A Major Addition to Rhode Island in Newport -– Architecture Critic Morgan

A Major Addition to Rhode Island in Newport -– Architecture Critic Morgan

The summer when I was eight, my family rented a small cottage in Little Compton. I vividly remember the beach, the rocks, and the marshes. Most of all, I recall going to Newport to see the start of the Bermuda Race. My favorite uncle was a navigator on one of the smaller sailboats, and he would later return to Newport as part of an America’s Cup team. The harbor was festooned with sails and jammed with scores of power boats–well-wishers waving off the intrepid ocean racers. There was also the excitement of a Navy destroyer that would escort the windborne sailors to the Crown Colony over 600 miles to the south.

The Newport of my youth was before the Pell Bridge connected Newport with the West Bay and beyond, and before urban renewal along the America’s Cup Avenue destroyed a lively chunk of the colonial capital’s legendary harborside. Before the Irish bars and the tee-shirt shops, Newport was about the Gilded Age mansions of America’s first resort. But it was also about the sea: the Navy and sailing (many of the yachtsmen came from Belleview Avenue). The famous yachting race, which was first contested in 1851, is one of the great sporting events in the world, like Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, or the Tour de France.

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But in 1983, Australia stunned the world by taking the America’s Cup and leaving Newport bereft of its crown jewel. Now, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, along with the National Sailing Hall of Fame (which was recently relocated from Annapolis) are part of the new Sailing Museum on Thames Street. The 11,000-square-feet museum occupies the open space of the 1894 stone armory. The building itself has had a long-complicated past with city ownership, state oversight, and poorly funded tenant endeavors. Designed for drilling troops, the large hall is perfect for the displays of actual sailboats, along with a dazzling array of interactive exhibits that allow the visitor to tackle such tasks as designing a boat, choosing its name, and sailing it. There are also trophies and photographs from the two halls of fame, along with fascinating historical objects on loan from the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol.

I have never had fantasies of sailing with FDR, Ted Turner, or Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, but I did enjoy the various activities unlocked by the high-tech wristband the museum provides. My favorite virtual experience was being able to take the wheel of an America’s Cup boat. The Courageous did not deserve my lack of skill, as I crashed her onto the rocks, and instead of hearing Tilt! was instructed to notify the Coast Guard. A little theatre in the round provides a dramatic experience of being amongst the crew of one of the modern technological marvels that vie for the Cup. You can tie sailors’ knots, see the evolution of sailboats, gear, and clothing, and learn of various personalities that have dominated this romantic, rich man’s sport.

 

 

 

Since the Sailing Museum opened in early May, there has been a steady stream of visitors. I found the entire operation beautifully run, imaginatively put together, and a genuine delight to experience. But despite the joy of unearthing my nautical yearnings, I wondered how often I would go back (although if I lived in Newport, it would be a logical place to take out-of-town guests). The Sailing Museum seems like a one-trick pony compared close to the powerful, oft-repeated impact of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

 

 

That said, the National Sailing Hall of Fame is in Newport, where it should be. One of our great national sporting events gets due coverage, and a handsome architectural landmark has been adaptively reused and brought into productive use. The only thing missing is for someone like the Newport mansion owner Larry Ellison and his Oracle Team to bring back the America’s Cup to Newport. On that day, we’ll be able to look out at the harbor from the museum and see the winning sailboat.