To the editor:

Rhode Island has been on the cutting edge of historic preservation from its very early days. Major figures like Antoinette Downing, Bonnie Warren, Bristol’s own Lombard Pozzi and even Norman Isham (google him; he did some cool stuff) created many of the tools still used nationally to preserve buildings.

That same spirit of preservation ingenuity continues, especially here in Bristol, where preservation is a community effort and where we continue to explore new ways to steward our historic heritage.

Case in point was the coming together of the Planning Board, Diane Williamson, Ed Tanner, the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society and Preserve RI to formulate an innovative plan to use zoning relief to prevent the demolition of 135 Ferry Rd. (as reported in the Phoenix on April 9, 2021).

Approaching the preservation of a building from a zoning perspective is not often considered in historic preservation practice. Every time I drive by that beautiful home, I am heartened to know that our community cared enough about this building to craft a special path for its survival.

In this same spirit of innovation, the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society is pleased to announce the creation of the Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation Education, a subset of our organization dedicated to providing information on how to care for the unique needs of historic structures.

This May, in honor of National Preservation Month, the BH&PS Pozzi Center is very pleased to offer a series of six workshops designed to help historic homeowners — that’s anyone who owns a house built before 1972 — make their houses energy efficient, upgrade their systems, and plan for new bathrooms and kitchens in ways that honor their house’s historic character.

But that’s not all! The BH&PS Pozzi Center is also offering a series of presentations, lectures, walking tours, and demonstrations that explore the arts that routinely went into the creation of houses in the past.

This Saturday, May 7, we begin with metal and metalworking. Please join Dr. Kevin Jordan for a walking tour of historic metal objects and architectural details around town; Ned Miller, of Miller Metals, for a demonstration of welding and anvil work; and Eleanor Langham, of Coggeshall Farm Museum, for a presentation on cooking with metal cookware (she’ll probably let you eat a jonnycake or two, too!).

Future Saturdays will explore printing and bookmaking, textiles, fans, and parasols, and cemetery art. Check out www.bhpsri.org for more information and join us as we celebrate all that goes into the care and keeping of our town’s architecture.

Catherine W. Zipf
48 Court St.
Catherine is executive director of the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society.