Earles Court Tower History – In the 1880’s, Narragansett, RI, specifically Narragansett Pier, was a bustling go to summer destination for statesmen and highly regarded professionals from around the country. By that time, Ocean Road was already lined with numerous hotels that were primarily built between 1856 and 1871. People from as far as Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, Richmond, New York and Philadelphia frequently visited and revisited Narragansett Pier, which was gaining popularity for its fine bathing and sandy beach.
With the increase of summer populations, various churches were constructed, the Narragansett Pier Railroad was added and numerous structures were added around the landscape. In 1882, Ocean Road was extended all the way to Point Judith, through the estates of John K. Brown and Joseph Peace Hazard, large land owners in the area at that time. Shortly thereafter, land from these estates were sold to others, were stipulations that the land never be used for commercial purposes.
Most developed these seacoast properties with unique isolated structures, although several clusters of large summer cottages were also erected, with each cluster having similar design, construction and aesthetics. The most prominent of these clusters became known as Earles Court, which was built between 1886 and 1887, and consisted of four large Late Victorian dwellings along the south side of Earles Court Road. These dwellings were designed by D and J Jardine and Constable Brothers of New York , who were commissioned for the project by Edward Earle. Mr. Earle was a New York Lawyer and an influential summer resident who fell in love with Narragansett and wanted an extensive development.
Earle’s Court Tower History
A similar cottage cluster known as The Sherry Cottages was constructed just to the west in the late 1880s. These dwellings were arranged around a grassy court commonly referred to as Kentara Green, situated at the head of Earles Court Road and featuring Sherry’s Casino, a centralized restaurant serving the clustered cottages.
Aside from the eclectic and eye-catching cottages themselves, a shared water tower set in the middle of Earles Court Road, served as one of the very early green initiatives and beginning of a trend of clustered homes with shared common utilities/services. It certainly was the first of its kind in Narragansett. The original tower consisted of a wooden superstructure, which sat upon a cylindrical stone base and included a balcony that incorporated a spectacular giant griffin. The tower was built between 1887-1888, the same year the Town of Narragansett was incorporated.
Before being constructed, a drawn design of the structure appeared on the cover of the Architects and Builders Edition of Scientific American in March 1887.
Earle’s Court Tower History
According to Wikipedia, a griffin is a legendary creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion and with the head and wings of an eagle, with the eagle’s talons as its front feet. As the eagle was considered to be the king of birds and the lion the king of beasts, the griffin was a powerful and majestic creature that was considered the king of all creatures.
Griffins were known for guarding priceless possessions and treasures, which may be why it was constructed there in the first place. Unfortunately, the power of the griffin and the water tower itself was not enough to stop an awful fire that destroyed three of the cottages in 1912. This fire actually started in the kitchen of Sherry’s Casino and with heavy winds sometimes typical of the area, crossed over Gibson Avenue to do more damage. The early stages of the fire were actually photographed and can be seen in an historic postcard from that day.
In 1928, a violent storm destroyed the upper wooden portion of the tower, but the cylindrical stone base of Earles Court Tower still stands today and serves as a reminder of the rich historic past and interesting architectural history of the area. It is rumored that the former owner saved the griffin, although it has never be found.
In 1999, the Town of Narragansett acquired the tower as a gift from Anthony and Lucille Micacci. As can be seen on this website, there is an effort underway to raise funds to restore this wonderful piece of history for all future generations to cherish and learn from.
