After being impacted by Hurricane Sandy, FEMA insisted that this entire structure be raised two feet in order to receive federal funding for the project. Originally, the plan was to move the entire building so Pariseault could drop new piles in place, but after evaluation, it was determined that option wasn’t feasible. So instead, we cut the building into three strategic sections, elevated it ten feet in the air, and placed it down, carefully, onto 155 helical piles and a new structural slab. Together with NewPort Architecture, the building was then rehabilitated and restored to historic preservation standards under the watchful eye of our building craftsmen and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Character-defining features and spaces were carefully restored while allowing for new adaptive uses and health and safety code upgrades. The historic windows on the third floor and in the stable areas on the ground floor were restored, and the original central barn doors on the front façade were restored and rehung. The large northwestern barn wing space was given a new life as a community gathering space named for Chaplin Bradford Barnes, the founding executive director of the Watch Hill Conservancy and an advocate for conservation of Watch Hill’s natural resources and historic properties.

Architect: NewPort Architecture

Challenges: Historic Restoration, Significant Structural Modifications, Site Logistics, Coastal/Winter Conditions

About The Client: The mission of One Bay Street Center Inc. and the Lanphear Livery is to preserve Bay Street’s architectural heritage and stimulate its economic vitality through education, advocacy, historic preservation, and sensitive re-development of key historic and non-historic properties.