FINAL DOCUMENT 7/30/17 NOON EMP
HISTORIC AMERICAN LANDSCAPES SURVEY EISENHOWER PARK/WASHINGTON SQUARE HALS NO.RI-02 Location:
State: County: City: Bounded by:
Rhode Island Newport Newport Touro, Thames, Washington Square Streets and Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport Historic Landmark District National Register of Historic Places Asset ID: Geospatial point coordinates: Lat. 41.29’23.93N, Long. 71.18’ 49.51W UTM Zone 19T Position from Earth’s Center- WNW Elevation 19 feet. Source: GoogleEarth.com Significance: Eisenhower Park lies within a vernacular landscape of national significance.
Newport was one of the British Empire’s most prized seaports of the eighteenth century. Newport today is often referred to as the “last remaining wooden city in North America” because so much of its seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century architectural fabric survives in its original Colonial and Federal era context, unlike New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Infill of period construction over the centuries has respected the massing and streetscape placement of previous eras, maintaining the integrity of the original historic fabric and character. Originally known as the “Parade”, Washington Square is wide swath of urban public space between the Colony House and the Brick Market, with Eisenhower Park situated in its center. This one-acre triangular public park has evolved over the centuries, especially with installations of beautiful period statuary, fountains, cast iron fencing and a bandstand in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For over several decades annual public celebrations with patriotic overtones have taken place in and around the Park. After being known as Washington Square Park for more than a century, the site was renamed Eisenhower Park in 1960 to commemorate the thirty fourth President’s choice of Newport as his summer residence. Page 1
In 1995 Eisenhower Park was included on the National Register of Historic Places status as part of the Newport National Historic Landmark District. The significance of this small triangular city park lies in the fact that as a vernacular landscape it reflects generations of American use. This space has remained extant throughout Newport’s development, and thus, as a city park, it continues to bear political and socio-economic testament to events from before the founding of the United States to the present day.
1 - Eisenhower Park looking east toward Newport County Courthouse, with Eisenhower monument (1960) in foreground. The Colony House, which served as one of Rhode Island’s Colonial and state capitols from 1739 to 1900, and is America’s fourth oldest state capitol building, is visible to the left through the trees. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens) Description: Overview Eisenhower Park is located within the center of Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island. This triangular, .917 acre green space is bounded by Touro Street to the south, Washington Square Street to the north, and Thames Street to the west.
2 - Eisenhower Park looking north from Touro Street. Touro Street was originally named Ann Street (ca. 1776) but renamed after Abraham Touro, benefactor of Touro Page 2
Synagogue, the oldest continuingly active synagogue in the United States. Touro Synagogue is located about on half mile east of Eisenhower Park. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens)
The site is of modest area and has very little topographic variation, sloping gently from east to west. Site features and amenities within the park include a focal statue of Oliver Hazard Perry toward the western end, a fountain near the western node, the Eisenhower monument toward the west-center, ten benches, some trash compactors, a cigarette receptacle, a dog waste bag station, a drinking fountain, a fire alarm pole, and a bicycle rack. Two interpretive signs towards the northeast corner of the park provide visitors with historical references for a number of buildings surrounding the park. Vegetation By 1806 a number of Poplar trees were planted, and by 1840, seventy seven trees had been planted. There are currently 15 specimen trees planted inside the park providing both a large shade canopy in summer and a skeletal framework in winter. Tree species within the park include: Acer plantanoides – Norway maple Acer plantanoides 'Crimson King’ – crimson king maple Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia' – fern leaf beech Metasequoia glyptostroboides – dawn redwood Picea abes – Norway spruce Tilia cordata – little leaf linden Ulmus americana – American elm Ulmus americana 'Jefferson' – Jefferson elm Ulmus americana 'Princeton' – Princeton elm Ulmus glabra 'Camerdownii' – Camperdown elm Ulmus pumila – Siberian elm
3 - Eisenhower Park from the west showing the tree canopy. Oliver Hazard Perry Statue (1885) right foreground, Zion Episcopal Church (now Jane Pickens Theater) (1835) (center-right), Newport County Courthouse (now Florence J. Murray Judicial Complex Page 3
(1926) (center-left), and Colony House (1739) far left. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens)
