Brown Street, Wickford Village Design Standards and Guidelines (Draft 4)

Youngken, Richard; Pascarella, Elena; Evans, Jack; Bolster, Wendy

From the introduction: "Brown Street in Wickford Village, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance as a well-preserved 19th and early 20th century New England coastal village commercial and residential area. Brown is an integral part of the Wickford Historic District. The historic district contains an important collection of dwellings, as well as several commercial and institutional buildings, that together convey the social and cultural conventions of a formative period in the region's coastal history. Today, Wickford Village and Brown Street continue to provide residents with a wonderful neighborhood close to local cultural amenities, commercial venues and a scenic harbor. Visitors are drawn to the authentic ambiance of this historic places, including its well-preserved small-scaled vernacular architecture and waterfront setting. The building, predominantly of 1-2 stories with gable ends to the street, often contain a single storefront. Residential uses exist above some of these commercial buildings and on the western side of the street. These defining qualities provide a quintessential coastal New England village character and highly prized sense of place. In addition to being listed in the National Register, Brown Street is within a design review overlay district. Changes to buildings and certain landscape features are subject to review by the Town of North Kingstown's planning staff and a review committee. Design review is intended to encourage the preservation of Brown Street's unique mixed commercial and residential character and encourage appropriate new construction that fits into the area's small-scale historical context. The following sections of this manual will explain the review process, including what types of projects are subject to review; provide an overview of the architectural styles on Brown Street and their character-defining features; and define the design standards and guidelines that guide the Town's review process." Project funding was funded in part by a Historical Preservation Fund grant to the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF000032).

Brown Street, Wickford Village Design Standards and Guidelines (Draft 4)

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