Perry Homestead Historic District

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Perry Homestead Historic District
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Location2, 4, 8, 12, 16 Margin & 15, 17 Beach Sts., Westerly, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°22′9″N71°49′54″W / 41.36917°N 71.83167°W / 41.36917; -71.83167 Coordinates: 41°22′9″N71°49′54″W / 41.36917°N 71.83167°W / 41.36917; -71.83167
Area8.5 acres (3.4 ha)
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleColonial Revival
NRHP reference # 16000089 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 15, 2016

The Perry Homestead Historic District encompasses a cluster of residences built as a family compound by the locally prominent Perry family in Westerly, Rhode Island. Extending mainly along the northern part of Margin Street south of downtown Westerly, the area was developed in the 1920s, and includes five family residences, a caretaker's house, and shared landscaping of a former gentleman's farm. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. [1]

Westerly, Rhode Island Town in Rhode Island, United States

Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 22,787 as of the 2010 census.

National Register of Historic Places Federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

Description and history

The Perry compound occupies more than 8 acres (3.2 ha) south of the junction of Margin and Beach Streets, in a mainly residential area south of downtown Westerly. Four of the compound's six houses face Margin Street, and provide views of the Pawcatuck River, whose bank Margin Street runs along. Two of these house stand close to the corner with Beach Street, and are separated from the other two by an open area that has been landscaped. A shared drive encircles this open area, providing access to the houses and outbuildings of the compound. Although some of the houses were built in the 19th century, most bear some elements of the Colonial Revival due to the activities of the Perrys in the 1910s and 1920s. The Lewis-Card-Perry House, separately listed on the National Register, retains an 18th-century appearance, having undergone restoration in the 1920s under the guidance of Norman Isham. [2]

Pawcatuck River river in the United States of America

The Pawcatuck River is a river in the US states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately 34 miles (55 km). There are eight dams along the river's length. USS Pawcatuck was named after the river.

Norman Isham American architect

Norman Morrison Isham (1864–1943) was a prominent architectural historian, author, and professor at Brown University and RISD. He was an ardent preservationist and a pioneer in the study of early American architecture.

In the early 19th century, Thomas Perry (a relative of Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry) purchased 100 acres (40 ha) of land south of the village center of Westerly. Perry and his descendants played a major role in the development of Westerly as a business and shipping center in the 19th century, and into the 20th century, and also occupied prominent roles in the civic activities of the community. In the second half of the 19th century, three of Perry's sons operated a gentleman's farm on this property, and either built houses or moved them onto the fringes of the property. Charles Perry, Jr., a grandson of Thomas Perry, oversaw transformation of the farm into a landscaped family compound between about 1890 and 1930. The older houses were for the most part updated with Colonial Revival styling, the Lewis-Card-Perry House was restored, and the grounds were landscaped by Warren H. Manning. [2]

Oliver Hazard Perry United States Naval Officer

Oliver Hazard Perry was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and United States Navy Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and the older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry.

Warren H. Manning American landscape architect

Warren Henry Manning was an American landscape designer and promoter of the informal and naturalistic "wild garden" approach to garden design. In his designs, Manning emphasized pre-existing flora through a process of selective pruning to create a “spatial structure and character.” An advocate for the conservation of the American landscape, Manning was a key figure in the formation of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a proponent of the National Park System.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island.

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Perry Homestead Historic District" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2016-03-25.