HOSPITALITY & PRIVATE CLUBS : THE NEWPORT ART MUSEUM

Designed by famed architect Richard Morris Hunt, and built in 1864, the Griswold house is one of the finest examples of modern gothic, or American "stick style architecture" in the nation. Kirby Perkins was hired to properly restore the building to its former grandeur. A complete restoration of the exterior included a new slate roof, stripping of old paint layers and decayed woodwork and correctly restoring the masonry and flashing details to protect the building from weather. On the inside, rooms and galleries were painted or stripped and varnished to perfection and structural needs were addressed. The task of bringing the building into code compliance while maintaining the integrity of the historic "fabric" factored into many of the details in method and materials and it earned the Preservation Award from the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.