Aerial shot capturing the three Upjohn structures
(Boathouse, Gazebo, and Manor House)

The Boathouse at the water’s edge of our grounds has long held a fascination for those affiliated with this community. Even for those sailing by on the bay, visiting the shore or walking along the tracks, or now pedaling by on a “Rail Explorer”, the stone edifice projecting out into the bay catches the eye and the mind. It maintains its aesthetic appeal, hence being often featured in publications of the monastery or school. Some of the countless artistic renditions of it are presented in this article.

Richard UpjohnAn Upjohn Creation. The British-American architect, Richard Upjohn, gave us this gem. Upjohn was born in Shaftesbury, England in 1802. His family moved to the United States in 1829, and he resided in New Bedford, Boston, and then New York City. Much of his noted early architectural work involved churches, and he is associated with the Gothic revival that he had witnessed in his native England. One finds his work throughout the northeast, from the entrances to the Boston Common, to churches like St. John’s Episcopal in Bangor, Maine to Trinity Church in Manhattan, and indeed varied churches, homes, and public buildings scattered all around the eastern United States. More locally, he had designed Kingscote Mansion in Newport, one of the first “summer cottages” there, built in 1839 and at the time one of the city’s most impressive structures. Upjohn was also very active in the profession of architecture, instrumental in the creation of the American Institute of Architects as a member of the founding group and serving as its first president. He was perhaps at the peak of his professional success and influence in the 1860’s, when Amos Smith, a wealthy Providence merchant, asked him to design his “gentleman’s farm” along Narragansett Bay. The result was our present day Manor House, known historically as the “Amos Smith House,” though purchased later by George Gardener Hall and transferred to our monastic founder Leonard Sargent by Hall’s widow, Catherine. Included in the Upjohn’s designs for Amos Smith had been two additional structures, a gazebo, called at the time a Look Out, and a boathouse, also to serve as a “Bathing House.” Each one of this trio of Upjohn buildings has become an iconic feature on the grounds of the monastery and school.
Framed watercolor by Fr. Julian Stead

Ken Kraper ’01 (woodcut used as image for class signatures of Class of 2001)Longfellow and the Imagination. The enduring beauty of Upjohn’s boathouse has always piqued the imagination. Fr Damian Kearney, who related much of this background in his summary “History of the Boathouse”, a brief article published for the School, was also drawn to a unique and imaginative literary connection that may have influenced the design envisioned by Upjohn. Longfellow’s “The Skeleton in Armor,” published in 1841, makes reference to the Newport Tower, also known as the “Round Tower” or the “Viking Tower,” evoking the Norse origins local legend had concocted to explain the unique circular edifice. Longfellow had penned his poem after a full skeleton had been uncovered in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1832. Most likely the remains of a Native American warrior, the skeleton also came to have a range of imaginative stories associated with it. It was identified varyingly as Phoenician, Egyptian, or Norse, thus linked to Viking legends of the Newport Tower. Longfellow had commented on his supposition that the skeletal remains were those of an “old Northern sea-rover,” though he revealingly added, “Of course, I have made the tradition myself…” Fr. Damian highlighted this stanza:
Upjohn would have surely been familiar with the Viking Tower, and likely with Longfellow’s poem as well. Fr. Damian describes our boathouse as “reminiscent of” the Newport Tower, which we may see in its eliciting of a medieval sensibility with its rounded tower, circular porthole windows, and prominence on the shore.

Image showing Upjohn variegated slate roof design (undated)

Varied Uses. The Boathouse has served as a magnet, drawing many to the shore to sit and reflect and admire the bay. An anonymous individual, one might assume a monk though Fr. Damian claimed it was a student, once carved into a large stone not far from its foundation and visible only at low tide, the words “Sum Qui Sum,” seemingly calling to mind the Creator of the natural beauty that this human artifact only enhanced. While such aesthetic and spiritual inspiration may well be the building’s most enduring function, it has also served in an array of practical purposes. For several decades, the School’s sailing program was based right here on campus, and from 1926 the boathouse served as its center. Over the years, “canoes, rowboats, a shell, outboard motors, and boating equipment” were stored in the building, Fr. Damian writes, until the sailing program was moved to safer and more easily utilized facilities.