The Newport Tree Society and Arboretum, established in 1987 by concerned citizens who recognized that the trees on Aquidneck Island were aging and in decline, has been working diligently to replace the declining species and replant specimen trees throughout Newport. There is a small planted area to the west of the Perry statue which is slated to be removed by the City and replaced with lawn. The courthouse has some shrub planting along the eastern foundation as well as two small flower beds on either side of the lower step along the eastern park path which the courthouse staff maintain. In recent years, Salve Regina University’s Office of Community Service has included an “Adopt-a-Spot” student volunteer program focused on planting flowers, weeding, mulching and watering the flowerbeds around the octagonal drip fountain. Sidewalks Throughout the park’s history, the ground plane has been covered with a variety of materials including dirt, gravel, cobbles, Belgium block, brick and concrete. In 2012 bluestone sidewalks and crosswalks and Belgium block street gutters were installed along the park perimeter as well as into the park, consistent with historical dimensions. Most of the walks inside the park of concrete.
4 - Bluestone sidewalks (2010) surround the park and a cast iron fence (1885)defines the park perimeter. Colony House (1739) is at distant center. This historic promenade dates to the mid-eighteenth century, connecting Long Wharf (the center of trade), Brick Market (1762) (the center of commerce) and the Colony House (the center of government). (Photographer Jonathan Stevens)
Page 4
Perimeter Fence By 1797, a wooden rail fence encircled the park. Ten foot wide gates were installed by 1806 in order to accommodate the cannons of the Newport Artillery Company. A number of period illustrations provide evidence that the wooden fence remained through the mid-1800s, with the addition of a grand new western entrance, featuring four bollards and two tall wooden columns topped with ball newel caps. All of these elements were removed in 1885, in favor of a new cast iron perimeter fence which currently surrounds the park. The style of the fence reflects romantic revival ironwork popular at that time. Since the time of its installation, the entrance points have remained at their current fence openings, despite various changes in the interior path layout. The fence is currently in fair condition having a number of missing decorative elements.
5 - Detail of cast iron perimeter fence (ca 1885) showing fence post and pickets. (Photographer Tanya Kelley)
Lighting The first park lighting was electric, installed in the 1870’s. S o m e t i m e i n t h e l a t e 1 9 2 0 ’ s a n u m b e r o f King Electric Company (Burlington, North Carolina) lights were added along the park’s perimeter. At a later point modern gooseneck fixtures replaced the original lanterns. In 1977 seventeen new gas lights were added to augment the three remaining electric lights. These gas light fixtures emulated the original streetlight design, although they were somewhat taller. The park lights are currently being replaced with eleven LED lampposts.
Page 5
Interior Pathways In the earliest representations of Washington Square, the park is depicted with worn dirt footpaths. Based on a review of historic photos and postcards, this arrangement seems to have persisted into the late 19th century, at which point some stone paths were installed as an addition to the dirt paths. Paths lined with cobblestones can be seen in a photograph from the late 1800s. In the 1930s the Works Progress Administration added exposed aggregate concrete pathways in the Park. This material remains at the western cross-path of the park. Brick walkways were installed during the early 20th century, however no brick remains. In the 1980s, the park underwent a “restoration,” at which time the mid-section of pathways were replaced with concrete. The interior walkways provide access to all the park’s key interior features and the Florence J. Murray Judicial Complex which defines its eastern edge. These walkways are of concrete and some are in poor condition. They will require replacement for both consistency of material and for safety and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Oliver Hazard Perry Statue Perry was a native of Newport and hero of War of 1812. The statue was sculpted by William Greene Turner, another Newporter who was living and working in Florence, Italy. The bronze statue is twelve feet high and was cast using the French sand method. It sits atop a thirteen and a half foot high rectangular granite pedestal. The full length figure of Perry is depicted at the moment he mounted the deck of the British warship “Niagra” after his command ship the “Lawrence” was lost to hostile fire during the Battle of Lake Erie. The name “Perry” is presented in bas relief lettering upon the pedestal’s west face, and engraved on the east face is Perry’s famous quotation, “We have met the enemy and they are ours”. Located in the western portion of the park, facing west, this statue remains an iconic cultural landmark and focal point.
