artist

Cindy Killavey on Pg. 10

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“M

usic, to me, is as important as math or science.

”

Scott Rancourt on the need to provide kids with an avenue to music.

www.newport-now.com Twitter.com/newportnow Facebook.com/newportnow

ARCHI • TEXT

NEWPORT – The group charged with making the state’s bid to lure the 34th America’s Cup to Newport met again last week with little new business discussed, as the equivelant to the doldrums has set in while the wait for BMW/Oracle racing to release an official request for proposals to potential host cities. The RFP, which will be critical to shaping the state’s effort moving forward, is expected to be released potentially as soon as at newport the end of the month, a c c o rd i n g to Halsey Herreshoff, president of the Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Once in hand, the RFP is expected to provide details on the type of facilities desired for host cities; the schematic in which they are set up; and could quite possibly, provide a glimpse at the type of vessels used for the next Cup installment. Meanwhile, several local business Phil Hadley (front) and Scott Rancourt, seen here at the Summing Point studios, are hoping to drum up community support in the Pepsi Refresh Project. (Photo by Tom Shevlin) owners seized on the lack of action to express their desire to stir up a grassroots business campaign to help raise NEWPORT – When Scott Rancourt way. There, he would create a com- been orchestrating an online effort to money to fund the RFP and highlight first sat in front of a mixing board munity hub for musicians, teachers, secure Summing Point’s position amid Newport’s desire to see the Cup return. “There should be flags flying down some 20 plus years ago, there was students, and bands to hone their the top 10 of a national grant compesomething oddly familiar and natural skills and meet up with other musical- tition sponsored by soft drink giant Thames Street,” said one business owner. ly-inclined locals. It would essentially Pepsi. about it. The committee did note that it is in A musician to the core, Rancourt be a muscial community center, that Read more on pg. 3 the process of putting together a strattook to the discipline quickly, and for Rancourt believes could help to bring egy to work with local businesses on years he’s been one of the area’s go-to together and help grow the area’s mujust such an effort. music men, recording and putting out sic community. “It’s probably a long process to get albums for a who’s-who of local acts, HDC most recently under the banner of his to that point, but that’s the vision I have in my mind,” he said during a reSumming Point studios. Now, he wants to do for Newport’s cent interview. And it’s something he’s been thinkmusic community what AS220 has ing about for years. done for Providence’s art scene. structure would be restored and transSenor Frog’s building But it wasn’t until he met Phil HadAs Rancourt describes: Picture a formed into a mixed use facility featurplace - a centralized location - where ley that the dream seemed like it could could go mixed use ing lower level retail and restaurant you know that if there’s something become a reality. space complemented by two condoA native Newporter, Hadley is the you want to learn about music, minium units above. whether it’s playing an instrument or other half of the Summing Point, havBy Tom Shevlin According to Historic Planner Dana recording an album, you know where ing recnently returned to Newport afTitcomb, one half of the building is ter spending several years away from to go. NEWPORT – The former home of a considered a contributing historic Dubbed the Newport Music Work- the city in California and other locales. onetime popular – and raucus – night- structure. The other half, which curAs adept as Rancourt is behind the shop, Rancourt wants to expand club that has been left mostly vacant rently is occupied by a Chinese restauSumming Point’s current footprint of board, Hadley is at marketing and profor years, could get a significant facelift rant, was built in the latter half of the operations to an adjacent space just motion. if plans submitted to the city’s Historic 20th century, and could undergo sigOver the last couple of weeks, he’s behind the Salvation Cafe on Broadnificant exterior changes to match the District Commission are approved. Plans to redevelop 106-112 William older structure. Renovating the building, which is loStreet, which once housed a Senor Frog’s nightclub, were submitted for cated at the corner of one of the city’s consideration at this week’s April 20 most prominent intersection, could be a welcome development for the area. HDC meeting. The maater is set to be discussed at Under the plans, submitted by Anbau RI, LLC, the now rundown historic the April 20 HDC meeting at City Hall.

Former nightclub eyed for rehab

Newport: The museum of architecture By Ross Sinclair Cann Newport might rightfully be considered the “Metropolitan Museum of American Architecture” in that it is the repository of some of the most important works by some of this country’s most important architects. Furthermore, it has the distinction of having a good many buildings from each era of architecture—from the settlement of North America by Europeans in the seventeenth century through the art deco period of the 1920’s. From that rich early period until the mid 1980’s the depth of the local architectural creation was notably less and yet there are still a few representational examples of many periods present if one knows where to look.