News and Articles

Rhode Island’s Historic Tax Credits are a proven tool to create more housing stock— from 2013 to 2024 approximately 20% of all new housing comes through the program, including 20% of all affordable housing. But unlike neighboring states which are expanding their programs to address their housing crises, Rhode Island’s Historic Tax Credit program has been stymied through lack of funding, onerous fees, and a lack of transparency. Just when the program is needed most, and elect

In December of 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, alleging that replacing the East Wing of the White House with a massive ballroom violated Federal law. In response, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) declared an open period for public comment. Preserve RI, along with many other organizations and individuals took advantage of the opportunity to speak up about the scale, design, and appropriateness

The main streets of towns and cities are vital to the economic and cultural health of the United States. They connect us to our vibrant past and have been an important component of preservation work across the country. Main Street America , established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, has been working across the nation to preserve and promote downtowns and other neighborhood commercial districts. Clark Schoettle, a Preserve RI board member and former E

March 2, 2026   Mr. William Scharf Chair National Capital Planning Commission 401 Ninth Street NW, Suite 500N Washington, DC 20004   Re: Proposed Construction of White House Ballroom NCPC File Number 8733   Dear Mr. Scharf:   Preserve Rhode Island (Preserve RI) serves as the statewide advocate for Rhode Island’s historic places. Our advocacy efforts extend beyond the borders of our state when the interests of Rhode Islanders are at stake. Significant architectural landmarks,

State Senators Lori Urso and Robert Britto at Lippitt House Museum. As the statewide advocate for Rhode Island’s historic places, Preserve RI works closely with the legislature on various issues. To strengthen our connections with Smith Hill and showcase the power of preservation, we invited legislators to Preserve RI’s Lippitt House Museum on January 27th. For some this was their first time at the Museum. Not only did they learn about the building’s rich history, but we coul

New Handbooks Provide Clarity for Homeowners and Contractors on Preserving Wood Windows In 2023, the State of Rhode Island expanded landlord requirements in the General Laws that govern lead-safe conditions for residential properties. This included mandatory registration in an online rental registry and a more stringent lead-safe enforcement and compliance process. With no exceptions or guides for historic buildings, these new requirements created a great deal of concern for

Shri Yoga Studios in Pawtucket received both state and federal historic tax credits in order to convert a former mill building into a...

Improvements to RI’s Historic Tax Credit Passed by General Assembly but Much Work Remains to Keep Program Viable  Arctic Mill in West...

For more than four decades, Scott Wolf has transformed opinion and policy research into effective communication and legislative...

Kim Smith Barnett is a manager at Ryan LLC, a company working on historic tax credit projects located in New England and New York. She...