6 - Oliver Hazard Perry statue sculpted by William Greene Turner in 1884. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens) Page 6
The statue was unveiled with great fanfare on September 10, 1885, commemorating the seventy-second anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie with speeches by former Senator William P. She eld, Rhode Island Governor George Peabody Wetmore and Newport Mayor Robert S. Franklin. The 2013 PLACEstudio report for the Washington Square Advisory Committee states that the statute’s bronze surface is suffering some deterioration. Main Fountain Within the park, a cast iron fountain and basin was first installed in 1828. This fountain was later described by George Mason Champlin as a “Lilliputian reminder of the Baldacchino at St. Peters, bronze and color gilding included.” Its original exact location is not clear. There was a statue of a lady that topped this 1850 fountain. The statue of the lady was removed in 1941. The 1907 Newport City Atlas is the earliest documentation of this fountain at its current location. Period photographs shows a large octagonal structure with o n e c e n t r a l spray emanating directly from a circular pipe flush within the pool’s basin. Over the years the fountain has undergone a number of incarnations. A low and open cast iron fountain was constructed in the early twentieth century which included a wide fan of water sprayed vertically. The granite statue of a woman was the centerpiece and the basin served as a reflecting pool. In 1941 the statue was removed and replaced with a plain ornamental base. During the mid-twentieth century, there was installed a two- tiered fountain within the octagonal basin, topped with a cherub and sprayed from below. Unlike the original spray display, a drip fountain was installed in 1986, donated by The Benefactors of the Arts (a small business association). Reconditioned in 1991, it has since fallen into disrepair.
7 - Octagonal fountain (ca. 1907) in current operation. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens) Page 7
Horse Trough Fountain As portrayed in a John Collins colored lithograph (Newport Historical Society ca. 1850) and Walling’s map of Newport, a small granite horse trough fountain comprised of a tombstone back and single slab basin was installed just to the west of the park’s western edge, or nose. This utilitarian feature struggled to persist as an extension of the park, or island, within the intersection of Washington Square Street, Thames Street, and Touro Street. In 1872 this granite horse trough fountain was moved to Market Square and replaced with a cast iron horse trough fountain. This fountain was approximately twelve feet in height and notable for a replica of a streetlight mounted on a post protruding from the center of a circular trough. It was subsequently removed, an unfortunate consequence of increasing automobile tra c and decreasing horse traffic.
8- Horse trough fountain (2010), a replica of the 1872 original. (Photographer Tanya Kelley)
Fortunately, the “island” was reclaimed in the early twenty-first century. In 2010 an exact but smaller replica of the 1872 trough was re-installed in the original location within a triangular urban island, whose perimeter is demarcated by replica iron bollards. Eisenhower Monument A large granite block in the central octagon of the park bears the name of the park and an inscription dedicated to President and World War II Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mounted in poured concrete in 1960, the monument has been colloquially referred to as “the tombstone.”
Page 8
9- The Eisenhower monument known as “the tombstone” has engraved lettering stating the name of the park “Eisenhower Park” and has 5 stars in a circle underneath the name. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens)
Benches Benches were first installed in the park in 1880 and have varied in style, number and orientation as the park has evolved over the years. The best historical documentation is from early 1900s, during which time benches proliferated along the paths. When the bandstand was erected in 1907 where the Eisenhower monument stands today, benches surrounded the new structure. Today there are ten benches in Eisenhower Park. Two wrought iron Victor Stanley brand ‘Classic Series’ benches along the central axis are separated from the eight wooden Kenneth Lynch ‘World’s Fair’ style benches to the west by the octagonal center node of the park. The Lynch benches are the iconic bench of the New York City Parks Department and were designed by Kenneth Lynch and Robert Moses in the 1930s for use during the 1939 World’s Fair. The Victor Stanley Classic series benches where donated to the City of Newport by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation in 2000. Most recently, an informal installation of movable café tables and chairs have engendered a welcoming presence in the Park.
