The Narragansett Pier Towers and Casino - Narragansett, RI
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 25.846 W 071° 27.361
19T E 294787 N 4589489
The twin towers connected by a room over the road are all that is left of a casino that once was here.
Waymark Code: WMFQ4X
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 11/16/2012
Views: 11
In Narragansett, in a village called Narragansett Peir, is a structure that consists of twin towers connected by a room. This landmark in town is the only remaining structure of a casino that operated here, documented by a sign nearby.
The sign is on the north side of the structure, on the edge of a green which was where the rest of the casino was located. The sign has the following text:
"The Narragansett Pier
Towers & Casino
Architects: McKim, Mead & White
1883-1886
The Towers is one of the most highly visible, widely known, and universally cherished land-marks in the state of Rhode Island. It recalls Naragansett Pier's heyday as one of the foremost seaside resorts of nineteenth-century America, the destination of scores of tourists each summer from throughout the Northeast, the South, and the Midwest. Its picturesque form, monumental scale, and dramatic location create a striking image which symbolizes Narragansett in the minds of thousands of residents and visitors.
This imposing structure was originally only a part of a much larger building: the Narragansett Casino. The Casino was constructed between 1883 and 1886 for the Narragansett Casino Corporation following designs by Charles F. McKim of the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. The Casino Corporation was formed by leading summer and year-round residents for the purpose of building and maintaining a gathering place for recreational activities, and social events. MicKim, Mead & White, architects of the earlier Newport Casino and a growing number of stylish cottages in Atlantic coastal resorts, was at the time whell in its way to becoming the most prominent and influential American architectural firm of the era. The Narragansett Casino has been recognized by scholars as one of the firm's finest achievements.
The Casino occupied the large plot which is today Memorial Park. It consisted of two buildings: a rambling S-shaped stone and wood-shingle structure along Ocean Road and Exchange Street and a smaller structure backing up to Mathewson Street. The wing paralleling Ocean Road, including the western portion of the Towers, and the separate Mathewson Street building were erected in 1883-4; the Exchange Street wing, eastern part of the Towers, and the arch over Ocean Road were completed in 1885-6. The stonework, executed under the direction of the well-known South County mason Kneeland Partelow, includes rock taken from the old breakwater at nearby North Pier. The design of the building was inspired by late medieval French architecture, especially the farm complexes and manor houses of rural Normandy and Brittany. The architect to give the impression that they had been battered by winds. It is said that McKim himself climbed up on the roof when it was finished and pried off some shingles to make the building look more weather-beaten.
The main building of the Casino included stores (rented out for income), dining rooms, cafes, parlors, a billiard room, a reading room, and an assembly hall used both as a theatre and a ballroom. The towers served as the monumental main entrance to the Casino, with an open-air cafe above the archway over Ocean Road. The Mathewson Street structure contained a bowling alley and shooting gallery. Between the buildings were lawn ennis courts surrounded by grounds designed by the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
After its completion, the Casino changed the tone of Narragansett Pier and became the center of social life for the summer colony. People were expected to appear - and be seen - at lunch or dinner or evening dances. The Casino was popular with well-to-do, fashion conscious visitors. However, those of more modest income or temperament associated the Casino with extravagant, pretentious, or frivolous behavior.
On 12 September 1900, called by one man 'the darkest and saddest day the pier has ever experienced,' a great fire started in the Rockingham Hotel, north of the Towers, and swept the Exchange Street area. It destroyed the Casino, leaving only the stone Towers. The ruins were repaired in 1908-9 under the direction of Providence architect J. Howard Adams. The Towers remained vacant until 1924, when it was leased from the Sherry Casino Company and opened as a ballroom. The 1930's brought the great depression, and the Towers remained vacant until 1963 when a snack bar was opened on the ground floor of the east tower.
The Towers burned again in 1965. The State of Rhode Island then purchased the structure and deeded it to the Town of Narragansett, finally bringing this structure which as long served as an emblem of the town into public ownership. It is fortunate that this evocative relic survives to illustrate and memorialize Narragansett's romantic past."
At the bottom are credits that include names of people involved. Also, it states that it was placed on The National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and the 100th Anniversary of the Narragansett District Incorporation, 1888-1988.
There are also historical pictures on the sign.
At the time of visit, a private event was using the room over the road. There are tours available when it isn't rented. Also, in one tower, is a tourist information center run by the local chamber of commerce.
Organization that Placed the Marker: Narragansett Historical Society
Year Marker was Placed: 1988
Related Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
When visiting a waymark, please take a picture that clearly shows the historical marker (feel free to include you and/or members of your group in the photo as well). Also, tell us about your experience at the site.