Plaque commemorating renovations hanging above main entrance

The boathouse’s location has exposed it to the Rhode Island elements at their most extreme. Hurricanes have come and gone, most notably in 1938 and again in 1954, and with them pieces of the original slate roof, which were scattered along the shore. Br. Joseph Byron notes that prior to 1938, a long boat ramp stretched from the boathouse into the water, allowing a boat to be safely pulled up. Fr. David Hurst (1916-2003) spoke of the tidal surge from one of the 1950’s hurricanes reaching as high as the railroad tracks above the boathouse. And with the departure of the sailing program came the disuse of the facility, and the cherished landmark fell into neglect and disrepair. By the mid-1990’s, the sturdy stone structure had lost most of its windows, the interior of the structure had partially collapsed, its stonework was deteriorated, and its future began to look questionable. Br. Joseph Byron, who was serving at that moment as the Director of Operations, commented that the Boathouse had “become dangerous” and had to be either torn down or substantially restored.

Boathouse with former Kaiser plant visible along the shoreline

A confluence of factors, fortunately, led to the latter. The School at this time discovered a renewed interest in developing its distinctive location along Narragansett Bay through the creation of offerings in Marine Science. Also at this time a group of students, working with Br. Joseph, became interested in rowing and boatbuilding, eventually constructing “The Colette,” on permanent display in the Stillman Dining Hall. The Bacardi family took an interest in the project. With a member then on the board of the School and with several Bacardis attending the School, some of whom were involved in the boatbuilding, Alberto Bacardi provided substantial funding for the restoration of the boathouse. Simultaneously, Christopher Buckley of the class of 1970, took a special interest in the restoration project, coincidentally serving as graduation speaker for the School at the time the renovations were under discussion. A nostalgic reference in that speech to shenanigans at the boathouse while a student inspired Brother Joseph to inquire about his interest in helping restore it, and he warmly obliged. Combining these interests with some resident expertise – Mario Rocha, as well as Luis Raposo, who is still on the maintenance staff, had years of experience working for Pearson Yachts and Bristol Yachts – and the restoration was underway. John Perreira and Br. Joseph teamed up to assist, and “all but killed ourselves re-shingling the roof.” Br. Joseph also relates, at risk of scandal, that the finial on top of the roof, “is a copper toilet-float.”

An uncertain future. The restoration project included the purchase of recreational kayaks, kept in the lower part of the boathouse to retain its function as a boat house, and the creation of a classroom for Marine Science upstairs. The School hired Mr. Bruce Moravchik, connected to the nationally renowned Marine Sciences program at the University of Rhode Island, to teach the subject. With his subsequent departure to work for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, Mr. Shane McCarthy became the head of the program. After inheriting the program, Shane developed the upper floor as a classroom-lab and taught there for several years. Since the distance made it difficult to fit classes into the regular daily schedule and presented some challenges for maintenance, the marine lab, prior to the new Science Building, was moved into the building behind the former Student Center known as “The Loft” (the space, ironically, had served as the School’s first science classroom). The bottom level of the boathouse also presented significant difficulties for continued use, notably the constant washing up at high tide of shells and other debris that inhibit access and use. Still, Shane envisions possible further development of the boathouse along those lines. He has considered different “work-arounds” to maintain class-lab use and is particularly interested in the possibility of salt-water access and piping into the building salt-water for tanks more easily supporting marine life for study.

Winter of 1981, with bay solidly frozen

Whether it be for purposes of science, art, or simply as a gathering place for swimmers, the Boathouse maintains its allure. And while it may not be of Norse origin and built to guard us from rogue “sea-rovers”, it does still stand as a beacon that continues to inspire the imagination of the community of Portsmouth Abbey.

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