Page 9
10 - Eisenhower Park, looking west toward Brick Market, with Oliver Hazard Perry statue (center) and recently added red café tables and chairs. (Photographer Jonathan Stevens)
Bandstand (no longer extant) In 1907 a bandstand was erected in the eastern center of the park. Situated about four feet above the ground, the octagonal structure’s floor area was approximately 360 square feet. A copper clad roof was topped by an ornamental weathervane. At ground level, a concrete foundation probably was the wall and or roof of the underground bathrooms) and a surrounding apron extended approximately twelve feet from the bandstand foundation, with new benches installed on its perimeter. Other Site Elements Period images from 1905 to World War I show telephone poles installed within the park’s perimeter sidewalks on Washington Square Street and Touro Street. Thankfully, there is little evidence of this intrusion after World War II. Also present at the park are a number of 20th century “park amenities” that have been installed and sponsored by various organizations. These include a cigarette receptacle in front of the Murray Judicial Complex; 12 large planters (20112012 Washington Square paving project) to define the perimeter island at the western point; a chain-style bike rack (2011 donation from Newport Federal Bank and sponsored by Bike Newport); a trash compactor at the central northern entrance; a “Murdock” drinking fountain which functions properly but does not meet ADA height and location requirements; a chain link fence on the eastern edge of the park on either side of the Murray Judicial Complex. The 2013 Comprehensive Report on Eisenhower Park addresses these various modern site elements and provides recommendations for repair, relocation or replacement based on their historic compatibility.
Page 10
History: Overview and Park Context The 1663 King Charles II Colonial Charter granted exclusively to the Colony of Rhode Island freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Unlike many towns within the British Empire founded by settlers of a single religion, most all Rhode Island town centers of that era were not dominated by a single church. As a result, the streetscape surrounding Newport’s central common is an eclectic collection of public, private and commercial buildings. During the American Revolution, the British occupied Newport from 1776 to 1779. The British army cleared many of the commercial and residential structures from what is now Washington Square for firewood, which was exceedingly scarce. In all, over 400 structures were destroyed throughout Newport for that purpose, many abandoned by their fleeing occupants. From that point, the Parade, later renamed Washington Square, evolved as Newport’s central public space. There are a number of significant buildings which comprise the urban fabric that frames the park, including: •
The Colony House (1736-39), of Richard Munday design and one of only nine brick structures in Newport prior to the American Revolution, was one of five Colonial Rhode Island capitol buildings. It remained in use as a state capitol building until 1900. It is the fourth oldest state house still standing in the United States, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1966. Today it is operated as a museum by the Newport Historical Society.
•
Newport County Courthouse (1926), an elegant brick Colonial Revival structure since renamed the Florence J. Murray Judicial Complex.
•
Zion Episcopal Church (1835), a Russell Warren designed Greek Revival building was significantly altered in its transition into a theater, known as the Strand in the late 1950’s and now the Jane Pickens Theater.
•
The Army-Navy YMCA building (1911) originally a popular destination for off-duty military personnel, it became low-income residential housing managed by Church Community Housing Corporation after the US Navy decommissioned most of its operations at the Newport Naval Station in 1973. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1988. Page 11
•
Opera House (1867, and façade “modernized” in the 1970’s) was commissioned by P.C. Shanahan and designed by James Rudolph as a firstclass amenity to the Perry House Hotel next door. Those gracing its stage included Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Duke Ellington, Mary Pickford and John Barrymore. The building is presently under a $15M restoration.
•
Brick Market (1772), functioning as an open arcade market on the first floor and granary on the second, was designed by Peter Harrison inspired by English architect Indigo Jones, in a classical style notable for its monumental Ionic pilasters placed above a symmetrical series of arches.
