Antoinette Downing
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Antoinette Forrester Downing (July 14, 1904 – May 9, 2001) was an American architectural historian and
preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation u ...
who wrote the standard reference work on historical houses in
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. She is credited with spearheading a movement that saved many of
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
's historic buildings from demolition in the mid 20th century and for her leadership was inducted into the
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Mission The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame Officers The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is managed by a president, vice president, recording ...
in 1978.


Biography

Antoinette Forrester was born in
Paxton, Illinois Paxton is a city in and the county seat of Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,450 at the 2020 census. History The town was initially named Prairie City in the late 1840s, then Prospect City by an Illinois Central Railr ...
, in 1904, to Jay and Myrtle E. (Hartley) Forrester. She grew up in
Springer, New Mexico Springer is a town in Colfax County, New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corn ...
, and developed an early interest in architecture and art. After studying art and English literature at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
and receiving her B.A. in 1925, she went on to study architecture at
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
. She married art historian George Elliot Downing and moved to Rhode Island in 1932, beginning her career as an historical preservationist a couple of years later. After researching the state's historic buildings, she published a survey, ''Early Homes of Rhode Island'' (1937). Covering 17th, 18th, and early 19th century houses, it became the standard reference on Rhode Island buildings of those periods. Downing later worked with the newly formed
Preservation Society of Newport County The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization protects the architectural heritage of Newpor ...
to develop a program to document and publicize the historic buildings of Newport. These efforts resulted in a publication coauthored with Yale architecture professor
Vincent Scully Vincent Joseph Scully Jr. (August 21, 1920 – November 30, 2017) was an American art historian who was a Sterling Professor of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University, and the author of several books on the subject. Architect Phil ...
, ''The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island'' (1952). The book won the
Alice Davis Hitchcock Award The Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award, established in 1949, by the Society of Architectural Historians, annually recognizes "the most distinguished work of scholarship in the history of architecture published by a North American scholar." The olde ...
, offered by the
Society of Architectural Historians The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. Based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the Society's 3,500 members inc ...
for the year's most distinguished work in architectural history. In the 1950s and 1960s, Downing focused on preserving buildings in her College Hill neighborhood of Providence. Though many of these buildings were run-down and under threat of demolition to accommodate the expansion plans of
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
and the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...
, Downing recognized their historical value and with other area residents organized the
Providence Preservation Society The Providence Preservation Society is a private, non-profit organization based in Providence, Rhode Island. The organization's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capital ...
to save them. Her report on the neighborhood, ''College Hill: A Demonstration Study of Historic Area Renewal'' (1959), was adopted as the blueprint for restoring the neighborhood and led to the founding of the College Hill Historic District. Around 750 houses were restored in the district, and Downing's report became a model for other community-based historic restoration and renewal projects nationwide. As a direct result of Downing's efforts, Providence has one of the most extensive collections of habitable 18th- and 19th-century houses in the United States. Downing went on to become chair of the
Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, often called RIHPHC, is an agency run by the state of Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Co ...
in 1968, serving in that capacity for more than three decades. Under her leadership, the commission identified 50,000 historic buildings around the state, some 15,000 of which have been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Downing also consulted for the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the 1960s on a project to revitalize the district around the city's famed Whaling Museum. In the 1970s, she became a board member of SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property), an organization dedicated to managing urban renewal in ways that do not displace resident populations. Antoinette Downing died in 2001, aged 96. Her papers are held by the
Rhode Island Historical Society The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Rhode Island. Its offices are located in Providence, Rhode Island. History Foun ...
.


Honors and awards

Downing's restoration efforts have been recognized by awards from the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She has received honorary degrees from Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams College. In 1978, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. In the 1980s, the Antoinette F. Downing Fund was established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support historic preservation efforts in Rhode Island. An interview with Downing forms part of the National Historic Preservation Program Oral Histories project housed at Cornell University.


Personal life

Downing's husband, George E. Downing (1904-1977), was chair of the art department at Brown University from 1949 to 1963. The couple had two children, Jay and Grace.


References


Further reading

*Longstreth, Richard. "Antoinette Forrester Downing." ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 61:2 (June 2002) 260–62.


External links


Antoinette F. Downing papers at the Rhode Island Historical Society (finding aid)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, Antoinette Forrester 1904 births 2001 deaths Historical preservationists People from Paxton, Illinois University of Chicago alumni Radcliffe College alumni American architectural historians People from Springer, New Mexico Historians from Illinois