History

Founded in 1956 under state charter to "preserve the beautiful historic buildings, places and things in Rhode Island", Preserve Rhode Island(PRI) is both an owner of and advocate for special places in the Ocean State. Properties such as the Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum, the Jeremiah Dexter House, the Philip Walker House, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, Hannah Robinson's Rock and open land on Prudence Island were donated, accepted for stewardship and have been guided into responsible management - whether under Preserve Rhode Island's direct care or through affiliated organizations.

In 1999, the organization adopted its current name as "Preserve Rhode Island" (previously the Heritage Foundation of Rhode Island and then the Heritage Trust of Rhode Island), marking the expansion of the organization's role from steward to statewide preservation advocate. Preserve Rhode Island then formally affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a "Statewide Partner".  The role of PRI expanded from a steward of historic properties to an organization assisting Rhode Islander's protect the places that matter to them.  PRI continues to respond to the needs of communities across the state as we grapple with issues of sprawl, lack of resources, community revitalization, maintaining the character of communites and more. 

Today, Preserve Rhode Island actively manages three historic places exempliflying various stewardship models - the 1865 Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum is open to the public for tours, special events and to rent for historic parties; the 1754 Jeremiah Dexter House, an adaptive reuse of an 18th century farmhouse is PRI's headquarters; and the 1724 Philip Walker House, is in the midst of a major stabilization project under a five year plan to identify its most appropriate reuse. PRI has partnerships with Blithewold, Inc., successful managers of the Blithewold Estate, Gardens and Arboretum and RIDEM, who maintain Hannah's Rock through their diligent stewardship of the adjacent state park.

Complementing our role as Steward, Preserve Rhode Island administers a range of preservation programs to connect, advise and inform Rhode Islanders on all things preservation that promote the preservation of the distinctive places that comprise the character of Rhode Island communities. Preserve Rhode Island publishes Around the Block, a bi-weekly Enewsletter linking Rhode Islanders to current issues and events related to preservation. Through Connections: Community Preservation in Rhode Island, (a Partners in the Field Program with the National Trust for Historic Preservation), PRI offers preservation field services to all 39 cities and towns.  Working in tandem with these programs, the PRI Mini-Grant program disburses seed money for local preservation projects.  Since 2000, we have granted more than $60,000 to ensuring Rhode Island's historic places are preserved for current and future generations.

Preserve Rhode Island is a 501(3)c non-profit charitable organization directed by a volunteer Board of Trustees dedicated to protecting the historic and natural places that define Rhode Island.  Preserve Rhode Island's small professional staff work with a philosophy of team work amongst ourselves and collaboration with other organizations and individuals, all to preserve Rhode Island as a place where we love to live, work and play.  Join us to Preserve Rhode Island!