•
Buliod-Perry House (ca. 1750) is one of the few remaining eighteenth century structures on Washington Square still on its original site. It was the home of Oliver Hazard Perry and his descendants from 1818 to 1865.
•
Wilbour-Ellery House (1801), a Federal townhouse originally owned by John Wood and was later sold to William Ellery. Of the three hundred pre-1800 houses constructed in Newport, Joshua Wilbour was likely the only housewright in Newport to be credited by name as its builder. It remained in the Ellery family until 1852. William Sherman bought the house in 1877 and it remained in his family until the mid-twentieth century.
The origins of Eisenhower Park can be traced back to the June 3, 1783 when the Newport Town Council appointed a committee ”… for a grant of the Lot belonging to the State, south of the Parade to the town, for leveling & ornamenting the Parade & deliver the same to one of the Representatives...”. The context of the Commodore Perry statue has lent the park a patriotic and military cultural reference point which continues to this day. At one point the park’s western entrance was protected by cannons from the 1741 sloop Tar Tar, which saw action in the Battle of Louisbourg. Eisenhower Park and Washington Square have been the locus of annual parades and special events honoring military and first responders since World War I. One example of a public display of patriotism was the August 16, 1922 Atlantic Fleet Block Party attended by hundreds, an evening event with electric lights strung from the park across Washington Square to the buildings across the street. During the 1940’s the park was graced with salty anchor-motif flower beds and artillery pieces By 1960 the original 1907 bandstand was gone, and in its place was the newest military homage, to the retired General and US President Dwight Eisenhower, who for three years summered at the Fort Adams Commander’s residence in Page 12
Newport. This testimonial was manifested in and extremely simple granite marker with the engraving “Eisenhower Park” and a circle of five stars, depicting his rank of Supreme Commander in World War II. Attending the dedication ceremony on July 22 of that year, the President ended his remarks with” I do hope you will never find any reason for changing your mind that the name of this park is a good name.” It may be noted that just three weeks prior there was an event that might have given President Eisenhower pause. On the evening of July 3, a major riot broke out involving 12,000 attendees at the Newport Jazz Festival. It took fifty Marines, one hundred State Police, a contingent from the US Navy Shore Patrol and three companies of the Rhode Island National Guard to quell the disturbance. Over 160 were arrested, hundreds of windows were smashed, and the authorities had to resort to tear gas and road blocks to contain the violence. The President, arriving in Newport for his annual summer vacation just four days later, appeared calm and seemed not to harbor any residual concerns. Republican Eisenhower’s monument displaced that of a most prominent Democrat. August Belmont (1813-1890) who was Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1860-72), a wealthy financier, and husband of Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s daughter Caroline Slidell Perry. In 1910 John Quincy Adams Ward (who in 1869 also sculpted a statue of Matthew C. Perry situated in Newport’s Touro Park) completed a bronze statue of Belmont which was installed near his burial site in Newport’s Island Cemetery, and later removed to Eisenhower Park in 1941. Upon the Eisenhower monument’s ascension in 1960, Belmont’s statue went into exile, loaned first to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1985, and then a decade or so later to the Preservation Society of Newport County’s headquarters at the corner of Bellevue and Narragansett Avenues, where it presently resides. The park today serves as a frequent gathering place for annual events and celebrations. Since 1776 the Sons of the Revolution have read the Declaration of Independence in Washington Square. The ceremony includes a 20-gun salute using the original cannons by the Newport Artillery Company. The Declaration is read from the very building it was first communicated to the citizens of Rhode Island in 1776. The park is also a site for peaceful demonstrations. In July 2016 there was a “Peaceful Assembly for Awareness and Change’ rally against violence and discrimination which drew hundreds. Later that fall, the park was the site of a rally in support of the Standing Rock pipeline protest in South Dakota. With Page 13
