NEWPORT – Restoring Newport’s 18th century architectural masterpiece, the Colony House, has been a never-ending puzzle requiring a ton of restoration detective work. Over the years, the grand building sitting at the head of Washington Square, once known as The Parade, gradually has given up some of its centuries-old secrets, but still holds on to some.
For instance, there’s a mystery surrounding whether the building’s clock is original or was put in after the Colony’s first statehouse opened in 1742. During a Newport Historical Society event at the Colony House on Thursday, Ingrid Peters, the society’s director of education, said evidence was found that townsfolk approved spending money for a clock in the early 1800s, but there’s nothing to indicate whether it replaced an earlier version or was an addition.
Then there’s the ticklish problem of why the clock won’t keep running. Steven Guglielmo, project architect for the ongoing restoration of the historic building, said the clock has been running but, for some unknown reason, it keeps stopping after a few days. The restoration firm, Saccoccio and Associates of Cranston, is bringing in a master clockmaker from Vermont to get to the bottom of that mystery.
Friday, June 27, 2014, by Joe Baker | The Newport Daily News