Five More Historic Barrington Homes to Get Plaques

Five more historic Barrington homes will receive plaques from the preservation society on Feb. 5 at a public ceremony titled “History in Houses.”

The event will take place in the Barrington library auditorium. It will start at 7 pm.

Elizabeth “Bonnie” Warren, chair of the plaquing program, will present the historical markers to the five homes – all of which are more than 100 years old and “still retain their original architectural character,” according to the Barrington Preservation Society.

This year’s honorees include a General’s elegant homestead, a pre-Revolutionary farmhouse, a large summer “cottage,” a laceworker’s home and the home of a tradesman. Two of the plaques are being reissued after research revealed that the houses were older than originally indicated.

The houses:

The ca. 1763 JOSEPH ALLEN, JR. HOUSE at 153 George Street on Nockum Hill, recently named to the National Register of Historic Places

Owners: Jason and Christine Lawrence.

The ca. 1769 GENERAL THOMAS ALLIN HOUSE at 20 Lincoln Avenue.

Owners: Nathaniel L. and Julie S. Taylor.

The 1897 MARY ELIZA DYER HOUSE at 8 Holly Lane on Rumstick Point.

Owners: Stephen E. and Caroline K. Tortolani.

The 1911 LENA L. MATHEWS HOUSE at 32 Fountain Avenue in the "Drownville Plat"

Owner: Nancy L. Tobias

The 1913 LUCIAN H. HUNT HOUSE at 48 Washington Road in West Barrington

Owners: Jeffrey and Dorie P. Balch.

The preservation society established its plaquing program in 1965 to celebrate Barrington’s history, first as a Native American camp, then as an agricultural settlement and summer community and, ultimately, as a commuter suburb, according to Julia Califano, president of the society.

The plaques include the name of the original builder and date of construction.

Following the awards, well-known Barrington architect David Andreozzi will present an illustrated talk: “An Architect's Path Towards the Relevance of the Contemporary Vernacular.”

Over 25 years, Andreozzi has been forging his personal architectural statement, project by project, according to Califano. He has learned that to be successful, both owner and architect should relate their project to the already built environment in terms of scale, the relationship of details and time-tested materials and local craftsmanship.

Andreozzi graduated from Barrington High School in 1979, earned his art and architecture degrees at Rhode Island School of Design. His practiceis  based in Barrington while he lives in Bristol, where he has served as chairman of the Bristol Historic District Commission.

For more information about the society or the plaquing program, contact Califano at 247-0271 or jpcalifano2@gmail.com.