one hundred in attendance, American Indian tribal music and traditional American folk music performances were performed. In addition to the Newport Tree Society and Arboretum, today there are two major advocates for preserving, enhancing and celebrating Eisenhower Park. The Washington Square Advisory Committee, a city commission, advises and directs improvements to Washington Square and Eisenhower Park. Washington Square Roots is a collaborative of businesses and non-profits who since 1999 has been a sponsor of events and celebrations of history, especially an annual July 4th celebration, which includes the Newport Artillery Company, Newport Historical Society and the Rhode Island Sons of the Revolution. In 2013, a draft comprehensive report detailing the historical context, existing conditions and site analysis of Eisenhower Park was prepared by PLACEstudio, LLC, with funding from the Newport Tree Society and Arboretum. This report is serving as a guide for park improvements. Sources:
Books § Downing, Antoinette and Scully, Vincent Jr. The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island. Clarkson N. Potter, New York, 1967. §
Foley, Robert, Macleish, A. Bruce, Roos, Pieter. Extraordinary Vision, Doris Duke and the Newport Restoration Foundation. The Newport Restoration Foundation, 2010
§
Onorato, Ronald J. AIA Guide to Newport. American Institute of Architects Rhode Island Architectural Forum, 2007
§
Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. National Park Service National Historic Landmark District nomination. Newport National Historic District, 1995
§
Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Historic Landscapes of Rhode Island. 2001
§
Stachiw, Miron.O. Early Architecture and Landscapes of the Narragansett Basin: Newport Volume I. Newport RI 2001
§
Stensrud, Rockwell. Newport, a Lively Experiment 1639-1969. The Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 2006. Articles • • •
https://newport.oncell.com/en/oliver-hazard-perry-statue-34402.html, https://archive.org/details/inaugurationofpa00shefiala. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1960/07/04/page/1/article/riot-in Page 14
newport-puts-end-to-jazz-festival Historic Surveys and Reports • Conservation Technology Group, Washington Square Rehabilitation Study, (1995) • Washington Square Advisory Commission, City of Newport Urban Design Plan for Central Newport (2004) • PLACEstudio, LLC, Eisenhower Park Comprehensive Report: Historical Context, Existing Conditions and Site Analysis, Newport Rhode Island (draft, July 1, 2013) Brochures and websites • Newport Historical Society http://NewportHistory.org • Opera House Theatre and Performing Arts Center http://www.operahousetheaternewportri.org/ • Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission http://www.preservation.ri.gov/ • Rhode Island Historical Society http://www.rihs.org/ • Preservation Society of Newport County http://www.newportmansions.org/ • City of Newport, Department of Planning http://cityofnewport.com/departments/zoninginspections/historic-district-commission • Redwood Library and Athenaeum http://www.redwoodlibrary.org •
Houston, David R and O’Brien, James T., Beech Bark Disease, Forest Insect & Disease Leaflet 75, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, February 1983. https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/beechbark/fidl-beech.htm
Other materials • Town Newport Town Proceedings 1779-1816, Book 2031, Page 77. Newport Historical Society • Newport Historical Society, archive collection • Santi, Frederico, collection of historic postcards and photographs Historian:
Elena M. Pascarella, RLA, ASLA, HALS liaison RI Chapter ASLA, with collaboration from: § Tanya Kelley, Landscape Designer, Principal, PLACEstudio, LLC, and RI Historic Preservation Commissioner. § Acadia Cummings Stevens, BA, Classical Civilization, Wheaton College 2017 § Jonathan Dexter Stevens, MCP, urban planner and Rhode Island State Historic Preservation O cer 2013-15 Page 15
ยง ยง ยง
Kate Dana, Associate PLACEstudio, LLC Mary Stuart Wiggins, Landscape Intern, PLACEstudio, LLC. The Newport Tree Society and Arboretum
Primary Contact Information: Elena M. Pascarella, RLA, ASLA Landscape Elements, LLC 3296 Post Road, Suite 2C Warwick, Rhode Island 02886 TEL. 401. 921. 2667 Fax 866.203.7686
July 30, 2017
Page 16