ARTISTIC LEGACY (continued)
LaFarge Fund board members sought to secure funding
for the church’s restoration, picking up where the
LaFarge Fund left off a decade earlier when it removed
the windows from their collapsing frames. Finally, the
last phase focused on potential re-use strategies for the
church building.
“John LaFarge completely transformed
Newport Congregational Church’s drab,
conservative building into a fantasy
land.”
Ned Connors, the preservation consultant
who wrote NCC’s National Historic Landmark
nomination
At this point, all parties involved recognized that the
small congregation was no longer able to maintain
the building on its own. Therefore, an integral part
of preserving the church would be reimagining and
reusing the historic space.
The formal handover of the property came with
challenges of its own. Shortly after the process began
in December 2011, LaFrance began work on old liens
on the buildings. The congregation actually owed a
substantial sum to the United Congregational Church
national office’s loan fund. After a few months of
negotiation, the LaFarge Fund and the congregation
were able to settle the old debt, and in late 2012, the
property transfer was complete. The LaFarge Fund
became the sole owner and steward of Newport
Congregational Church.
This question of ownership was related to the broader
issue of the strategic plan’s geographical scope.
While many congregations in NCC’s position tend to
stay local, this church had its sights set on a national
reach. LaFrance explained that they felt this would
greatly expand the church’s cultural recognition and
fundraising potential.
To that end, and recognizing the uniqueness of
their church’s interior, the team decided to pursue
designation as a National Historic Landmark
(NHL) – the highest honor for a historic building,
administered by the National Park Service. LaFrance
and Miller contacted the State of Rhode Island
Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission and
While participating in the New Dollars/New Partners
training, the LaFarge Fund began cultivating donors
and applying for grants to support the restoration.
For the strategic plan to [ݙH